Jaffa (The Church of St. Peter) – This is the ancient city from which the Old Testament prophet Jonah departed as he fled from God. On the rooftop of a man named Simon the Tanner in this city, the Apostle Peter received the vision of the sheet descending from heaven with the pure and impure animals, and heard the voice of God directing him to receive the Gentiles into the Church (Acts 10). Immediately after receiving the vision, Peter was invited to the home of Cornelius in Caesarea. This Roman centurion becomes the first Gentile convert to Christianity, and was baptized, along with all the people in his household.
Today, the Franciscan St. Peter Church marks the traditional location of Peter’s activities in Jaffa, along with the nearby House of Simon the Tanner. The Russian Church “Moskovia” is located outside the Old City, and is said to be the site of the tomb of Tabitha, the woman raised from the dead by Peter (Acts 9).
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