The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

84 cites the reference to the setting of the vision. In the first place, we are told in 10.10 that Peter became hungry and wanted to eat. This suggests that the command "kill and eat" is meant quite literally and that the food from heaven, which is intentionally mixed with unclean animals , is to serve as earthly food. 86 Literal hunger on the part of Peter however, hardly implies a literal understanding of the vision. After all, God's command to "kill and eat" can hardly be taken literally as Dibelius insists simply because one can not "kill and eat" a vision . The significance of Peter's hunger rather seems to accentuate the certainty of his response. That is, much like the hunger of Jesus at his temptation (Matt 4:2-4) emphasized his resolve to resist the thought of bread , so also Peter's resistance is all the more clear in light of his desire for food. 87 The hunger of Peter provides a meaningful background for his emphatic refusal to eat the food and thus sharpens the contrast in the dialogue between Peter and God , which seems to be the critical part of the vision incident. 88 · A second line of support for a literal understanding of the vision is given by Dibelius: "Next, the account of the vision (11 :5-10) , which is given in Peter 's defence eem to supply the direct answer to the reproach in 11. 3 that Peter ha eaten with the uncircum– cised: obviously , this has involved eating that which is unclean . " 89 The problem with thi 86 Dibelius , Studies in the Acts of the Apostles , 112. 87 Thi point i not compromi ed by the previou point that the in ident did n t in literal food. Peter ' hunger and con equ nt r fu al to eat would b aff t d not nl b lit ral fo d but also the vi ion of food , much like one ' appetite can be arou ed b n t nl th i ht of literal food but al o the thought of it. 88 Th ignificance of the dial gu whi h i t e ral th r (10 :28; 11:6-10; 15: ) i addr 89 Dibehu , tudi in th A t. of th Apo tie , 11 . H m 1 .28b, Lu h nm n nd n t n r t i i n i ht f m th tart. " (10:1 ) nd r £ rr d ntinu , ' in , h r rrin t th d1 tm t1 n pp r ntl inh r nt m th