1. Acts 10:1–48 (ESV)
  2. Structure and outline

Form and Structure

Acts 10:1–48 (ESV)

1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,

  • The proclamation of the gospel to Cornelius can also be grouped into six scenes:1

    • The vision of Cornelius (Acts 10:1–8)

    • The vision of Peter (Acts 10:9–16)

    • The messengers of Cornelius and Peter (Acts 10:17–23b)

    • The encounter between Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10:23–33)

    • Peter’s sermon (Acts 10:34–43)

    • The Holy Spirit confirms conversion and belonging (Acts 10:44–48)

  • In Acts 10:1–48, a Gentile man and his family are accepted into God’s church without the need for them to become Jews first.2,3 Circumcision and sacrifices are thus not required of Gentile converts in the new covenant as they were in the old. The details around this conversion make up one of the longest episodes in Acts. It is repeated on three occasions, so as to emphasize the central importance of the ready inclusion of the Gentiles in the new people of God.4 It also highlights the fact that obstacles which traditionally kept Jews from contact with Gentiles (food laws) have been removed.5