Acts 12
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place. 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. 20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. (Acts 12, ESV Bible)
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. (Acts 12:1, ESV Bible)
Agrippas the Hypocrite
King Herod Agrippa went to great pains to assure the people of Judea that he was a pious Jew. He made expensive gifts to the Temple. He paid for a sacrifice to be offered in the Temple on his behalf every day. He carefully kept the laws of the Torah, even consulting the Pharisees about issues of Jewish law. The royal family ate a careful kosher diet. He observed every festival in a public, visible manner.
He was good-natured, affable, and likable. He enjoyed bestowing gifts and boons, and he loved to host banquets, parties, and entertainments. His natural charisma, charm, and exorbitant gifts won him favor among both the political and religious elite. Josephus says, "He was exactly careful in the observance of the laws of his country. He therefore kept himself entirely ritually pure; nor did he let a single day pass without offering its appointed sacrifice" (Antiquities 19:331/vii.3). The sages were impressed, but it was all hypocrisy.
Whenever they were in the holy city for the festivals or special occasions, the royal family stayed in the palace of King Herod the Great, but ordinarily, they lived at Herod's palace in Caesarea. Agrippa missed the high life he had once enjoyed in Rome, but he found most of the same luxuries in his capital city of Caesarea, the "Little Rome." Caesarea provided the entertainments and society to which he and Queen Cypros were accustomed.
Depending on where he was at the moment, the politically savvy Agrippa behaved accordingly. While in Jerusalem, Agrippa and his family played the part of pious, Torah-keeping Jews, but they practiced Judaism primarily for appearances. When in Caesarea, Agrippa lived like a Roman and made no pretense of Jewish piety.
For example, Rome allowed her client kings to mint their own coins. Agrippa minted one coin in Jerusalem to appeal to Jewish sensibilities. The Jerusalem prutah depicts a canopy and three stalks of barley. It has no forbidden or idolatrous images on it. The rest of Agrippa's coins, all minted in Caesarea and Caesarea Philippi, depict graven images with human likenesses: Caligula, Claudius, the goddess Tyche, the goddess Nike, and Agrippa's own head.
Agrippa still loved the pagan world of Rome. He adorned the palace in Caesarea with statuary common to Roman palaces. He had sculptors carve out stone replicas of his young daughters.
When in the company of his Greek and Roman friends, he indulged in every kind of Roman fancy. He spent his days in the theaters feasting his appetites on the delights of idols. He spent a great deal of money on improving the theaters, hosting shows, theatrical productions, Greek dramas, and musicians of all sorts. He loved the games, chariot races, and gladiator fights. He sent hundreds of men to their deaths as gladiators for his entertainment. On one occasion, he organized a gladiatorial combat involving fourteen hundred men divided into two warring armies. There were no survivors.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Agrippas Our Brother
Once every seven years, at the conclusion of the Sabbatical year, the Torah enjoins all Israel to gather together for the Festival of Sukkot and hear the Torah read aloud in the Temple by the king:
At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. (Deuteronomy 31:10-11)
Jerusalem had not had a Jewish king for four decades. Even then, it is doubtful if Herod the Great ever carried out the commandment.
Agrippa's first full year as king over Judea (41/42 cE) was a Sabbatical Year. Drought had already begun to hamper the land. The people gathered for Sukkot to pray for rain and to hear the new king read from the Torah. The apostles and the disciples of Yeshua were present, along with the rest of the pious of Israel, to witness the historic event. Their hearts burned within them, jealous for the Master. They longed for the day when King Messiah will stand in the Temple and read the Torah aloud to the assembly of Israel.
King Agrippa entered the Temple and seated himself on a wooden platform (bimah) erected in the Temple courts for the special occasion. Then he stood to receive the scroll from the high priest, Matthias the son of Annas, and then he laid it out to read the appropriate passages from Deuteronomy.
According to Jewish law, one who reads the Torah publicly must stand while doing so, but a king is allowed to sit. Everyone expected Agrippa to exercise his royal prerogative and sit down before he began to read. Instead, he remained standing as he read, and the sages praised him for his humility.
As Agrippa read from the words of Deuteronomy, he came to the passage that says, "You may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman" (Deuteronomy 17:15). More than half a century earlier, King Herod the Great also stumbled over that passage. Herod the Great was not born from the house of David; he was not even Jewish by birth. He was an Edomite (Idumean) proselyte to Judaism. Eager to validate his claim to the throne of Israel, Herod inquired of the Sanhedrin and asked them to explain the verse from Deuteronomy, which says, "You shall set a king over you out of your own brothers" (Deuteronomy 17:I5). The Sanhedrin explained that the verse means a legitimate king of the Jews must be Jewish. Herod did not like their explanation. He had them all slain. Then he burned the genealogical scrolls that the priesthood stored in the Temple so that no one-particularly no son of David-could claim to be more worthy of Israel's throne than he.
King Herod Agrippa knew that Deuteronomy 17:15 was a sore spot. Under Herod the Great, that particular passage had blackened his royal family's name, and he knew that many Jews considered him unfit for the throne. As he came to the troublesome passage, he stopped reading. His voice broke. He choked. Tears began to run down from his eyes.
When the people assembled in the Temple saw the king weeping over Deuteronomy 17:15, they began to chant, "Do not be afraid, Agrippa, you are our brother, you are our brother, you are our brother!"
His grandmother was Jewish, but Agrippa had not a drop of Davidic blood in his veins. Despite the people's encouragement, Agrippa did not meet the Davidic qualifications for a legitimate King of Israel. This passage from the Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 41b, reflects a significant moment of tension in Jewish history regarding King Agrippa I:.
It was taught in the name of Rabbi Nathan: "At the moment that the people praised him saying, 'You are our brother, they became liable to destruction because they flattered Agrippa." (b.Sotah 41b)
Agrippa's feigned humility and alligator tears stole away the hearts of the masses, but one sect of Jews in the Temple that day did not join the acclamations and declare their allegiance to Agrippa. The Sect of the Nazarenes were aghast at the notion of the grandson of wicked King Herod receiving the honor due to Yeshua of Nazareth, the true Son of David.
The disciples of Yeshua did not cheer and say, "You are our brother." This explains why "the king laid hands on some who belonged to the assembly in order to mistreat them" (Acts 12:1).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Some Who Belonged to the Assembly
The disciples were not the only Jews in Jerusalem objecting to King Agrippa. Josephus tells about a prominent sage and Torah scholar by the name of Simon who also criticized King Agrippa's pretenses and false piety. While the king was at Caesarea, Simon presented his concerns to an assembly in Jerusalem. He publicly denounced Agrippa for his love of Roman entertainment and indecency. Calling the king's pedigree and ritual purity into question, he suggested banning King Agrippa from the Temple.
Agrippa told the commander of his army to have Simon arrested and brought before him in Caesarea. They brought the frightened rabbi into the pagan city and escorted him to the king's theater box in the great theater. Agrippa bade the rabbi to sit down beside him to watch the entertainments. When the shows were over, Agrippa asked him, "Did you see anything done in this place that is contrary to the Torah?"
Terrified for his life, Simon begged the king for forgiveness. King Agrippa could have put the man to death on charges of disloyalty and seeding insurrection. Instead, he gave Simon a small gift and dismissed him.
The disciples of Yeshua would have had the same complaints about the king as Simon the Pharisee. When Agrippa did encounter the believers, he found them less susceptible to bribes and threats. The community of disciples was already well-seasoned by a decade of on-again-off-again persecutions from the Sadducees and high priesthood. Their loyalties remained with Yeshua of Nazareth. Agrippa made several arrests. The high priest Matthias, a son of Annas, surely encouraged the king to continue to arrest believers and to press them to acknowledge his crown.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. (Acts 12:2-3, ESV Bible)
Ya’akov and Agrippas
In the early spring of 44 CE, one of the disciples informed against the Apostle James the son of Zebedee. The informant may have been among those believers initially arrested by the king, and his betrayal of James might have been a plea bargain. Whatever the arrangement, the information he provided King Agrippa led to the arrest of James. Christian legend says, "They put a cord about his neck and brought him to Herod Agrippa."
It so happened that the king was in Jerusalem, preparing for the wedding of his daughter Bernice, a gala event he had scheduled just before Passover. James probably stood before the tribunal of Agrippa outside the palace of King Herod the Great-the same place that Pilate had condemned the Master on the eve of Passover fourteen years earlier. Agrippa conducted the trial according to Roman procedure. The Sanhedrin was not involved. This was a matter of civil law pertaining to the Roman-appointed king.
The informant was present at the tribunal to testify that James was a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He could testify that James was loyal only to the House of David and that he often spoke of his allegiance to a different kingdom ruled over by a Davidic king.
James did not attempt to refute any of the accusations. He remembered that the Master had told the Twelve, "You will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them" (Matthew 10:18). James did not worry about how or what he was to say to King Agrippa. He believed that it would not be him speaking but the Spirit of his Father in heaven speaking through him. When Agrippa offered him the opportunity to make a defense, James presented the king with an impassioned testimony for the risen Messiah, the true King of Israel.
Agrippa felt little-moved by the apostle's testimony. Allegiance to a crucified vagabond from the fallen house of David did not stir any noble feelings of repentance in the Hasmonean king's breast. Agrippa did not want to hear any prophecies about a coming Davidic King. He viewed the entire Yeshua movement as an ideological and theological threat to his own monarchy.
The informant who had accused James, however, listened intently to every word the apostle spoke. The apostle's testimony struck at his conscience, and he hung his head lower and lower as James continued. He felt the flame of faith reigniting within him, and he remembered how he had once been true to Yeshua as well.
When James concluded his testimony for the risen Messiah, the man repented in tears and admitted to King Agrippa and to everyone assembled at the tribunal that he, too, was a believer. Clement of Alexandria recorded a version of the incident as follows:
Clement tells an interesting story, on the strength of an authentic tradition. It appears that the man who brought him into court was so moved when he saw him testify that he confessed that he, too, was a believer, "So they were both taken away together, and on the way he asked James to forgive him. James thought for a moment; then he said, 'I wish you peace, and kissed him. So both were beheaded at the same time." (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.9.3)
Rabbi Yeshua once asked James and his brother John, "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" (Matthew 20:22). When they insisted that they were able, He said, "My cup you shall drink" (Matthew 20:23). Agrippa ordered James put to death with the sword -a form of Roman execution considered more merciful than crucifixion. James the son of Zebedee was the first of the twelve to meet martyrdom for the sake of the Master. The Armenian Church of Saint James in Jerusalem is said to have been built on the place where James the apostle was buried.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
It Pleased the Yehudim
When the Sadducean house of Annas applauded the execution, Agrippa realized that he had inadvertently discovered a way to ingratiate himself to the powerful religious and political leadership of Jerusalem. Acts 12:3 says broadly, "he saw that it pleased the Jews," a generalization equivalent to, "he saw that it pleased the people."
Read from the perspective of replacement theology and anti-Jewish polemics, Acts 12:3 sounds like a libel against Jewish people in general. That was not Luke's intention, and the phrase should not be weighted beyond its immediate context. It only means that Agrippa found the execution of James politically advantageous. His approval ratings rose.
The key phrase in Greek is:
ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστιν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις
Breaking it Down:
ἀρεστόν (areston) – "pleasing, acceptable, agreeable."
ἐστιν (estin) – "is" (present tense verb).
τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις (tois Ioudaiois) – "to the Jews" (dative plural article + noun).
Key Issue:
The definite article (τοῖς) could indicate a specific group of Jews, rather than all Jews collectively. The phrase could be better understood as "it was pleasing to certain Jewish people" or "to some of the Jewish leadership/populace."
*Note: The definite article is a grammatical term referring to a word that specifies a particular noun. In English, the definite article is "the" (e.g., "the book" refers to a specific book). In Greek, the definite article is ὁ, ἡ, τό (ho, hē, to) and its various forms. In Acts 12:3, the phrase τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις (tois Ioudaiois) includes the definite article τοῖς before Ἰουδαίοις ("Jews"), meaning it refers to a specific group of Jews, not necessarily all Jewish people.
This interpretation of Acts 12:3 makes the most sense in context as the earliest Jesus followers were entirely Jewish, and by Acts 12 (c. 44 CE), the majority of believers were likely still Jewish. The opposition to the Jesus movement primarily came from certain Jewish leaders, priests, and sectarian groups (e.g., some Pharisees, Sadducees, or Sanhedrin authorities).
Therefore, not all Jewish people were pleased. The news of James' death shocked the believing community. No one had expected it. James stood among those to whom the Master had said, "There are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (Matthew 16:28). James was one of the three preeminent disciples of the Master--the fourth pillar of the early assembly. The apostles mourned the loss, and no one mourned more than his brother John the son of Zebedee.
Herod Agrippa I (ruler of Judea 41-44 CE) was deeply concerned with gaining favor with the Jewish religious elite. His execution of James (Acts 12:2) and the arrest of Peter were likely political moves to appease certain Jewish leaders, rather than an action that pleased all Jewish people.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Bernice’s Wedding
Around the same time that King Agrippa put James to death, he was busy with his daughter Bernice's wedding. While the apostles mourned, the house of Agrippa celebrated.
King Agrippa had a son and three daughters: Agrippa II, Julia Bernice, Mariamne, and Drusilla.
His teenage son, Agrippa II, lived in Rome. As his father had done before him, Agrippa II lived in the court of Caesar, where he received a fine Roman education and made friends in Rome's most elite and powerful social circles. He enjoyed a close relationship with the household of Emperor Claudius.
Agrippa's eldest daughter, Bernice, was only thirteen years old when he married her to the wealthy Alexandrian merchant Marcus Alexander, son of Alexander and nephew to the famous Jewish philosopher Philo. It seemed like a good match. Agrippa probably used the bride price to pay off some of the debt he owed the family. Marcus worked for a trading company owned by the wealthy Nicanor of Alexandria. He managed a lucrative trade route between India, Nabataea, and the Roman world. He rarely saw his teenage bride. He married Bernice in Rome just before Agrippa returned to Judea as King of the Jews (41 CE). Bernice did not move to Alexandria with her new husband. She remained with the royal family. Her husband visited her in Caesarea and Jerusalem only a few times a year. In 43 CE, she received the sad message that the husband she had scarcely known had died. Presumably, the sixteen-year-old widow received a sizable inheritance.
Bernice also had two younger sisters. Agrippa had already betrothed ten-year-old Mariamne to Helcias, the commander of his army, and he had betrothed six-year-old Drusilla to the son of his old friend, King Antiochus IV of Commagene (provided the boy underwent circumcision and converted to Judaism). The death of Bernice's husband put Agrippa back in the matchmaking game and gave him the chance to marry her to royalty.
Agrippa had two criteria for the match: the new husband must be a king, and he must be Jewish (or willing to undergo conversion). That narrowed the field of potential candidates. He selected his older step-brother, King Herod of Chalcis, a recent widower and royal personage. The forty-year age gap between bride and groom did not overly concern him.
Agrippa's brother had received the title of king over Chalcis from Emperor Claudius at the same time that Agrippa received Judea and Samaria. The kingdom of Chalcis was a small mountainous territory at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Anti-Lebanon range. Ituraeans occupied it and bandits plagued it, but it provided an opportunity for a kingdom nonetheless. Agrippa looked at Chalcis as a chance to expand Herodian sovereignty into the north. The match with Bernice made good political sense and kept Bernice's inheritance in the family.
The wedding must have taken place in Jerusalem under the auspices of the religious authorities there (44 CE). The Levitical choir provided the music. In keeping with Jewish custom, the wedding festivities lasted seven days and was attended by the high priestly family. After the seven-day wedding, the royal family remained in Jerusalem to celebrate the seven-day Festival of Passover.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Pesach of the Dense Throngs
The apostles set aside their grief over the death of James to celebrate the festival of Passover in obedience to the Torah and in remembrance of the Master. As Simon Peter and the remainder of the twelve made their Passover Seder meals, their thoughts returned to the Last Seder when, only fourteen years earlier, they had reclined together around the Master's table. The death of James seemed to leave an empty seat.
Every year at Passover, the city of Jerusalem swelled up with an influx of pilgrims for the festival. Agrippa, the king of the Jews, was eager to assess the numbers. He wanted to conduct a census of Jerusalem at its greatest strength, but the Torah forbids directly counting Jews (Exodus 30:12-16). Counting individuals could lead to divine judgment or a plague (as seen in 2 Samuel 24 when King David conducted a census). Agrippa told the high priest Matthias, "Keep track of the number of Passover sacrifices." Matthias counted six-hundred-thousand pairs of kidneys offered up from the Passover lambs. "There was not a single Passover lamb for which less than ten people had preregistered. They called it, "The Passover of the dense throngs" (b.Pesachim 64b).
The 600,000 pairs of kidneys were recorded, meaning 600,000 lambs were sacrificed. According to Jewish tradition, a minimum of ten people (often family groups) shared each Passover lamb (as per Exodus 12:4, which states that if a household is too small for a lamb, they must share it with neighbors). Multiplying 600,000 lambs by at least 10 people per lamb, the estimated minimum population of Jerusalem during Passover was about six million people! This immense crowd led to the festival being nicknamed "The Passover of the Dense Throngs," highlighting the overwhelming number of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the festival.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. (Acts 12: 4, ESV Bible)
Shimon Petros Arrested
When Agrippa realized that his execution of a known leader of the Way bought him favor with prominent citizens (i.e., the Sadducees), he decided to continue to round up the leaders of the sect. James the son of Zebedee, his brother John, and Simon Peter were the Master's closest disciples. Agrippa seems to have been working through a list of the Twelve, perhaps intending to arrest and execute each one. Simon Peter was the next on his list.
The arrest took place "during the days of Unleavened Bread." Simon Peter spent the remainder of the festival in a Jerusalem prison cell.
Most scholars think that Agrippa held Peter in the dungeons of the Fortress Antonia. Herod the Great built the Fortress Antonia to defend the Temple and named it after his patron, Mark Anthony. The large, four-towered Fortress Antonia dominated the northwest corner of the Temple Mount. Since King Herod's days, the Romans stationed their garrisons in Antonia and used it to exercise control over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. During the reign of King Agrippa, the king's own army garrisoned the fortress. Agrippa's army consisted primarily of Caesarian and Sebastene units that had previously served in the Roman army.
Simon Peter had "four squads of soldiers" assigned to guard him. This followed strict Roman procedure, which called for a change of guard at each of the four watches of the night, requiring four squads composed of four soldiers.
From Chronicles of the Apostles Appendix.
Two soldiers stationed themselves inside the cell, shackled on either side of the prisoner, and two remained stationed outside the cell. Why did Agrippa feel the need to place Simon Peter under such maximum-security conditions? Had Sadducean leaders from the house of Annas warned him about how the apostles had escaped confinement in the past?
King Agrippa hoped that the public execution of Simon Peter would weaken the sect that so strongly disapproved of him and that it might deter others from associating with the sect. With Simon Peter safely in custody, he elected to wait until the day after the festival concluded to present the apostle publicly. Better to let the Galilean pilgrims return to the north before making the arrest and trial of the famous Galilean a public spectacle. No doubt, the chief priests from the house of Annas were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people" (Matthew 26:5).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. (Acts 12:5, ESV Bible)
Prayer in the House of Miryam
Word of Simon Peter's arrest passed quickly among the disciples. In addition to the believing community in Jerusalem, disciples from all over the land were present for the festival. They started continuous prayer vigils on behalf of the Master's preeminent disciple. "Prayer for him was being made fervently by the assembly to God." At the same time, the other leaders of the community prudently hid themselves away.
Simon Peter's family was also in some danger. His wife, children, and grandchildren were likely all present in Jerusalem for Passover. Coming so quickly after the death of James, the believers braced themselves for the worst. The community spent the remainder of the festival gathered together in Jerusalem homes and meeting places, asking God for mercy. "Many were gathered together and were praying" (Acts 12:12).
They ceased from their petitions only to keep the Sabbath (Shabbat Chol HaMo'ed) and the holiday (Yom Tov) of the seventh day of Passover. As soon as the seventh day concluded, they immediately resumed their prayer vigils. The disciples learned that King Agrippa had scheduled Simon's trial for the very next day. If Simon Peter's case proceeded as James' had, the apostle would not live another twenty-four hours.
That night, as the Sabbath of the seventh day of Passover concluded, an assembly of believers gathered in the house of Mary, a close relative of Barnabas and mother of John Mark. She belonged to a wealthy Levitical family, and her Jerusalem mansion accommodated a large gathering. Her house was one of those that the apostolic community frequently gathered in as they fellowshiped and broke "bread from house to house" (Acts 2:46).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. (Acts 12:6-12, ESV Bible)
Angelic Rescue
While the brothers and sisters in Mary's home prayed intently into the night, reciting psalms and calling upon God to spare the life of His servant, Simon Peter slept uncomfortably between two soldiers. Heavy shackles bound his wrists. The lamps had gone out, and no light penetrated the sealed cell. He awoke as someone struck him on the side. His startled eyes opened to see an ethereal light filling the cell. An angelic form stood before him, but the two guards slept obliviously. The angel said, "Get up quickly." As Simon Peter stood to his feet, the shackles slipped from his wrists and clattered to the floor of the cell. The guards slept on.
The angel said, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals. Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." The angel's instructions evoked Passover imagery (Exodus 12:I1).
By the time Simon had belted his tunic, slipped on his sandals, and wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, the door to the cell already stood open. Simon followed the luminous being out through the open door in a dreamlike trance. The guard outside the cell door said nothing as they passed. A little further on, they encountered the second guard. He, too, stared blankly ahead and did not seem to see them.
Simon was accustomed to trances and strange visions bestowed by the Holy Spirit. As he followed the angel through the lower corridors and passages of Antonia, he assumed he was merely experiencing a powerful vision. Finally, they came to an iron gate in the outer wall of the fortress. Its heavy bolts slid aside, and the gate opened silently on its own accord. The angel led Simon out into the chilly night air and down the street. Sentries posted along the wall showed no interest as he hurried along behind an otherworldly, radiant figure. As he followed his guide around a corner into the narrow city streets, the angel vanished. He found himself alone, standing under the stars, shivering in the middle of the street, like a sleepwalker suddenly awake, far from his bed.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place. 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. (Acts 12:13-18, ESV Bible)
Knock, and It Will Be Opened
Suddenly wide awake, Simon Peter realized he was an escaped prisoner standing in the middle of the street. He glanced around and darted into the night, slipping through Jerusalem's alleys and backstreets until he reached the upper city.
He came to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. He could see lights inside. Someone was awake. He knocked furtively at the door of the outer gate. He looked over his shoulder while he waited for someone to open the gate.
A servant girl heard the knock. Mary the mother of John Mark had several household slaves, including a girl named Rhoda. Rhoda (Póôn) means "rose." It was a common name for a slave girl in the Greco-Roman world.
Rhoda asked the knocker to identify himself. Simon replied, "It is Simon Peter. Please open the gate!" She recognized the sound of the apostle's voice. In her excitement to report the good news to those praying for Peter, she forgot to unlatch the gate and let him in. The same apostle for whom the iron gates of Fortress Antonia had opened on their own accord only a few moments earlier found himself left outside, waiting for a teenage slave girl to arrive at the presence of mind to unlatch the gate into the courtyard.
Rhoda interrupted the prayer session going on inside the house. "Peter is at the gate," she told them, but they did not believe her. Some said, "You are out of your mind," and some said, "It is his angel." (The word "angel" could be used as a euphemism for a ghost or disembodied spirit.) As they argued, the knock at the door became more urgent. Everyone poured out into the courtyard. Rhoda unlatched the gate.
Everyone began to speak at once, but Simon Peter silenced them with a motion of his hand. He gathered them around inside the house of Mary. John Mark stood nearby and Rhoda sat at his feet as he related the entire episode. Peter thanked those gathered in the home for their fervent prayers on his behalf, and perhaps he reminded them of the saying, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). They offered prayers of thanksgiving, then he prepared to leave. He reminded them that he was still in great danger. He wanted to be out of the city before the light of dawn. He said, "For now, I must go to another place. Please report these things to James and the brethren." He went out into the dark of the pre-dawn night and slipped out of the city.
Less than three hours after Simon Peter's escape, the next squad of soldiers came to relieve the previous watch. "There was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter" (Acts 12:18). The hapless soldiers exchanged accusations with one another, each one suspecting the others of having accepted a bribe. They made a quick search of the fortress and questioned all the sentries.
By dawn, Agrippa's men were searching from house to house. Presently, King Agrippa summoned the prisoner to appear. The captain of the guard brought the report. Somehow, the prisoner had escaped. Agrippa demanded an explanation from the squad that had lost the apostle, and when they could provide none, he ordered the four men executed.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. (Acts 12:19, ESV Bible)
Festival in Kisrin
Agrippa did not have much time to contemplate the mystery of Simon Peter's disappearance. An exciting message from Rome distracted him. Emperor Claudius had arrived back in Rome safely after a six month absence that included a short campaign in Britain. The whole city of Rome had exploded with parades, parties, triumphal arches, banquets, shows, and sacrifices for Claudius in honor of his safe return from Britain. Claudius assumed the name Britanicus to celebrate his triumphs. (In reality, Claudius had spent only about two weeks in Britain.)
Agrippa sent his congratulations at once. Then he dispatched invitations to all the dignitaries and local aristocrats, inviting them to attend a corresponding celebration in Caesarea-the little Rome of Judea. He hurried back to Caesarea, where he quickly organized a series of lavish entertainments, spectacles, and games in honor of Caesar Claudius.
His brother Herod of Chalcis and his daughter Queen Bernice decided to stay in Judea to attend the event. Noblemen and elite statesmen from the surrounding kingdoms and territories attended. No one wanted to appear disloyal to Caesar.
The believing community in Caesarea that gathered around Philip the Deacon and Cornelius the centurion must have looked at the spectacles with cynicism. They had long denounced King Agrippa's divided loyalties, but after the death of James and the arrest of Simon Peter (only a few weeks earlier), Agrippa appeared to them as a servant of Satan, now reveling in debauchery and idolatry.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” (Acts 12:21-22, ESV Bible)
Agrippas the Divine
To accompany the sacrifices being offered in the temple of Caesar, Agrippa scheduled several days of entertainments for the theater, stadium, and hip-podrome. The first day went smoothly. It almost felt like Rome.
An embassy from Phoenicia came to attend the games at Caesarea. They had ulterior motives. According to Luke, political tension between Agrippa and the Phoenicians inspired the king to levy an embargo on their cities:
20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. (Acts 12:20, ESV Bible)
The Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon (modern-day Lebanon) were economically dependent on Agrippa’s grain supply from Judea. Agrippa imposed an embargo, likely to pressure Phoenicia into political submission.
The first shadow of the coming famine already loomed over the eastern Mediterranean seaboard. Food supplies were already tight, and prospects of a meager harvest meant trouble for the coming year. The Phoenicians needed Judean and Galilean grain.
They sent ambassadors to Caesarea to try to repair the relationship with King Agrippa. The ambassadors bribed Blastus, Agrippa's chamberlain, to influence the king to lift the embargo.
Blastus promised to prevail upon the king to receive the ambassadors. In the meantime, he gave them premium seating in the theater. The theater in Caesarea seated 4,500 people. The ambassadors wanted to sit someplace conspicuous where they could cheer the king.
For the second day of the shows, Agrippa planned a speech in honor of Claudius, his patron. He had his tailors prepare a garment interwoven with real silver thread. As he strode onto the stage of the theater, the morning sun glinted off the silver, creating scintillating refractions and a disco-ball effect in the theater. The crowd fell silent in amazement as the resplendent king took his seat on the stage. Josephus says, Presently his flatterers, here and there in the crowd, began to call out that he was a god." Those eager to flatter the king included the Phoenician ambassadors. They added, "Please be merciful to us. Until now we considered you a mere mortal, but from now on, we consider you above mere mortal nature. The king neither rebuked them, nor rejected their impious flattery." (Josephus, Antiquities 19:345/viii.2).
Agrippa did not mind the adoration. He had grown up in Rome and once been a friend and admirer of Gaius Caligula, who also fancied himself to be a god. Deification of emperors was part of the Roman religion. The thought of being worshiped as such had certainly crossed Agrippa's mind. He began to deliver his carefully prepared address.
At appropriate pauses during the speech, the people applauded and shouted out, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" Agrippa took it all in stride. Just as the Jews had shouted, "You are our brother!" the pagans shouted, "You are a god!" To Agrippa, the important thing was that people loved and appreciated him. Just then, he lifted his eyes and saw an owl perched on one of the awning ropes just over his head.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. (Acts 12:23, ESV Bible)
The Omen Returns
Owls are nocturnal. They do not ordinarily appear in daylight hours, nor do they frequent crowded places. Agrippa recognized the bird. Eight years earlier, the same owl once perched on a tree branch above his head in Italy while he stood bound in chains outside the palace of Tiberius Caesar. He realized that everything the German prisoner had predicted had thus far been fulfilled, and now the omen had returned. "Just remember this," the German had told him, "When you see this bird again, you will live only five days longer. The same god who brought this bird here as a sign to you will bring this to pass." Agrippa felt dizzy. A severe pain suddenly stabbed at his stomach:
He saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately he realized that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, just as it had once been the messenger of good tidings for him. He fell into the deepest sorrow, and at the same moment, a severe pain erupted in his abdomen in a most violent manner. (Josephus, Antiquities 19:346/viii.2)
Agrippa addressed the crowd, "Fate rebukes the lying words you just now spoke to me. I, who you called immortal, am about to be hurried away by death. But I must accept what fate portions out according to God's pleasure." Agrippa collapsed under the pain, and his servants carried him off the theater stage to the palace.
Word of the king's condition spread through the country. The Jewish people prayed for their king's speedy recovery. The people of the nation fasted and sat in sackcloth. A large crowd of Jewish people gathered outside the palace in Caesarea, mourning and lamenting. Agrippa looked out from his bedroom window and wept.
Bernice's new husband, Herod of Chalcis, stayed at the palace in Caesarea with his teenage bride and the royal family while Agrippa suffered and died. Agrippa's seventeen-year-old son, Agrippa II, was still away in Rome. The family looked to Herod of Chalcis for leadership. He attended to affairs of state and looked into the situation regarding Agrippa's estate and will. He was probably not surprised to discover that, although King Agrippa had been receiving revenues of twelve million drachmas, he had overspent it all and left the family buried in a pile of debt.
After five painful days, King Agrippa died at the age of fifty-four in the month of April/lyyar 44 CE. Luke explains that the problem involved parasites: "He was eaten by worms and died" (Acts 12:23).
When Herod of Chalcis announced that the king was dead, the city of Caesarea exploded with unanticipated celebration. To the dismay of the Jewish population, the Gentile, Syrian-Greek citizens of Caesarea rejoiced. They had resented being ruled by a Jew. Feasts, banquets, parties, and glad revelry broke out everywhere. The population adorned themselves with garlands and festival attire. The Gentiles drank to one another's joy, toasting death for his gift to them and pouring out libations to Charon, the mythological ferryman of the dead. Agrippa's own soldiers-Syrian Greeks who had once served in the Roman army-looted the palace and carried off the statues of the king's three daughters. They set the girls' images on the roofs of the city's brothels. The deep anti-Jewish sentiment of the Gentile world portended dark times ahead for Jews and Yeshua followers in Caesarea and in Roman cities all over the world.
Terrorized by the reaction, the royal family withdrew from Caesarea. The widowed Queen Cypros took Mariamne and Drusilla with her back to Rome, hoping that Caesar would bestow the kingdom on her son, Agrippa II. Queen Bernice and King Herod of Chalcis left for their small kingdom to the north to wait for Rome's decision.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
A Chronological Reading of Acts
The First Fruits of Zion Torah Club study, Chronicles of the Apostles, dates King Agrippa’s death to 44 CE. Shortly after his death, a famine struck Judea, prompting Queen Helena to visit Jerusalem and bring famine relief. The Queen Helena mentioned in this account is Helena of Adiabene, a queen from the Parthian vassal kingdom of Adiabene (in modern-day northern Iraq). She is known for her conversion to Judaism and her acts of charity toward the Jewish people, particularly during the famine in Judea.
Sometime later, Saul, Barnabas, and Titus traveled to Jerusalem, carrying a significant financial contribution from the Antioch community to support the believers in preparation for the impending famine. This journey is believed to have taken place around Pentecost.
During this time, Paul is thought to have met with the "Pillars" of the Jerusalem church, as he describes in Galatians 2:1-18.
Saul, Barnabas, and Titus probably lodged in the house of Barnabas' kins-woman, Mary, the mother of John Mark. If they arrived on time for the Festival of Shavu'ot in the year 44 CE, they arrived in Jerusalem just a few weeks after Herod Agrippa's untimely demise in Caesarea.
Because they had come from Gentile territory, Saul and Barnabas needed to undergo the requisite seven-day purification with ashes of the red heifer before they could enter the Temple any further than the court of the Gentiles (Numbers 19; John 11:55; Acts 21:26).
Numbers 19 describes the ritual purification process using the ashes of the red heifer for those who had become ritually impure through contact with the dead or by being in unclean lands. Numbers 19:11-12 states:
"Whoever touches a dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days. He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean." (Numbers 19:11-12)
Gentile lands were often considered defiled by the presence of dead bodies (e.g., unmarked graves), which made returning Jewish pilgrims ritually impure. According to rabbinic tradition, those who traveled to Gentile lands (which included Antioch, Cyprus, and other places where Paul and Barnabas had ministered) were considered ritually impure. The ashes of the red heifer were used in the purification process for anyone who had been defiled, including those returning from foreign lands.
John 11:55 states:
"Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves." (John 11:55)
This verse suggests that pilgrims from outside Jerusalem often underwent ritual purification before Passover. Many Jews who had traveled from outside the land would have gone through purification rites before participating in Temple rituals.
Acts 21:26 states:
"Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the completion of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them." (Acts 21:26)
This event took place years later when Paul visited Jerusalem and underwent purification rites to prove his faithfulness to Jewish customs. This shows that Paul followed Jewish purity laws and was willing to undergo ritual purification when required.
While Saul and Barnabas waited out the seven days, they had opportunities to hear the dramatic story of the death of James the son of Zebedee, the miraculous escape of Simon Peter, and the heavenly stroke that smote King Agrippa. Mary, John Mark, and the servant girl Rhoda supplied eyewitness testimony about the night that Simon Peter appeared knocking at their door.
The seven-day purification also gave them time to meet with the apostolic leadership before the festival began.
In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Saul described a man (obviously himself) caught up to the third heaven at the level of Paradise (Gan Eden) "where he heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak." Several scholars date this vision to the year 44 CE, the year Saul and Barnabas brought famine relief to Jerusalem.
Saul contracted a “thorn in the flesh” subsequent to his apocalypse in the third heaven. Whatever the ailment was, it caused Saul suffering, and it was ongoing. He considered it evil and demonic in origin, even though he conceded that it ultimately came from the hand of the LORD.
To read the Book of Acts in chronological order, first turn to Galatians 2:1-10, which provides insight into Paul’s meeting with the “Pillars” following King Agrippa’s death. After reflecting on this event, you may also want to explore Paul’s revelation—what he describes as being "caught up to the third heaven"—as well as the ailment he received afterward. Both are detailed in 2 Corinthians 12. Once you've read these passages, return to Acts and resume the narrative at Acts 12:24.
To go to Galatians 2:1-10 click here.
To go to 2 Corinthians 12 click here.
24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. (Acts 12:24-25, ESV Bible)
Return to Anteyocha
After the festival, Saul, Barnabas, and Titus prepared to leave Jerusalem and return to Antioch. They took John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, back with them. יוחנן (Yochanan or in English John) was his Hebrew name, and Markus was his Latin name. Luke does not tell us why John Mark accompanied Saul and Barnabas, but we may assume that he volunteered to assist the apostles in their labors. (The fact that the Olympics were scheduled to take place in Antioch that October probably had no influence on John Mark's decision to travel there.)
On the way back to Antioch, the conversation of the four men may have turned to discuss the outcome of the meeting in Jerusalem. They looked forward to further work among the God-fearing Gentile believers of Antioch. Saul felt relieved that the theological battle regarding his gospel to the Gentiles had been resolved. He was wrong. The battle had just begun.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Peter Visits Antioch
Between 44 and 47 CE, Simon Peter arrived to testify about the risen Messiah and share Yeshua’s teachings with the believers. Paul recounts this encounter in Galatians 2:11-14. To follow the apostles' journey in chronological order, continue reading in Galatians 2:11-21 before returning to Acts 13:1.
To go to Galatians 2:11-21 click here.