Peter And The Animals

Ἐγένετο ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔκστασις. Οἱ τὰς φύσεις εἰσάγοντες ετερόδεκτοι φασὶν ἀνεπιδέκτους εἶναι σωτηρίας ἀνθρώπους ἐκείνους, τοὺς διὰ φαυλότητα ἤθους κύνας καὶ χαίρους καλουμένους, οἶς τὸ ἅγιον διδόναι καὶ τοὺς μαργαρίτας τοὺς θείους ἀπεῖπεν ὁ Σωτήρ. Πρὸς τούτοις τοὺς φύσει κακοὺς λέγουσι τοὺς εἰρημένους λύκους ἃπραγας καὶ ἀλώπεκας, καὶ πάντας ἅπαξ ἁπλῶς τούς ὀνόμασιν ἀλόγων ζώων δηλουμένους. Ἐλεγκτέον οὖν αὐτους, ὡς οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων κατὰ φὺσιν, ἁλλὰ κατὰ πρόθεσίν ἐστι κακὸς, ἐκ τῆς ἐγκειμένης ὀπτασίας. Τὸν γὰρ Πέτρον διδάξαι βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς, μηδένα ἄνθρωπον παραιτεϊσθαι ὡς κιονὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρον ὄντα, σκεῦος ἐμφερές τὶ ὀθόνης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανου τίσσαρσιν ἀραχαῖς καθῆκεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν ᾠ ὑπῆρχα πάντα τὰ γένη τῶν ἀλογῶν ζώων, ἀφ' ὦν πτύσας φαγεῖν ὁ Πέτρος προσετάττετο. Ὁ δὲ ἀκμὴν ἐμμένων τῇ Ἰουδαϊκῇ συνηθείᾳ, αἰσθητὰ νομίσας τὰ ὁρώμενα παρῃτήσατο, εἰπὼν, κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον μηδέποτε βεβρωκέναι. Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ εἰρηκότος, ὁ χρησμὸς πρὸς αὐτὸν· Ἅ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκαθάρισε, σὺ μὴ κοίνου. Ἀφ οὖ καὶ γνῶσιν λαβὼν, ὡς περὶ ἠθῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων εἰρημένων, εἶπε δεδειχέναι αὐτῷ τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς οὐδεὶς κατὰ φύσιν ἀκάθαρτος ἀνθρώπων· δυὸ καὶ ἀνατιῥῥήτως ἀπαντῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κορνήλιον, ὠφειληθῆναι θέλοντα σὺν παντὶ τῷ οἴκῳ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν διδασκαλίαν. Ὅθεν ἐπιδέδεικται τὰ τετράποδα καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ, ἀναφορὰν ἔχοντα εἰς τὰς ἀνθρώπων καταστάσεις ὑπὸ Θεοὺ χαρισθέντα· οὐ διὰ φύσιν, ἀντιπράττουσαν τὸ ἅγιον, τοὺς μαργαρίτος κεκώλυται κυσὶν ἢ χοίροις διδόναι, ἀλλὰ διὰ προαίρεσιν χειρίστην, ἤν καταλεῖψαι δυνατὸν μηκέται κύνα ἤ χοῖρον ὄντα. Ἡ Συροφοινίκισσα γοῦν γυνὴ διὰ πίστιν ἐκ κυνὸς ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν, ὅθεν καὶ τὸν ἄροτν τῶν τέκνων παρέσχεν αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐις Τάς Πράξεις Τῶν Ἀποστόλων, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 39.1675

He fell into a trance. 1 They who teach differently would have men of such natures that some are not able to be saved, those who through wretched behaviour are given the name of pigs and dogs, to whom the Saviour prohibits even the giving of holy things and divine pearls. 2 And they say that those who are evil in nature are rapacious wolves and foxes, and they are given the name of other irrational animals. But this is refuted by the present vision which will have nothing in its nature evil but in its intention. For when God wishes to teach Peter that no man must be rejected as impure and polluted, He sent a certain vessel of linen with four ends suspended from heaven to earth, in which were found all kinds of animals, and from these Peter, though he was averse, was commanded to eat. He was still then adhering to Jewish custom, and these things which appeared judging by bodily appearance only, he declined, saying, 'I have eaten nothing unclean or impure.' Having said this, the Divine voice said to him, 'What God has made clean shall not pollute you.' By which may be understood that God has spoken concerning the customs of men, that He show that no man in his own nature is unclean, and that therefore without hesitation Peter should go to Cornelius, who with his whole house was eager to seize the fruit of the Gospel teaching. So God showed four legged animals and reptiles, and birds, among which, by affinity, the diversity of man's character certainly falls. Thus not from nature is there repugnance for holy things and the prohibition of casting of pearls to dogs and pigs, but on account of depraved inclination, which even so is able to be overturned, that a man no longer be a dog or pig. Thus the Syrophoenician women by faith is made human from being a dog, whence Jesus gave to her the bread fit for children. 3 Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, Fragment 1 Acts 10.10 2 Mt 7.6 3 Mark 7.26