Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles John Calvin
Commentary on Acts gainsaying, For this is the holy silence of faith, when as without murmuring against God we receive that meekly which he commandeth, abandoning 686 all contrary reasons which intrude themselves.
Acts 10:30-33
Acts 10:30-33
30. Then saith Cornelius, Four days ago, until this hour, I was fasting; and about the ninth hour I prayed at my house; and behold a man stood before me in a shining garment, 31. Who said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thy alms is come into remembrance before God. 32. Therefore send men to Joppa, and fetch Simon, whose surname is Peter; this man lodgeth in the house of Simon the tanner; when he shall be present he shall speak to thee. 33. Therefore, after that hour I sent unto thee, and thou hast done well that thou art come, Therefore, all we are now present before God, to hear all things which are appointed for thee of God.
Because this answer of Cornelius containeth only the bare repetition of the history, I shall not need to stand long about that. The sum is, that he called Peter at the commandment of God.
30. I was fasting. Many Greek books 687 have {ημην}, I sat. The old interpreter omitteth the word fasting, which I think was done through error or negligence, because it is expressed in all the Greek books. 688 Furthermore, he maketh express mention of fasting, partly that we may know that he prayed not coldly, or overfields 689 at that time; secondly, that the vision may be the less suspected. For doubtless the brain of a man that is fasting (where there is moderate sobriety) doth not easily admit any strong imaginations, wherein appear images and strange forms, whereby men are deceived. 690 Therefore Cornelius' meaning is, that he was earnestly bent to pray, at such time as the angel appeared to him, and that his mind was free from all such lets which use to make men subject to fantasies and imaginations. 691
And to the same end tendeth the circumstance of time, that this was done when it was now fair daylight, three hours before the going down of the sun.
A man stood in shining garment. He calleth him a man, whom he knew was an angel of God; but it is a common thing for the name of the visible form wherein God or his angels appear to be translated unto him or them; so Moses doth sometimes call them angels, and sometimes men, which appeared to Abraham in shape of men. The shining garment was a token of heavenly glory, and, as it were a sign of the divine Majesty which appeared 692 in the 686"Procul abigendo," driving far away. 687"Codices," manuscripts. 688"Codicibus," manuscripts. 689"Defunctorie," perfunctorily. 690"Hallucinationes in spectris," spectral delusions. 691"Phantasmatibus ac spectris," phantasms and specters. 692"Quae fulgere… debuit," which must have been refulgent.