[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team:
REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]
Acts XII : 1-17
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| Deliverance of St Peter. 1514. Raphael. Vatican Museums. |
[2] And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
[3] And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to take up Peter also. Now it was in the days of the Azymes.
[4] And when he had apprehended him, he cast him into prison, delivering him to four files of soldiers to be kept, intending, after the pasch, to bring him forth to the people.
[5] Peter therefore was kept in prison. But prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him.
[6] And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
[7] And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him: and a light shined in the room: and he striking Peter on the side, raised him up, saying: Arise quickly. And the chains fell off from his hands.
[8] And the angel said to him: Gird thyself, and put on thy sandals. And he did so. And he said to him: Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
[9] And going out, he followed him, and he knew not that it was true which was done by the angel: but thought he saw a vision.
[10] And passing through the first and the second ward, they came to the iron gate that leadeth to the city, which of itself opened to them. And going out, they passed on through one street: and immediately the angel departed from him.
[11] And Peter coming to himself, said: Now I know in very deed, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
[12] And considering, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was surnamed Mark, where many were gathered together and praying.
[13] And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, whose name was Rhode. [14] And as soon as she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for joy, but running in she told that Peter stood before the gate.
[15] But they said to her: Thou art mad. But she affirmed that it was so. Then said they: It is his angel.
[16] But Peter continued knocking. And when they had opened, they saw him, and were astonished.
[17] But he beckoning to them with his hand to hold their peace, told how the Lord had brought him out of prison, and he said: Tell these things to James, and to the brethren. And going out, he went into another place.
[1] Eodem autem tempore misit Herodes rex manus, ut affligeret quosdam de ecclesia. [2] Occidit autem Jacobum fratrem Joannis gladio. [3] Videns autem quia placeret Judaeis, apposuit ut apprehenderet et Petrum. Erant autem dies Azymorum. [4] Quem cum apprehendisset, misit in carcerem, tradens quatuor quaternionibus militum custodiendum, volens post Pascha producere eum populo. [5] Et Petrus quidem servabatur in carcere. Oratio autem fiebant sine intermissione ab ecclesia ad Deum pro eo.
[6] Cum autem producturus eum esset Herodes, in ipsa nocte erat Petrus dormiens inter duos milites, vinctus catenis duabus : et custodes ante ostium custodiebant carcerem. [7] Et ecce angelus Domini astitit : et lumen refulsit in habitaculo : percussoque latere Petri, excitavit eum, dicens : Surge velociter. Et ceciderunt catenae de manibus ejus. [8] Dixit autem angelus ad eum : Praecingere, et calcea te caligas tuas. Et fecit sic. Et dixit illi : Circumda tibi vestimentum tuum, et sequere me. [9] Et exiens sequebatur eum, et nesciebat quia verum est, quod fiebat per angelum : existimabat autem se visum videre. [10] Transeuntes autem primam et secundam custodiam, venerunt ad portam ferream, quae ducit ad civitatem : quae ultro aperta est eis. Et exeuntes processerunt vicum unum : et continuo discessit angelus ab eo.
[11] Et Petrus ad se reversus, dixit : Nunc scio vere quia misit Dominus angelum suum, et eripuit me de manu Herodis, et de omni exspectatione plebis Judaeorum. [12] Consideransque venit ad domum Mariae matris Joannis, qui cognominatus est Marcus, ubi erant multi congregati, et orantes. [13] Pulsante autem eo ostium januae, processit puella ad audiendum, nomine Rhode. [14] Et ut cognovit vocem Petri, prae gaudio non aperuit januam, sed intro currens nuntiavit stare Petrum ante januam. [15] At illi dixerunt ad eam : Insanis. Illa autem affirmabat sic se habere. Illi autem dicebant : Angelus ejus est.
[16] Petrus autem perseverabat pulsans. Cum autem aperuissent, viderunt eum, et obstupuerunt. [17] Annuens autem eis manu ut tacerent, narravit quomodo Dominus eduxisset eum de carcere, dixitque : Nuntiate Jacobo et fratribus haec. Et egressus abiit in alium locum.
Notes
1. at the same time, — i.e. before the famine, probably while the prophets from Jerusalem were on their visit to Antioch, or between their visit and the return of Saul and Barnabas from Jerusalem to Antioch.
Herod the King. Herod Agrippa I., son of Aristobulus and Bernice, and grandson of Herod the Great.
stretched forth his hands. Lit. “he laid his hands upon” (ἐπεβαλεν τας ϲἑιρας).
This is the third persecution recorded in the Acts. The Church suffered at the hands of —
(а) The Sadducees and the high-priest.
(b) The Pharisees, seconded by the people.
(c) Herod Agrippa I.
This persecution of Herod seems to have been conducted on the principle of striking down the leaders only. As he attacked but two of the Twelve, we may infer that they were the only apostles left In Jerusalem at this time.
to afflict. Lit. “ to do evil ” (κακωσαι).
2. James the brother of John. One of the Twelve. There is no other reference in the New Testament to the death of an apostle.
with the sword. St James the Great, like St John the Baptist, was beheaded (St Matt. xiv. 10). The Jews employed four different modes of capital punishment, viz. stoning, burning at the stake, beheading, and strangling.
St James appears to have been summarily executed without any previous trial. His prominent position as an apostle and his ardent zeal singled him out as a victim for Herod's tyranny. He was certainly not charged with blasphemy, or he would have been stoned.
3. seeing that it pleased the Jews. This motive is in keeping with Herod’s character.
he proceeded to take up. Lit. “ he proceeded to take ” (πτοσεθετο συλλαβειν). A Hebraism expressing a climax. Cf. Again he sent the third, lit. “he proceeded to send a third” (St Luke xx. 12).
the days of the azymes. Lit. “ the days of the bread without yeast ” (αἱ ἡμεραι των ἀζυμων). On the day of the Pasch, Nisan 14, and for seven days after, the Jews ate only unleavened bread as a memorial of the haste which characterised their departure from Egypt, when the Israelites had no time to leaven the dough (Ex. xii. 34-39 ; Lev. xxiii. 6). St Luke refers to this feast in his gospel : Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the pasch, was at hand (xxii. 1).
4. four files. Lit. “quaternions” (τετραδιοις). The Romans were accustomed to deliver prisoners into the care of four quaternions, i.e. four files of four men. These files kept the night watches in turn, two of the men being chained to the prisoner, the one to the left hand, the other to the right, while the remaining two kept watch outside the cell, one at the door of the inner wall, the other at that of the outer wall.
After Pompey took Judea, the Jews adopted the Roman divisions of time. These varied in duration in certain localities, according to the seasons, since they depended on the rising and setting of the sun. These watches were —
1. Even, 6 to 9 p.m.2. Midnight, 9 to 12 p.m.3. Cock-crowing, 12 p.m. to 3 a.m.4. Morning, 3 to 6 a.m.
They were called indifferently the first watch, second, etc. : or simply. even, midnight, etc.
The Jewish division of time included only three divisions ; the watches, or length of time the sentinels remained on duty, were —
The first watch from sunset to 10 p.m.The middle watch from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.The morning watch from 2 a.m. to sunrise.
after the pasch. Evidently St Peter was taken prisoner before the 14th of Nisan, in the year of Herod’s death, A.D. 44, and Herod intended to bring him to trial after Nisan 21. It is clear that St Peter’s imprisonment lasted more than the one day of the Pasch, since St Luke uses the imperfect “ was being kept” in prison (ἐτηρειτο). During a religions solemnity the Jews were not allowed to prosecute, and still less to execute.
to the people. This is another detail which confirms Josephus' description of Herod’s character.
5. Peter therefore was kept, etc. Like our Lord, St Peter was imprisoned at the Feast of the Pasch, but Herod was more scrupulous about the observance of the law forbidding trials and executions than the Sanhedrin had been. St Peter was probably kept in the royal prison in the city of Jerusalem,
This was the third time he had been cast into prison, and it is possible that his previous miraculous deliverance was fresh in the memory of the prison authorities, and that, in consequence, special precautions were taken.
prayer .... without ceasing. Lit. “ intense or earnest prayer.” The adjective used signifies primarily anything “stretched” or “taut” as a rope. (ἐκτενης) Some MSS. give the adverb instead. The word is often applied to fervent supplication. Cf. Let men .... cry to the Lord with all their strength (ἐκτενως ), (Jonas iii. 8). How incessantly and earnestly the Church prayed for her leader as the days of the feast were closing in, and marvellously did God reward their fervour !
6. when Herod would etc. Lit. “was about to bring,” etc. (ἐμελλεν αὐτον προαγειν). Evidently Herod proposed to bring St Peter to trial the very day that followed the night in which the apostle was miraculously delivered.
the same night, God times His intervention to meet man’s necessities, and this should encourage us to trust Him with all confidence.
Peter was sleeping, etc. “ What a picture we have here ! The dungeon; the double chain fastening the prisoner to two soldiers; the other two soldiers of the quaternion keeping watch at the first and second ward, or station ; the iron gate securely fastened; the population of the great city expecting with the morning light to be gratified with the blood of the victim of their bigotry; the king having made his arrangements for the imposing spectacle which was to ingratiate him with his people, and obtain the applause he so dearly loved ; and then the servant of Jesus Christ sleeping calmly under the shadow of God’s wings ; and a little way off, the Church keeping her solemn watch and pouring fourth her intensest prayers through the silence of the night ! And the issue, the triumph of the few and the weak over all the power of the many and the strong” (Pulpit Comm., p. 379).
the keepers before the door, etc. The two gaolers who were not chained to the prisoner.
7. behold an angel of the Lord stood by. This is St Luke’s ordinary expression for an angelic apparition. The same words occur in his gospel (ch. ii. 9).
a light shined in the room. The Greek word (οἰκημα) signifies a dwelling. The Athenians used it as a euphemism for cell or prison, a usage which St Luke follows here. What a startling contrast ; the apparition of a glorious angel from the courts of heaven in that dark dungeon, where St Peter and his companions were sleeping. The apostle had seen angels on other occasions, e.g. at the Ascension, and when he was imprisoned the second time (ch. v. 19).
striking Peter on the side. Keble represents St Peter as dreaming of his execution, and mistaking the touch of his angel for that of the executioner.
“ His dream is changed— the tyrant’s voiceCalls to that last of glorious deeds ;But as he rises to rejoice,Not Herod, but an angel leads.”
raised him up. Lit. “awoke him” (ἠγειρευ αὐτον), Peter having awoke, obeyed the angel’s command and rose quickly. The gaolers still slept.
chains fell off. Probably before St Peter arose, or he would have disturbed the keepers to whom he was chained.
8. Gird thyself. The outer garment was left loose during sleep.
put on thy sandals. Lit. “bind under,” etc. (ὑποδησαι). The sandals were bound under the feet of the wearer. The Greeks had a proverb that a man pressed for time should not stop to bind on his sandals.
Cast thy garment, etc. The outer cloak or “abba,” which was put aside during the night. The angel gives all these commands quietly ; no great haste is indicated ; all the details inspire perfect security. These various actions proved to St Peter the reality of the apparition. It was no dream, since he afterwards stood in the street wearing his mantle and having his sandals on his feet,
10. the iron gate. This naturally would have been an impediment to St Peter’s escaping from the prison. We are not told if it closed again as on a previous occasion, when the doors were found shut with all diligence (ch. V. 23).
that leadeth to the city. According to Lightfoot, the prison stood between the two city walls — the inner and the outer — and the house of Mary was within the inner city.
of itself opened to them. Lit. “the gate moving itself, was opened” (αὐτοματη ἠνοιχθη αὐτοις). Cf. the Latin “sua sponte.”
going out. The Bezan text (Codex D) adds here, “ they descended seven steps.” All the graphic touches in this narrative shew the narrator to have been one well acquainted with the localities mentioned.
the Angel departed. He disappeared (ἀπεςτη) as suddenly as he had appeared. If it was St Peter’s guardian angel who delivered him, then, though he disappeared, he remained invisibly with him.
11. Peter coming to himself. So far St Peter believed himself to be in a trance, but his surroundings soon convinced him that it was a reality.
Now I know. This detail was probably furnished by St Peter himself. No other human being knew his subjective impressions, though the Holy Spirit could have revealed them to St Luke.
hath sent his Angel. The Catholic Church teaches that the angels, the lowest class of the nine choirs of pure spirits, are sent on earth to minister to man at God’s bidding. Cf. Are they not all ministering spirits sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? (Heb. i. 14).
Special stress is laid in the Acts on the ministrations of angels. (See v. 19, viii. 26, xii. 7, 23, xxvii. 23.)
all the expectation, etc. They were expecting to be gratified with a second execution, which would do greater injury to the cause of the Nazarenes than that of St James.
12. considering. The word (συνιδων) implies having taken in all the bearings of the situation.
Mary the mother of John, etc. This Mary was the sister of Barnabas ; since Mark, her son, was his cousin-german (Col. iv. 10). It is generally believed that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist in her house, and in that same Cenacle the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. Here, therefore, was the first Christian church, and it was used for those Christian devotions and rites which were not identical with Jewish religious observances.
were gathered together. Better, “ had assembled themselves and were praying” (συνηθροισμενοι και προσευχομενοι). The English rendering does not express the tense force of the original.
13. the door of the gate. The gateway or porch was entered through a wicket, at which St Peter stood knocking.
damsel. It was usual to employ women to attend to the door. Thus we read of a portress being employed in the palace of the high-priest (St John xviii. 16 ; St Matt. xxvi. 69).
to hearken. A Greek idiom for “ answering the door.” Listening was the preliminary step to answering. During these troubled times a knock in the dead of the night was calculated to inspire terror, for the persecutor might be seeking other victims.
Rhode. The word signifies a “rose,” whence our word “rhododendron,” i.e. rose tree. St Luke, with his usual careful attention to details, gives the name of the damsel.
14. she knew Peter’s voice. This proves that St Peter was a frequent guest at the house of Mary, and throws a light on St Peter’s words respecting John Mark, her son. Cf. The Church that is in Babylon (i.e. Rome) .... saluteth you : and so doth my son Mark (1 St Pet. v. 13).
15. Thou art mad. Although the brethren were praying so earnestly for St Peter, they could not at first realize that God had so literally answered their prayer as to deliver St Peter a second time by a miracle, hence they concluded that Rhode was mistaken.
she affirmed. The original is much stronger, “ she was vehemently affirming” (διισχυριζετο) ; she kept on assuring them that it was really St Peter.
It is his Angel. Lightfoot asserts that the Jews believed that each man had a guardian angel, who, when he rendered himself visible, took the form of his charge and appeared as his double (Horæ: Hebr., in h. 1.). Perhaps they thought St Peter to be already killed, and that his disembodied spirit had come to visit them.
17. beckoning to them with his hand. It was a motion of the hand to restrain the impetuosity of his hearers, which might cause the news of his deliverance to be noised about. Further, as it was evidently God’s will that St Peter should escape from Herod, he wished to give the news briefly, and to depart immediately before daylight. The same expression occurs in ch. xxi. 40 : Paul beckoned with his hand to the people. The precise details given in these narratives shew that it was obtained from an eye-witness. The Greek expression signifies literally “ to wave the hand downwards ” (κατασεισας τη χειρι).
James, St James the Less, son of Alpheus, and “ brother of the Lord,” who was the first bishop of Jerusalem.
the brethren. The ancients of the church in Jerusalem.
into another place. St Peter probably left the territories of Herod and preached the Gospel in other parts. According to Eusebius and St Jerome, he paid a visit to Rome. Some writers think St Peter went to Antioch.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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