Tool Beta
The Ancient World Behind the Text
Pick a passage anywhere in the New Testament. See the customs and ideas a first reader knew without being told.
Acts 10:24-11:18, Peter in Cornelius's house
Peter enters a Gentile home, preaches Jesus, and sees the Spirit fall on the uncircumcised listeners. In Jerusalem he is criticized for eating with Gentiles, and his account silences the critics.
Acts 10:24-11:18, in every translation this tool compares.
Peter enters Cornelius's house, refuses the officer's bow, and explains that God has taught him to call no person unclean. He tells the story of Jesus' ministry, death and resurrection and of Jesus as appointed judge of all. Before he finishes, the Spirit comes on the Gentile listeners as it had on the Jewish believers, so Peter has them baptized. When Jerusalem believers object that he ate with uncircumcised people, his account persuades them that God has opened the way of life to Gentiles too.
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/food-laws\/","n":"Clean and unclean food","s":"The law of Moses sorted animals into clean and unclean, and keeping kosher marked Jews off from their neighbors. Strict Jews also avoided Gentile food, Gentile wine and Gentile tables.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/eating-together\/","n":"Eating together","s":"Sharing a table made a bond of friendship, so who you ate with told everyone whose side you were on.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/proselytes-and-god-fearers\/","n":"Converts and God-fearers","s":"Gentiles drawn to Israel's God stood at two distances. Converts took on the whole law, circumcision included, and became Jews. God-fearers worshiped Israel's God, gave to the synagogue and kept some customs, but did not convert.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/spirit-of-prophecy\/","n":"The Spirit of prophecy","s":"Jews of Jesus' day linked God's Spirit above all with prophecy. Many believed the prophets had fallen silent long ago, and they looked for the day God would pour out his Spirit again.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/gentile-lands\/","n":"Gentile territory","s":"Across the lake and to the north lay Greek-run cities with pagan temples and pig herds. Jesus crossed into them more than once.","r":""}
Falling at someone's feet was the homage paid to gods and rulers; Greco-Roman paganism believed in semidivine men, and even Gentiles expected mortals to refuse divine honors (Keener and his notes). Devout Jews would not enter idolaters' homes, and Gentile food and wine counted as unclean, which made Romans think Jews antisocial (Keener and his notes); the ESV Study Bible says against the law reflects later strict tradition, not an Old Testament command. God's impartiality was a common Jewish theme, and Lord of all a Jewish title for God (Keener and his notes). Doing good is the language of benefaction, what rulers and gods were praised for (Keener). Most Jewish teachers thought the Spirit came only on the most pious or belonged to the age to come, so Gentiles receiving it showed that God accepted them uncircumcised (Keener and his notes). The complaint in Jerusalem is about eating with Gentiles (Keener and his notes). Many Jews believed decent Gentiles who kept the laws given to Noah could be saved, but no one had thought of Gentiles saved on the same terms as Jews (Keener and his notes).
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on Acts 10:25-26, 10:27-29, 10:34-36, 10:38, 10:45-47, 11:2-3 and 11:18
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Acts 10:25, 10:26, 10:28, 10:34-35, 10:36, 10:45, 11:3 and 11:18
- ESV Study Bible, study note on Acts 10:28
