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

94 this is particularly important when we recall the practical way in which he had immediately to apply the lesson of the vision." 114 The dialogue which follows is short, involving only an initial command by God , a response by Peter and a final statement of principle given by God. God's command of "Arise, Peter , kill and eat," is met with an immediate and emphatic refusal by Peter, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." Peter's polite but emphatic refusal to eat should not be considered as belligerent but as an appropriate expres– sion of fidelity. The statement serves as a foil for God's response in which he concludes the dialogue with a general principle, "What God has cleansed, do not call common" (a o 0Eoc; £Ka0aptaEV au µ~ KOlVOU, 10: 15). Peter's response and the arrival of Cornelius' men ~ 115 If the message of the vision was the cancellation of the food laws , it was lost on Peter. Luke tells us he was clueless about the meaning of the vision, "he was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be. " The word 8tanoplw means "be greatly perplexed , at a loss ... lv tauT4i in one's own mind Ac 10:17." 116 Luke , however, means to interpret the vision for the reader as he notes the providential arrival of the men from Cornelius at the very moment Peter is wondering about the meaning of the 114 Bruce, Acts , 218, n. 15 . 115 At the risk of arguing from ilence the reader hould be aware that the tatem nt does not read "What foods God ha clean ed, do not call common," but rath r tat d in r general, principle form, "What God ha clean ed .... " We would ther fore tak e ption to Bruce' under tanding, "Actually, the term of hi i ion on th hou t p at J ppa taught him to call no food common or unclean if od pronoun ed it lean; but h a qui k to ra p the analogy etween cer monial f d-law and the regulation aff ting int r ur ith n n– Jew , " (empha i his) Bruce, A t , 2 I lb A '~ , ,, , . . otanopcw .