Acts 10 CJB: circumcision, baptism, and blood to divide humankind

 Acts 10 CJB: circumcision, baptism, and blood to divide humankind

Guide: CJB emphasis in bold (CJB online), text I emphasize in green; NIV in magenta; footnotes to CJB in sky blue; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. My continually improved statement about Genesis 1:26-28 is at the end of this post.

Chief concerns and possible insights:

1.     Acts 10 may have happened 5 years after church had state execute Yeshua. The Messianic-Jew Council at Jerusalem happened 4-5 years later.

2.     Acts 10’s message seems to be: Don’t let human/personal perception entice you to attempt to constrain The God. Especially, do not judge civic people – people who pursue necessary goodness on earth, regardless of their beliefs.

3.     Some people in their nation collaborate to necessary goodness to humankind.

4.     Acts 10 presents 3 issues on which to institutionally exclude/condemn other civic human beings.

a.      Circumcision is discounted by Peter’s witness.

b.     Baptism by emersion is advanced on Peter’s perceptions.

c.      Blood sacrifice (Christ) is indirectly addressed in V43.

                                                             i.      I elaborated Christ in relating Msgr. Ott excluding me

                                                           ii.      It’s a singular experience neither to me nor to humankind.

5.     Recall, Genesis 1:26-28 instructs female and male humankind to rule to necessary goodness on earth rather than construct mysterious exclusions.

Working considerations:

1.     An online study relates the timeline of Peter’s activity; https://www.thebiblejourney.org/the-bible-journey/6-jesuss-last-journey-to-jerusalem/jesus-rises-from-the-tomb/ . Here’s the information I gleaned from it:

a.      30 CE; Jesus arises from the dead, Sunday, April 9; Acts 1, 2

b.     35 CE; Acts 8-10, 10 late in the year

c.      Later; Acts 11, back in Jerusalem

d.     44 CE; Acts 12

e.      49/50 CE; the Jerusalem Council of Messianic Jews (not “true” Jews), Acts 15

f.       50 CE; in Antioch, Galatians 2

g.     56 CE; 1 Corinthians 1:12

h.     66 CE; 1 Peter 1:1, from Rome

i.       67 CE; 2 Peter 1:14-15, later executed

2.     V2 in Mesopotamia, most primitive people feared gods and ancient people constructed competitive monotheisms. Also, 5500 year old Sumerian law codes featured civil care to the poor. Every god and God yields to The God.

3.     V3 I view all expressions of angel/god visions as reference to thought, which may and can reserve humility to The God, whatever it may be.

4.     V7 for some reason NIV doesn’t like “slaves” here. It’s OK in Ephesians 6:5-9.

5.     V15 “Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean” is a metaphor for V28, “God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean”.

6.     V25-26 Cornelius boasts that he has YHWH’s ear that Peter is his emissary, while Peter pretends he is not there as a result of YHWH’s instruction. Then each expresses the glory of their direct instructions from YHWH.

7.     V34 Peter understands that Israel’s God does not have favorite nations/peoples.

8.     V35 the individual who fears YHWH and does right is acceptable.

9.     V36 Yeshua . . . is Lord; V37 preaching in Judea ever since John baptized Yeshua; V38 YHWH anointed Yeshua with the Holy spirit and power to heal and defeat the devil; because YHWH was with Yeshua.

10. V39 Peter claims his group is YHWH-chosen witness to Yeshua’s execution and resurrection, but not ascension (as written in Acts 10).

11. V41 un-chosen contemporaries did not see these happenings.

12.  V42 YHWH told us to inform the Jewish people that YHWH appointed Yeshua “to judge the living and the dead”. Again, Peter boasting YHWH authority.

13. V43 “everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

14. V44 The Holy spirit fell on the Gentiles.

15. V45 “The circumcised faction of Peter’s group were amazed.”

a.      In Acts 15, Peter’s witness regarding pagans is grounded in Jewish hypocrisy versus “the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua”.

b.     MSG hides circumcision in Acts 10 and discloses it in Acts 15:5.

16. V47 Peter asked if anyone was prepared to reject these people from baptism, then ordered them baptized. (Peter assuming authority to divide humankind.)

17. V48 has CJB’s “Yeshua the Messiah” competing with NIV’s “Jesus Christ”, while Acts 15:11 has CJB’s “Lord Yeshua” competing with NIV’s “Lord Jesus”. I prefer to pursue and practice Yeshua’s civic influence.

 

^10:1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Regiment. ² He was a devout man, a “God-fearer,” [The civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia featured competitive gods, leading to competitive monotheisms. So, “God-fearer” was typical, and Peter and others advocated the Jewish God, YHWH. “Tertullian . . . in Against Praxeus, written in 213 CE [invented] the Trinity against the teaching of his contemporary Praxeus, who espoused the Monarchian heresy.”] as was his whole household; he gave generously to help the Jewish poor to those in need and prayed regularly to God. ³ One afternoon around three o’clock he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ Cornelius stared at the angel, terrified. “What is it, sir Lord?” he asked. “Your prayers,” replied the angel, “and your acts of charity have gone up into God’s presence, so that he has you on his mind. ⁵ Now send some men to Yafo [Joppa, on Mediterranean coast south of cesarean, still north of Jerusalem] to bring back a man named Shim‘on, also called Kefa. ⁶ He’s staying with Shim‘on the leather-tanner, who has a house by the sea.” ⁷ As the angel that had spoken to him went away, Cornelius called two of his household slaves servants and one of his military aides, who was a godly man; ⁸ he explained everything to them and sent them to Yafo.

⁹ The next day about noon, while they were still on their way and approaching the city, Kefa went up onto the roof of the house to pray. ¹⁰ He began to feel hungry and wanted something to eat; but while they were preparing the meal, he fell into a trance ¹¹ in which he saw heaven opened, and something that looked like a large sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners. ¹² In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling creatures and wild birds. ¹³ Then a voice came to him, “Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!” ¹⁴ But Kefa said, “No, sir! Absolutely not! I have never eaten food that was unclean or treif [unkosher].” ¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time: “Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean.” [This is a metaphor for treating people as equals.] ¹⁶ This happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately taken back up into heaven.

¹⁷ Kefa was still puzzling over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men Cornelius had sent, having inquired for Shim‘on’s house, stood at the gate ¹⁸ and called out to ask if the Shim‘on known as Kefa was staying there. ¹⁹ While Kefa’s mind was still on the vision, the Spirit said, “Three men are looking for you. ²⁰ Get up, go downstairs, and have no misgivings about going with them, because I myself have sent them.”

²¹ So Kefa went down and said to the men, “You were looking for me? Here I am. What brings you here?” ²² They answered, “Cornelius. He’s a Roman army officer, an upright man and a God-fearer, a man highly regarded by the whole Jewish nation; and he was told by a holy angel to have you come to his house and listen to what you have to say.” ²³ So Kefa invited them to be his guests.

The next day, he got up and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers believers from Yafo; ²⁴ and he arrived at Caesarea [on the Mediterranean coast north of Jerusalem and south of Galilee, ancient capital of Roman Judea] the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them — he had already called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet [This could be no more than appreciation for consequences of the angel influencing Cornelius.]. ²⁶ But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I myself am just a man.”

²⁷ As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered. ²⁸ He said to them, “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean; ²⁹ so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius answered, “Three days ago around this time, I was at minchah [afternoon] prayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me ³¹ and said, ‘God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity. ³² Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim‘on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim‘on, a leather-tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”

³⁴ Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, ³⁵ but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people nation he belongs to.

³⁶ “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom the good news of peace through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. ³⁷ You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah the province of Judea, starting from the Galil after the immersion baptism that Yochanan proclaimed preached; ³⁸ how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;^{Deuteronomy 21:23}  a cross ⁴⁰ but God raised him up on the third day and let caused him be seen, ⁴¹ not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead. [People claiming they were chosen by God can be trusted rationalizations rather than for the ineluctable truth.]

⁴² “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people to the people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

⁴⁴ Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodesh Holy Spirit fell on all who were hearing the message. ⁴⁵ All the believers from the Circumcision faction circumcised believers [Note: MSG has “The believing Jews”] [More of Peter’s view is given in Acts 15:4-11.  On arrival in Yerushalayim, they were welcomed by the Messianic community, including the emissaries and the elders; and [Saul] reported what God had done [for Gentiles] through them. But some of those who had come to trust were from the party of the P’rushim; and they stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them [also in NIV and MSG] and direct them to observe the Torah of Moshe.” The emissaries and the elders met to look into this matter. After lengthy debate, Kefa got up and said to them, “Brothers, you yourselves know that a good while back, God chose me from among you to be the one by whose mouth the Goyim should hear the message of the Good News and come to trust. And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness by giving the Ruach HaKodesh to them, just as he did to us;  that is, he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their heart by trust. So why are you putting God to the test now by placing a yoke on the neck of the talmidim which neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear? No, it is through the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua Lord Jesus that we trust and are delivered — and it’s the same with them.”] who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out ⁴⁶ on Gentiles the Goyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was, ⁴⁷ “Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received the Ruach HaKodesh, just as we did.” [A rationalization based on pagans “speaking in tongues”] ⁴⁸ And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah Jesus Christ. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days. [Ken made the point, I recall, that Peter, Jesus’ rock, witness to exponential proliferation and no person can constrain The God’s power: e.g., “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”] [I shared my story of 15 years’ worship with my Louisiana-French-Catholic family (5 less me) and at last asking Msgr. Stanley J. Ott to offer me the wafer in Remembrance rather than in transubstantiation. He said, “No. And we need not meet again.” The next time I saw him, I talked Stephen’s latest baseball successes. Stanley was 2^nd cousin to Mel Ott, Baseball Hall of fame. If/when UBC conducts another “other faith” series it would be good to include a Catholic priest. Some Protestants don’t understand that Roman Catholicism is a totally different religion yet there should be collaboration for civic integrity if not civil reliability; personal goodness accommodated by inclusive doctrine; collaboration to Genesis 1:26-28.]

[Genesis 1:26-28 introduction

I read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy. The Sumerians are parochially referenced by Semite scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28; in my paraphrase:  Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to independently and together constrain political democracy on earth: on earth, civic humankind has the power and authority to pursue necessary goodness and constrain the bad. Civic citizens may use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. 

Political philosopher Yeshua* affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, contributing ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (spousal loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (pursue your perfection), 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), and in other direct dialogue.

The next Bible canon could and should include the law codes of Sumer and competing civilizations. Resulting insights would take the heat off Judeo-Christianity, a Christ vs Messiah** vs The God competition vs Yeshua’s civic influence.***

Notes:

*In 4 BC, Yosef and Myriam of Nazareth begot Yeshua. And 250 years beforehand, Greek translation of the Torah provided Ἰησοῦς and χριστός, both of which competed with “Yeshua”, the former during Yeshua’s life and the latter in afterdeath. Rome affirmed a triune God, The Trinity, in 325 CE. Christians don’t publicly profess The Trinity. By the 16^th century CE, Christianity used “Jesus Christ” and “Christ” to repress Yeshua’s civic influence, intentionally or not. 

The person, Yeshua, said, in my paraphrase: if people don’t speak my name they can neither consider my civic influence nor share my open-heartedness. Competitive monotheism hides Yeshua’s civic influence. Churches hide Yeshua. Churches claim the Holy Bible is the word of the God yet do everything they can to negate Genesis 1:26-28: humankind has the power, authority, and responsibility to rule to necessary goodness on earth.

Obviously, The God is a mystery. However, civic citizens may, can, and a few do discern Yeshua’s civic influence. Accepting Genesis 1:26-28 empowers and does not exclude the open-minded and open-hearted fellow citizen who has not discovered Yeshua and his civic influence. In other words, human-beings may and can mimic Yeshua without knowing his home town or his beginning.

**In addition to prophecy of an anointed king for Israel, Cyrus, 600 BC, is called a messiah; see Isaiah 45:1.

***Competitive monotheism survives on war rather than necessary goodness.

Discussion

Personal and institutional monotheistic competition egregiously deludes Yeshua’s influence to necessary goodness. The collaborative view could accelerate mutual pursuit of human being (verb) and lessen habitual baby killings, like those happening in Israel, in Ukraine, and in the U.S. in the year 2025.

I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. See notes, below.

Acceptance of the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings pursue necessary goodness to actual reality.

The rest of the Bible, OT and NT discloses the chaos that ensues if most individuals choose wanton behavior -- neglect the laws of physics and progeny, e.g., biology and psychology. Physics prevails even when humankind’s research has not discovered its laws. Both rationalization and speculation fail the test of time.

The civic collective cannot rule if most fellow citizens practice/accommodate badness and allow evil. Civilizations can and do exist without civic integrity. Yet the pursuit of necessary goodness is essential to humankind’s survival.

Today there are more than 4,000 religions and 45,000 Christian sects on earth. Today is the time for individuals to accept the power, the authority, and the responsibility to practice civic integrity in personal living. “Ourselves” may either continue to leave reliable responsibility to “our Posterity”, referring to the preamble to the US Constitution, or practice necessary goodness.

Notes re modern perspective:

1.     Since monotheism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence.

a.      Blue highlight is to emphasize Genesis 1:26-28 pronoun usages, “our” and “we”.

b.     Perhaps the “we” infers the psychologically androgynous pair -- a couple in monogamy more than in sexual intimacy.

c.      It seems human choice may and can conform to the discovered laws of physics.

d.     Yet human inspiration and motivation are driven by goodness.

e.      When goodness is uncertain, humility seems an option.

2.      Scholars understand that humankind in its present mutation is Homo sapiens (HS)

a.      Distinguished by brains with synapses and neurons continuously developing speed and capacity to handle exponential complexities

b.     Indeed HS is the dominant species on earth and its extensions

c.      Yet HS, so far, is challenged-to, perhaps will-not, order life on earth as much as possible

d.  Unfortunately, after 200,000 years, sexual-attraction rather than necessary goodness dominates society if not civilization.

3.      The rest of the Holy Bible expresses the validity of Genesis 1:26-28:  Humankind may and can choose to rule on earth.

a.      Genesis 1 predates the existence of Israel by at least 1500 years.

b.     About 2000 years have passed since Yeshua lived.

c.      Yet war in the Middle East, Yeshua’s part of the world, threatens humankind’s opportunity.

d.     It seems time to pay more attention to primitive thought – psychological and civic discovery during the period 8000 years ago to 4000 years ago.]