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From: Acts 11:1-18

In Jerusalem Peter Justifies His Conduct

[1] Now the Apostles and the brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles
also had received the word of God. [2] So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the
circumcision party criticized him, [3] saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised
men and eat with them?” [4] But Peter began and explained to them in order: [5]
“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, something des-
cending, like a great sheet, let down from Heaven by four corners; and it came
down to me. [6] Looking at it closely I observed animals and beasts of prey and
reptiles and birds of the air. [7] And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter;
kill and eat.’ [8] But I said, ‘No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever en-
tered my mouth.’ [9] But the voice answered a second time from Heaven, ‘What
God has cleansed you must not call common.’ [10] This happened three times,
and all was drawn up again into Heaven. [11] And that very moment three men
arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. [12] And the
Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brethren also
accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. [13] And he told us how he
had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring
Simon called Peter; [14] he will declare to you a message by which you will be
saved, you and all your household.’ [15] As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell
on them just as on us at the beginning. [16] And I remembered the word of the
Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit.’ [17] If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when
we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
[18] When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying,
“Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life.”

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Commentary:

1-18. Some members of the Jerusalem community are shocked to learn that Pe-
ter has eaten with people who are legally unclean and has allowed them to be
baptized without first being circumcised.

“The circumcision party” refers, therefore, to those Christians who are scanda-
lized by the Gospel’s attitude to the ritual prohibitions and ethnic exclusiveness
of the Mosaic Law.

The Apostle’s address has a positive effect and sets their mind at ease. This atti-
tude of the disciples, who are interested only in the will of God and the spread of
the Gospel, shows how ready they are to accept instruction: their initial reserve
was quite conscientious. Peter once again describes the vision he received (10:
9-23), to show that if he had not baptized Cornelius he would have been disobe-
ying God.

This account of the vision differs slightly from his earlier one, the main addition
being in verses 15-16, which connect the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
(2:1ff) with His descent on the Gentile converts at Caesarea (10:44).

Unfortunately the stubborn Judaizing tendencies exhibited by some members of
the infant Church took a long time to disappear, as is dramatically borne out in
some of St. Paul’s letters: he refers to “false brethren secretly brought in, who
slipped in to spy on our freedom which we have in Jesus Christ, that they might
bring us into bondage” (Galatians 2:4) and warns Christians to be on their guard
against fanatics of the Law of Moses who are self-serving and “want to pervert
the Gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.