Cornelius, a devout centurion of the Italian Cohort in Caesarea, receives angelic instruction to send for Peter, while Peter on a Joppa rooftop sees a vision of unclean animals with the command to kill and eat, and learns that what God has cleansed must not be called common. Peter accompanies Cornelius' messengers, enters the Gentile household—normally unlawful for Jews—and preaches about Jesus' anointing, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and appointment as judge, with forgiveness of sins for all who believe in Him. While Peter speaks, the Holy Spirit falls on all the Gentile hearers who speak in tongues and magnify God, astonishing the circumcised believers and prompting Peter to command their baptism in Jesus' name.
Read Acts Chapter 10 Summary
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Characters in This Chapter
Places in This Chapter
Caesarea
View on MapCaesarea Maritima was a grand Roman port city built by Herod the Great. Peter preached to the Roman centurion Cornelius here, opening Christianity to the Gentiles. Paul was imprisoned here for two years and made his defense before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa.
Galilee
View on MapGalilee was a region in northern Israel where Jesus grew up and conducted much of His ministry. Jesus called His first disciples here, performed many miracles, and taught large crowds. After His resurrection, Jesus met His disciples in Galilee and commissioned them to make disciples of all nations.
Nazareth
View on MapNazareth is the town in Galilee where Jesus grew up and spent most of his life before his public ministry. It was a small, obscure village in ancient times, which led Nathanael to ask "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary here to announce she would give birth to the Son of God. Jesus was known as "Jesus of Nazareth" throughout his ministry.
Position in Book
Jerusalem ChurchChapters 1-7
Expansion to Judea/SamariaChapters 8-12
Philip, Paul's conversion, Peter and Cornelius.
Paul's First JourneyChapters 13-14
Jerusalem CouncilChapters 15
Paul's Second JourneyChapters 16-18
Paul's Third JourneyChapters 19-21
Paul's Trials and RomeChapters 22-28
Bible Bites
The Gospel Spreads in 28 Chapters
The book of Acts contains 28 chapters chronicling the explosive growth of the early church from Jerusalem to Rome. Written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel, it begins with 120 believers in an upper room and ends with Paul preaching boldly in the capital of the Roman Empire.
ActsThe narrator joins the story
In Acts 16:10, Luke suddenly switches from 'they' to 'we,' revealing he personally joined Paul's missionary journey. These 'we passages' (Acts 16, 20-21, 27-28) provide eyewitness accounts showing Luke was present for key events including Paul's shipwreck.
Acts 16:10