CHAPTER 12
The martyrdom of the apostle James: in which is related Peter’s anxiety by Herod; and how an angel by divine command freed him from his chains: and when Peter had appeared to the brethren by night, he departed secretly: in which is also recounted the vengeance upon the guards and consequently the wretched and bitter destruction of the wicked Herod.
Acts 12:1 At the same time King Herod laid hands on certain members of the church to afflict them.
That period he says was under Claudius Caesar. Gaius, emperor of the Romans, established Agrippa as king of Judea, Herod being banished to Lugdunum in Gaul on account of the disgracefulness of his life, together with his wife Herodias. This is the one who reigned at the time of the Lord’s passion, as Josephus writes in the eighteenth book of the Antiquities 1 of History, and Eusebius 2 in the second book of Ecclesiastical History. Therefore there is a discrepancy of the name in this passage, that Herod is put for Agrippa, and it happened by the writer’s slip, as is likely, a scribal error, or was expressed by way of he having two names, since both the time and the actions point to Agrippa under the emperor Claudius, who became emperor after Gaius. [EUSEBIUS]
Acts 12:2-4a He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. It was during the days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had seized him, he put him in prison.
So that no one may say that ‘for this reason they boldly and without fear rush into death, since God is snatching them away,’ therefore He also allows the leaders to be killed, persuading those who kill them that even these things do not separate them and hinder them. [CHRYSOSTOM]
Acts 12:4b-8a He was handed over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was being made by the church to God. When Herod was about to bring him forward, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards stood at the gate guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, and a light shone in the cell; striking Peter on the side he awakened him, saying, "Rise quickly." And the chains fell from his hands. The angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." He did so. And the angel said to him.
" four squads of four ." That is, the total number sixteen; for four times four makes sixteen. Perhaps at each watch, that is, in the third watch, there were four guards. There are four guards called a tri-hour watch, as the twelve hours of the whole night being four watches; in each of which, with four soldiers guarding, all together make the number sixteen. Peter was neither in agony nor in fear, but slept, having cast everything upon the Lord. He says that it shone so that they could both see and hear Peter and not think it a vision. The phrase " quickly [ἐν τάχει]" does not mean making a noise, but persuading not to delay. Observe the Jews in the days of Unleavened Bread doing such things. [CHRYSOSTOM]
Acts 12:8b-11 Put on your garment and follow me. And going out he followed, and did not know that what was happening was true through the angel, but thought he was seeing a vision. And having passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened of its own accord for them; and going out they went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. And Peter, being inwardly moved, said, Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
The Lord having said to the disciples, “Do not acquire gold nor silver, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a belt, nor a staff,” (Matt. 10:9-10, Mark 6:8, Luke 9:3) how did Peter act contrary to the command, having garments and a belt and sandals? Moreover, whenever Paul gives a charge writing to Timothy, “Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, bring when you come,” (2 Tim. 4:13) behold he had a cloak, and one could not say that he had not another which he wore. Did he then disobey Christ? What then is the matter? Those commands were for a time, and not for always. And that this is true the evangelist Luke bears witness. For he says that Christ spoke to the disciples: “When I sent you without moneybag, and pouch, and belt, and sandals, did you lack anything?” (Luke 22:35) They say to him, “No.” He says to them: So then acquire it. But for what purpose did he command this at that time? Wishing to show his power. If then Paul needed to have one tunic, if he needed to be washed, ought he to have been kept at home naked, or to go about naked and behave shamefully when necessity required? It was therefore not necessary that Paul, while accomplishing so many exploits and traveling the inhabited world, remain at home lacking in clothing, and be hindered by such matters. But what if a severe cold set in, and it rained on him or froze him? How could the tunic he wore have been dried? Or should he again have sat naked? And what if the cold contracted his body, it was necessary that he melt and not speak? And what could be more grievous than this? For their bodies were not made of diamonds. What then? Must he be destroyed? By no means. This, however, as has been said, he ordered at that time, wishing to show his power, that they would lack none of the necessities. [CHRYSOSTOM]
Acts 12:12-15a Realizing this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered and praying. When he knocked at the gate of the courtyard, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” She insisted that it was so.
What does " Realizing this [συνιδών]" mean? That one must not merely depart, but repay the benefactor. [CHRYSOSTOM]
" who was called Mark ." In order to show that he does not mean John, who was always with them, he names his mother and gives his distinguishing nickname, for he says, " who was called Mark ." This man was the same who wrote the Gospel according to Mark, the nephew of Barnabas, concerning whom Paul writes to Timothy: "Take Mark and bring him with you when you come, for he is useful to me for ministry." (2 Tim. 4:11)
Acts 12:15b-20 They said, “It is his angel.” But Peter continued knocking; and when they opened, they saw him and were astonished. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent and related to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison, and said, “Tell this to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place. When day came there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. Herod sought him and, not finding him, questioned the guards and ordered them to be executed; then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. He was angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians; they came together with one accord to him, and after persuading Blastus the king’s supervisor, who were seeking peace from the king's chamber because their royal provision was being maintained by the king's supply.
" It is his angel .” From this it is clear that each one of us has an angel. But they expected this from the time. For he says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt. 18:20) Where Christ is, there must be angels as well, and all the powers.
“And Peter, departed and went to another place .” For he was not testing God. It would, however, have been possible for God at the same time to snatch away the guards. But if this were so, it would have been thought an escape. For rather it grieved him to be mocked, just like the time that his grandfather was made to look ridiculous by the magi. (see Matt. 2:16) [Why, then, are flatterers not also punished? Both were worthy of punishment. But since there is no time for judgment, the most responsible is punished.] [CHRYSOSTOM]
Acts 12:21-25 On a fixed day Herod, dressed in royal garments and seated upon the judgment seat, addressed them. The people cried out, “The voice of a god, and not of a man.” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God; and being consumed with worms he died. But the word of God continued to grow and multiply. Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, having completed their ministry, and they took with them John who is called Mark.
" The people cried out ." And what of this, if those men had cried out? That he accepted the shout, thinking himself worthy of flattery. But if this man, having heard that the voice was of a god and not of a man, and yet saying nothing, endured such treatment, much more would Christ, if he were not God, since he continually said that these sayings were not his, and that angels served him. (see Jn. 7) At that time, in the third year of Agrippa's reign, there was present in Caesarea the tower formerly called Straton's Tower. He took part there in the procession for the honor of the Caesar, understanding it to be a kind of festival. On the second day of the processions, having put on a costume made entirely of silver, as if it were a marvelous fabric, he came to the theater at the beginning of the day; there, with the first strikes of the sun’s rays, the silver, brilliantly illuminated, shone forth wondrously, presenting something marble-like, and dreadful to those who gazed upon it. [EUSEBIUS]
Immediately the flatterers cried out from different places, as if addressing a god and declaring him to be caring. Although until now we feared him as a man, from this point we confess him superior to nature. The king, however, did not rebuke them, nor did he turn away from impious flattery. After a little, having raised his silent one, and seeing hanging over his own head by a certain rope, he at once perceived that this messenger was evil and never had been among the good. He therefore felt anguish at heart, and a sudden pain seized his bowels, beginning with violence. Then, springing toward his friends, he said, “O God with you, I am already hastening to destroy my life, since immediately Fortune exposes the voices I have just now uttered as false; called immortal by you, I now lead myself to die.” [EUSEBIUS]
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Translator notes for Acts chapter 12.
1. Josephus, Antiquities 18.7.2
2. Eusebius, Church History 2.4