Peter's vision of a sheet with animals
Encyclopedia
According to the story in Acts 10
, Saint Peter
had a vision of a sheet full of animals being lowered from heaven
. A voice from heaven told Peter to kill and eat, but since the sheet contained unclean animals
, Peter declined. The command was repeated twice, along with the voice saying, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common" (verse 15) and then the sheet was taken back to heaven (Acts 10:16). The triple refusal here echoes the denial of Peter
described in the Synoptic Gospels
.
At this point in the narrative, messengers sent from Cornelius the Centurion arrive and urge Peter to go with them. He does so, and mentions the vision as he speaks to Cornelius, saying "God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:28, KJV). Peter related the vision again in Acts 11:4-9.
suggests that the lesson God taught Peter in this vision is that "God has removed the barriers he once erected to separate his people from the surrounding nations." Kistemaker argues that it means Peter has to accept Gentile
believers as full members of the Christian Church
, but also that God has made all animals clean, so that "Peter with his fellow Jewish Christians can disregard the food laws
that have been observed since the days of Moses
."
Luke Timothy Johnson
and Daniel J. Harrington
write that this episode heralds a radical change in Peter's "identity as a member of God's people," but also that "the implication is that all things God created are declared clean by him, and are not affected by human discriminations."
On the other hand, the United Church of God
(a group following the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong
) calls this an "often-misunderstood section of the Bible", arguing that Peter's statement in verse 28 indicates that the divine disclosure reflected only a teaching about people, and not one about food. The UCG argues that Peter realised "the puzzling vision could not be annulling God’s instructions." The Seventh-day Adventist Church
has a similar view of this passage.
. Rembrandt was probably reacting to a painting of the subject by Domenico Fetti
which was then in Amsterdam, and is now in Vienna
. It also appears in the "Altar of St. Peter" in Seville Cathedral
, attributed to Francisco de Zurbarán.
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
, Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
had a vision of a sheet full of animals being lowered from heaven
Heaven (Christianity)
Traditionally, Christianity has taught Heaven as a place of eternal life and the dwelling place of Angels and the Throne of God, and a kingdom to which all the elect will be admitted...
. A voice from heaven told Peter to kill and eat, but since the sheet contained unclean animals
Unclean animals
Unclean animals, in some religions, are animals whose consumption or handling is labeled a taboo. According to these religion's dogmas, persons who handle such animals may need to purify themselves to get rid of their uncleanness.-Judaism:...
, Peter declined. The command was repeated twice, along with the voice saying, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common" (verse 15) and then the sheet was taken back to heaven (Acts 10:16). The triple refusal here echoes the denial of Peter
Denial of Peter
The Denial of Peter refers to three acts of denial of Jesus by the Apostle Peter as described in the three Synoptic Gospels of the New Testament....
described in the Synoptic Gospels
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
.
At this point in the narrative, messengers sent from Cornelius the Centurion arrive and urge Peter to go with them. He does so, and mentions the vision as he speaks to Cornelius, saying "God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:28, KJV). Peter related the vision again in Acts 11:4-9.
Interpretation
Simon J. KistemakerSimon J. Kistemaker
Simon J. Kistemaker is a New Testament scholar. He is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary. Kistemaker studied at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary before obtaining a ThD from the Free University in Amsterdam...
suggests that the lesson God taught Peter in this vision is that "God has removed the barriers he once erected to separate his people from the surrounding nations." Kistemaker argues that it means Peter has to accept Gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
believers as full members of the Christian Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
, but also that God has made all animals clean, so that "Peter with his fellow Jewish Christians can disregard the food laws
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
that have been observed since the days of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
."
Luke Timothy Johnson
Luke Timothy Johnson
Luke Timothy Johnson is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Candler School of Theology and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University...
and Daniel J. Harrington
Daniel J. Harrington
Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. is a professor and the Chair of the Biblical Studies Department at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry . A member of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Harrington has served as editor of New Testament Abstracts since 1972...
write that this episode heralds a radical change in Peter's "identity as a member of God's people," but also that "the implication is that all things God created are declared clean by him, and are not affected by human discriminations."
On the other hand, the United Church of God
United Church of God
The United Church of God, an International Association is a Christian denomination based in the United States with members in various countries around the world...
(a group following the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God in the late 1930s, as well as Ambassador College in 1946, and was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, originally taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon...
) calls this an "often-misunderstood section of the Bible", arguing that Peter's statement in verse 28 indicates that the divine disclosure reflected only a teaching about people, and not one about food. The UCG argues that Peter realised "the puzzling vision could not be annulling God’s instructions." The Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
has a similar view of this passage.
Artistic depictions
Peter's vision was rarely shown in art, but has been illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Rembrandt and a variant by his pupil van HoogstratenSamuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten
Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age.-Biography:Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten was born and died in Dordrecht. He was...
. Rembrandt was probably reacting to a painting of the subject by Domenico Fetti
Domenico Fetti
Domenico Fetti was an Italian Baroque painter active mainly in Rome, Mantua and Venice.-Biography:...
which was then in Amsterdam, and is now in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. It also appears in the "Altar of St. Peter" in Seville Cathedral
Seville Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See , better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville . It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world....
, attributed to Francisco de Zurbarán.