Acts 11:4

"saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”"

Key Reflection

In Acts 11:4, Peter recounts his experience of visiting Cornelius's household and dining with him and other uncircumcised Gentiles. This action was significant because, in first-century Judaism, eating with non-Jews, especially those who had not undergone circumcision, was considered a violation of religious purity laws. The cultural context highlights the tension between traditional Jewish practices and the growing inclusion of Gentiles into the early Christian community, foreshadowing broader discussions about the nature of faith and salvation in Acts and Paul's letters.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 4. But Peter rehearsed. Greek, Peter beginning, explained it to them in order. That is, he began with the vision which he saw, and gave a narrative of the various events in order, as they actually occurred. A simple and unvarnished statement of facts is usually the best way of disarming prejudice and silencing opposition. In revivals of true religion, the best way of silencing opposition, and especially among Christians, is to make a plain statement of things as they actually occurred. Opposition most commonly arises from prejudice, or from false or exaggerated statements; and those can be best removed, not by angry contention, but by an unvarnished relation of the facts.

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