Acts 12

Here we are introduced to Herod Agrippa I, he is the grandson of Herod the Great. You may remember Herod the Great from the gospel records as he is the one who decrees the death of all the children under 2 years old.

There are several Herods mentioned in the bible. Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee and Perea from 4BC to AD 39. We know him best for John the Baptist’s execution and for mocking Jesus.

Later in the book of Acts, we will meet the son of Agrippa I, who is Agrippa II.

The chronology works as follows: Agrippa I ruled from AD 40 until his death in 44 at the age of fifty-four. Since Acts 12 describes events during his reign (ending in AD 44), Agrippa would have been in his early fifties—not a young man, but an established ruler in his final years.

Agrippa I is an interesting character. He was part Jewish on his mothers side and on his father’s side he was Idumean (Edomite) which if you know much about the Edomites you would know how this would complicated one’s relationship with the Jews.

The Edomites are descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau.

Due to this Agrippa I felt deep insecurity about his Idumean heritage and went to great lengths to please the Jews. Despite being circumcised and following Jewish customs and rituals, the Jews never embraced him as one of their own because they considered him a half-breed at best.

Despite this social rejection, of all the Herodian rulers, Agrippa I most fully identified himself as Jewish and attempted to preserve the Jewish Law. He even risked his own life appealing to Caligula to rescind his order to erect a statue of himself in the Jerusalem temple. This willingness to defend Jewish religious practice distinguished him from other members of his dynasty.

Who did Herod have executed?

James the son of Zebedee.

What feast were the days of unleavened bread?

The feast of Passover.

James was executed on Passover in AD41.

What is a quaternion of soldiers?

A quaternion consisted of four soldiers, with two chained to the prisoner inside the cell and two stationed outside the door. Four quaternions were necessary because there were four night watches

A quaternion consisted of four soldiers, with two chained to the prisoner inside the cell and two stationed outside the door. Four quaternions were necessary because there were four night watches[1].

The four quaternions weren’t individually named but rather rotated through the night watches. After Rome came to power in Israel, the night watches changed from three to four: the evening watch (sunset to 9 P.M.), the midnight watch (9 P.M. to midnight), the cock crowing (midnight to 3 A.M.), and the morning watch (3 A.M. to sunrise)[1]. Each quaternion of four soldiers guarded Peter during one of the four night-watches, making sixteen guards in total[2].

Peter slept between two soldiers while the other two stood at the prison door[1][3]. This arrangement represented extraordinary security measures—every precaution was taken against his escape from prison[4]. The meticulous guard rotation ensured that Peter remained under constant, vigilant supervision throughout the entire night, making his subsequent miraculous escape all the more dramatic within the narrative of Acts 12.

[1] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Acts, Treasures from the Scriptures (Wordsearch, 2019), 2:54–55. [2] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 1:508. [3] Gary H. Everett, The Book of Acts, Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures (Gary Everett, 2011), 153. [4] M. G. Easton, in Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 569.

When would Agrippa deliver Peter to the people?

After passover.

Who helps Peter escape?

An angel.

Where does Peter go after being delivered from prison?

The house of Mary.

How did the believer’s react to Rhoda’s report of Peter being at the gate?

They thought she was crazy.

I think we act this way sometimes. We pray but do not believe that God will actually answer our prayers.

That is exactly what is happening here in this situation, because if the people believed that God would answer their prayers to deliver Peter, they would have been excited immediately.

Who is this James mentioned in verse 17?

The brother of Jesus.

Did the guards fall asleep?

The bible seems to suggest to us that they fell asleep because they did not notice he was gone until morning.

What was the punishment for a Roman soldier who allowed a prisoner to escape?

Death.

What was the punishment for a Roman soldier who fell asleep on watch?

Death.

James’s execution occurred at Passover time in AD 41, shortly after Agrippa arrived to rule Judea[1], while Agrippa died in the spring of AD 44[1]. This means approximately three years elapsed between the two events.

The timeline reflects a significant shift in Agrippa’s political strategy. When Claudius became emperor on January 25, 41, he immediately granted Agrippa control of Judea and Samaria[1]. To demonstrate sympathy with Jewish priestly authorities, Agrippa probably acted against Christian leaders shortly after his arrival to rule in Judea[1]—which is why James’s execution happened so quickly after Agrippa’s appointment. From 41 to 44 CE, Agrippa ruled with a pious, scrupulous, and apparently sincere adherence to Jewish law[2], suggesting his persecution of Christians was part of a broader effort to ingratiate himself with the Jewish establishment.

The three-year gap between James’s death and Agrippa’s own demise is noteworthy. Herod Agrippa I’s death seems to have followed closely after James’s death and Peter’s imprisonment, and since Herod’s death is calculated as 44, James’s execution must have been the same year[3]—though more precisely, James died in early 41 while Agrippa died in spring 44. This interval allowed Agrippa to consolidate his rule over the entire Palestinian territory before his sudden and fatal illness struck him down at Caesarea.

[1] J. Finegan, “Chronology of the NT,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 1:690. [2] Francisco O. Garcia-Treto, “Herod,” in The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated), ed. Mark Allan Powell (New York: HarperCollins, 2011), 379. [3] W. Brian Shelton, Quest for the Historical Apostles: Tracing Their Lives and Legacies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018), 119.

Herod was displeased with Tyre and Sidon. We do not know the exact reason, some believe it to be over commercial trade issues with them.

Who did Tyre and Sidon befriend?

Blastus, the king’s chamberlain.

Blastus would have been a very trusted advisor to Herod and thus by gaining his favor they were able to convince Herod to meet with them.

Where was Herod when he gave this speech?

Caesarea.

What happened to Herod after he gave his speech and sat down on his throne to receive worship?

He died.

Yes, Herod Agrippa I delivered a final speech at Caesarea Maritima after Peter’s escape from prison, during which he sat on the bema while the crowd praised him as possessing a divine voice[1].

According to Josephus’s account, Agrippa had come to Caesarea for a festival, delivered the speech on his second day in the city, entered the theater early in the morning wearing a silver garment that reflected the sun, and an owl appeared on a rope above his head[1]. The speech itself involved addressing the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon who had come to seek peace with him.

Josephus records that flatterers called out to Agrippa, addressing him as a god and saying, “Be thou propitious; if till now we feared thee as a man, henceforth we confess that thou art exalted above mortal nature”[2]—words that Agrippa did not reject. When he perceived the owl as an omen of misfortune, he acknowledged his mortality to his friends, saying: “A god in your eyes, I must nevertheless even now resign my life: fate thus immediately punishes the lies you falsely spoke, and I, whom you named immortal, am carried away by death”[2].

According to Acts, an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died[1]. Josephus’s account is notably more elaborate and sentimental than Luke’s brief biblical record[2], though both sources agree on the essential facts of his sudden death at Caesarea.

[1] Titus Kennedy, The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2023), 283. [2] E. von Dobschütz, “Josephus,” in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church (2 Vols.), ed. James Hastings (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1916–1918), 1:653.

The biblical text and historical sources disagree on the timing of Herod’s death relative to the worm infestation. Acts states that at the moment an angel struck him down, he was “being eaten by worms” and died[1]—suggesting the worms consumed him immediately as part of his judgment.

However, Josephus reports that Agrippa was struck with violent abdominal pains and died five days later[2], not on the same day. Josephus indicates that the rotting of his flesh produced worms during those five days of suffering[3], rather than worms appearing instantaneously at the moment of judgment.

The separate accounts complement rather than contradict each other—Acts provides the theological reason and cause of death, while Josephus supplies the duration from the initial strike to his death and the specific location of his pain[2].

The medical explanation clarifies the discrepancy. The cause was probably intestinal roundworms, which grow to ten to fourteen inches and can block the intestines, causing severe pain; the sufferer may vomit worms or die an excruciatingly painful death[4]. Josephus describes how Herod was overcome with intense pain and, exhausted after five straight days by abdominal pain, departed this life in the fifty-fourth year of his life[4].

So while Luke emphasizes divine judgment occurring “immediately,” the historical reality involved a five-day illness during which worms developed—a distinction between theological narrative and medical chronology.

[1] Carl R. Holladay, Acts: A Commentary, The New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), 254. [2] T. Michael Kennedy, “Caesarea,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [See here, here.] [3] H. Leo Boles, A Commentary on Acts of the Apostles, Gospel Advocate New Testament Commentary (Gospel Advocate Company, 1989), 200. [4] Larry Richards, Every Angel in the Bible, Everything in the Bible Series (Nashville: T. Nelson, 1997), 42–43.

What grew and multiplied?

God’s Word.

Who did Barnabas and Paul take with them?

John Mark.

John Mark’s family possessed considerable wealth[1], though the evidence comes from several indirect sources. His house featured an outer gate, adequate size to accommodate many believers, and was served by a slave named Rhoda[2]—details that point to substantial means. His mother Mary was related to Barnabas, a wealthy Levite landowner from Cyprus, and she herself appeared to be a woman of wealth and position whose house was large enough to house multiple people and boasted at least one maidservant[3].

The family’s social standing likely extended beyond Jerusalem. The description of the house with its large room and porch, along with the mention of a Greek slave, suggests a family of wealth—probably among many zealous Jews who became rich in the wider world and retired to Jerusalem, the center of their nation and faith[4]. Wealthy Jewish families did not accumulate riches by avoiding Romans, and the wealthy educated their children well, placing Mark in a category requiring deeper and broader education than less fortunate children[5].

However, Mark’s privileged background appears to have created vulnerabilities. Accustomed to servants and comfort, with things he did not have to do because servants managed household tasks, his life was considerably more comfortable than many of his peers[1]. Although his Christian home was his great strength, that very privilege contained inherent weakness—he relied upon his mother and the security of home, and his faith had never been tested[1]. This sheltered upbringing would later contribute to his abandonment of Paul and Barnabas during their first missionary journey.

[1] Brian H. Edwards, Little People in Paul’s Letters, God’s Little People (Leominster: Day One, 2005), 21–22. [2] Philip Comfort and Walter A. Elwell, in The Complete Book of Who’s Who in the Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2004), 377. [3] R. A. Cole, “Mark (John),” in New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood et al. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 731. [4] J. H. Farmer, “Mark, John,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr et al. (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 1986. [5] Floyd E. Schneider, Mark Challenges the Aeneid (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2019). [See here, here.]