Acts 10:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The words "kill and eat" mean that they too, the Gentiles, must be converted. Notice that even hunger did not compel him to approach the sheet. So that he would not remain any longer in perplexity, he hears a voice saying, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." Perhaps he was kneeling when he contemplated the vision. It seems to me that he saw it for the success of the evangelical preaching.

The saying "kill and eat" means that they too must come to Christ. Its being repeated three times signifies baptism. Thus the true meaning of the vision points him to the teaching concerning the Trinity, just as faith in the Trinity constitutes true worship of God.

Peter heard: "Rise, kill and eat!" That is, rise in mind above what is grasped by sense, and "kill and eat." Through division by means of the logos, receive it spiritually and make it your own.

"Rise," says the Lord. Prepare yourself for the Gospel. Kill in the Gentiles what they were, and make them what you are.

For one who eats food that is outside brings it into his own body. Therefore He commanded that the nations, which because of unbelief were outside the doors, should enter communion with the Church after the slaying of their former life.

Peter symbolizes the Church. In accordance with this, the apostle Paul also says of himself: "Through the Law I died to the Law, that I might live to God in Christ" (Gal 2:19).

And further: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Those, however, who are led into deception by heretics are devoured alive by death.

Before him heaven was opened, and from it something like a great sheet was lowered to the apostle on the earth. It was held by ropes tied to its four corners.

In it, as in a kind of ark, were all kinds of four-footed creatures of the earth, beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."

Yet with all his hunger, intensified still more by the sight of food, Peter did not forget the rules of his upbringing.

Among these animals and creeping things were creatures that did not chew the cud and did not have divided hoofs. All this was clearly forbidden as food by the Law.

Better to die of hunger than to violate the ordinance of the Law and eat what horrified a Jew at the very thought.

"Rise, kill and eat," the voice commanded Peter, coming from the same opened heaven. Perhaps Peter lay stretched out on the ground during the ecstasy and vision.

This sometimes happened with Old Testament prophets during especially striking visions; cf. Dan 10:9. Or perhaps he was in a kneeling position, as people were during prayer; cf. Acts 20:36.

Perhaps Peter himself was praying in such a posture. Therefore the voice commanded him to rise. This expression, however, sometimes means simply an incitement to the commanded action (Acts 8:26; Acts 9:11; Acts 9:39 and elsewhere).

"Kill and eat." This adapts the vision to the hunger Peter was feeling. Take whichever animal you wish, prepare it as is proper, and satisfy your hunger with it.

The command to eat the different animals was spoken three times, probably because the apostle Peter refused such food once and then either said the same thing a second time or remained silent. Therefore it was said a third time.

This partly recalls the threefold confirmation of him in the apostolate by Jesus Christ. From Him Peter had, as it were, denied himself when in the high priest's courtyard he said that he did not even know Jesus.

There the matter concerned Peter's love for the Lord. Here it concerns his love for other nations. Like the other Jews, he generally regarded them as unclean.

In particular, he regarded them as unworthy to pass directly and immediately into Christianity, bypassing Judaism. In the Lord's figurative words there is much clarification of this question.