The initiating incident in the story of Peter and Cornelius is reverse anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is prejudice against the Jews. Reverse anti-Semitism is prejudice by the Jews against Gentiles. Gentiles are non-Jews. In the first-century church one of the biggest problems was the big question of what to do with Gentiles who wanted to become Christians.

Some Christians insisted that the Gentiles could only become Christians if they were circumcised and became Jews first. Others, including Peter and Paul, taught that baptism was "the new circumcision" and that Gentiles and Jews alike should be included in the big circle of God's people. Reverse anti-Semitism, like all prejudice, had to be overcome.

There were reasons for this reverse anti-Semitism. One of the reasons was the idolatry of …