Acts 10:4
Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain
- WHERE
- Caesarea
- WHEN
- c. AD 40-44
ON THE MAP
WHEN
c. AD 40-44
counted from the text
Cornelius, and the church ceasing to be only Jewish.
WHO RULED
- Caligula emperor of Rome AD 37-41
- Claudius emperor of Rome AD 41-54
- Herod Agrippa I king of Judea AD 41-44
MEANWHILE
-
AD 41 Italy
Caligula is assassinated and Claudius takes power
The order to set up the emperor's statue in the Temple in Jerusalem dies with him.
SOURCES
- date — Acts 11:28 announces the famine of Claudius's reign, which Tacitus (Annals XII.43) and Josephus (Antiquities XX.2) put in AD 46-48.
- Caligula — Suetonius, Caligula; Josephus, Antiquities XVIII-XIX
- Claudius — Suetonius, Claudius; Tacitus, Annals XI-XII
- Herod Agrippa I — Josephus, Antiquities XVIII.6-XIX.8, which dates his death to AD 44
- Caligula is assassinated and Claudius takes power — Suetonius, Caligula 58 and Claudius 10; Josephus, Antiquities XIX
WHAT HAPPENED
-
Cornelius receives the Spirit AD 40 (approximate date)
A Roman officer and his household receive the Spirit before any Jewish rite. It is the decision the church spends the next chapters trying to understand.
SEE ALSO
- Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
- Malachi 3:16 At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared…
- Acts 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.
- Psalms 141:2 May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.
- Revelation 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.
- Luke 1:12-13 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. …
- Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Cross-references: OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0
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