Acts 11:1-3 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The apostles and brethren heard To their great surprise; that the Gentiles had also received the word of God That not only the Jews who were dispersed in the Gentile countries, and the Gentiles who were proselyted to the Jewish religion, but that the uncircumcised Gentiles also themselves, with whom it had hitherto been thought unlawful to have any fellowship, had heard and received the gospel, and had even been baptized and received into church communion, without being required to submit to circumcision and the observances of the Mosaic law; intelligence this which alarmed them exceedingly, as they had not yet been made acquainted with the particular circumstances attending the affair. And when Peter was come to Jerusalem From Cesarea; they that were of the circumcision Those Jewish converts who still retained a veneration for the ceremony of circumcision, and thought it to be of perpetual obligation; contended with him About what he had done. There seems to be no reason here to except any of the believing Jews (unless, perhaps, the apostles) from this contention; for they were all zealous of the law, and of their customs, and could not endure to hear that any Jew should act contrary to them, Acts 21:20-21; and Peter himself had been of that mind till he had received the vision, (see chap, Acts 10:28,) and even after the vision withdrew himself from the believing Gentiles for fear of the Jews, Galatians 2:12; and they of the dispersion preached to the Jews only, Acts 11:19. We may observe here, also, that these Jewish believers had no idea of the supremacy, and much less of the infallibility, of Peter; for otherwise they would not have dared thus to rise up against him, or to can his actions in question. See Whitby.