Subject: Acts 10: Unclean & clean foods Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 01:48:21 +0000 To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: David Wyman Subject: unclean & clean foods commandment To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com I read a book of Leviticus 11 about food rule. I would like to follow His way because He knows everthing than us. However I read book of Act 10 : 10-16 " then he became very hungry and wanted to eat ; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners,descending to him and let down to the earth. in it were all kinds of four feeted animals of the earth , wild beasts, creeping thing, and birds of the air .and a voice came to him" rise , Peter ;kill and eat. But Peter said,"Not so, Lord !For I have never eaten anything commom or unclean " and a voice spoken to him again the second time, "What God has cleaned you must not call commom" This was done three times . and the object was taken up into heaven again" Is that interpertation ? or Is that God allows us to eat unclean animals? My wife loves seafoods without fin and scales . I feel I must follow His food rule and believe in His rightious laws. and I read book Isaiah 66:17 about swine/ pig .[ I love ham and bacon] . Should I quit to eat swine's flesh? I will . Please send us list of common foods and ingredients , we can eat . Shalom Messiah David and Nancy >From Eddie: ************** Over my many years of going to Church, I have often heard people quote from Acts 10 as a "proof" that God now allows us to eat anything that we want to eat and that the dietary laws were done away. Many quote from the scripture above (Acts 10:10-16). However, a very elementary rule of interpreting scripture is don't take a text out of context. By reading the ENTIRE text of Acts 10 and understanding the issues involved, it becomes VERY CLEAR that the subject of Acts 10 has NOTHING to do with clean/unclean foods. This is not even the subject of Acts 10 or the issue in the story. With this in mind, let us examine the story and the Hebraic background of the story. Acts 10 begins by telling us about a man named Cornelius. In Acts 10:1-2 it is written: "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the italian band, a devout man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always" This text tells us that Cornelius is a non-Jew and he is a believer and worshipper of the God of Israel. In Acts 10:3-6, Cornelius is given a vision to go to Joppa and see Peter. In Acts 10:7-8, Cornelius and two of his men go with him. Therefore, the total number of people going to see Peter is THREE. As they went on their journey (Acts 10:9), Peter falls into a trance and has a vision of unclean animals which he is told to eat. Peter said no. This happened three times. (Acts 10:10-16). In Acts 17:17, it is written: "Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean ..." Why did Peter doubt the vision? Peter doubted the vision because he was a Torah observant Jew. Being a Torah observant Jew, he followed the dietary laws of God as specified in Leviticus 11. Was the dream about God now telling Peter that he could eat anything he wanted? NO! In order to understand why God gave the dream to Peter, you need to understand how Peter, a Torah observant Orthodox Jew, would have viewed Cornelius and his two friends (being non-Jewish) coming to Peter's house or Peter keeping company with them. Even today, Orthodox Jews believe that if a non-Jew comes into their house, the non-Jew defiles the house of the Jew because they view the non-Jew as not following Torah and being unclean. A name often associated with the non-Jewish community was "dogs". Therefore, according to traditional Halacha (Oral Law), Peter would be forbidden to allow Cornilius and his two friends to keep company with him. However, in order to impress upon Peter to let Cornilius and his two friends keep company with him, God gave Peter a dream while Cornilius and his two friends were making their journey to see Peter. Being Torah observant, Peter obviously knew that God did not want him to eat unclean foods from unclean animals. Therefore, he couldn't understand the meaning of the vision and this is why Acts 10:17 states that "Peter doubted what the vision meant". Continuing in Acts 10:17-20 it is written: "Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house and stood before the gate, And called and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, THREE men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and GO WITH THEM, DOUBTING NOTHING, for I have sent them" Notice what Peter had to NOT DOUBT. He had to not doubt that it was OK with God and OK for Peter to keep company with THREE non-Jews. Remember in the vision Peter was told to eat THREE times. One time was for each of the non-Jews who came to visit with Peter. In Acts 10:21-23 it is written: "Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius: and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by a holy angel to send for thee into HIS HOUSE and to hear words of thee. Then CALLED HE THEM IN and LODGED them ..." It was because of the vision that God gave Peter and Peter not doubting the meaning of the vision that he let Cornelius and the two who was with him into his house. Then in Acts 10:28 it is written: "And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or come unto one of another nation (this was/is the teaching among the Orthodox Jews according to Halacha) BUT God has showed me that I should NOT CALL ANY MAN COMMON OR UNCLEAN" Therefore, the vision was about God communicating to Peter that he needed to change his beliefs about keeping company with non-Jews which according to traditional Jewish halacha (Oral Law) were viewed as being unclean. So, God wanted to show Peter that he was not to call a MAN common or unclean (a non-Jew) when they believed also in the God of Israel. The story makes much sense when you read the entire chapter of Acts 10 and understanding the historical Hebraic setting of the situation. *************************************************************************