ACC ~ Acts 12 v1 - 5

OVERVIEW:

These verses set the stage for the narrative of Peter’s deliverance from certain death. They recall Jesus’ prophecy about the persecution the disciples can expect and which, in fact, befell him. There are other allusive parallels established between Jesus and Peter: this takes place “during the days of Unleavened Bread,” with accompanying allusions to the exodus. The questions that intrigue modern commentators, Herod’s motive for killing James, the reason for placing this self-enclosed narrative at this point, and so on are not reflected upon by the Fathers, though Chrysostom is sensitive to Luke’s laconic style in recounting James’s death and sees it as mediating a “random” act of violence. On the whole, however, the Fathers’ line of thought differs: the continued suffering that Acts recounts is not in vain but in line with God’s purpose, which is to demonstrate the futility of fighting against him. Although the Jews are no longer directly working against the Jerusalem church, they are its benefactors in that they are the ones God is trying to convince of the truth of the gospel, both by these ultimately failing persecutions and the fulfillment of Gamaliel’s words (CHRYSOSTOM). Gregory of Nyssa imagines what might have happened at James’s trial: an attempt at forcing him to deny Christ, something that Acts does not recount, but a process, familiar from martyrdom accounts, to those who lived in the fourth century. Gregory’s point, while nonhistorical, is worthy of note: a threat to physical integrity, even one that brings death, is nothing compared with what comes with being separated from Christ, the head of a great body. The connections in this body are most evident in the mutual support that its members give to and receive from one another, regardless of relative status, through prayer (CHRYSOSTOM, SEVERUS).

12:2 | Herod Killed James

WHY GOD PERMITS THIS DEATH. CHRYSOSTOM: “And,” it says, “he killed James the brother of John with the sword”; simply that, as if it happened by chance. If someone should ask why God permitted this, we would answer that it was for the sake of the Jews themselves. First of all, [God] thereby persuades them that even when being put to death, the apostles triumph, which also happened in the case of Stephen. Second, [God] gives them an opportunity, after satiating their anger, to return from their madness. Third, he shows that it was with his consent that this happened. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 26.

EVERY CHRISTIAN’S TRUE HEAD. GREGORY OF NYSSA: James, under pressure to cut off Christ, his true head, was [physically] decapitated, yet the [true] head of every person is Christ according to the apostle and at the same time the head of the entire church. HOMILY 2 ON ST. STEPHEN.

12:3 | James’s Death Pleased the Jews

GAMALIEL’S ADVICE, THEIR CONDEMNATION. CHRYSOSTOM: How was it that he did not kill Peter immediately? It mentions the reason, “it was the day of unleavened bread.” The more likely reason is that he wanted to make a spectacle of the slaughter. For their part, the Jews, following the advice of Gamaliel, now abstained from bloodshedding (besides, they did not even try to invent accusations), but by the hands of others they achieved the same results. … This, in particular, was their condemnation; for the preaching was shown to be no longer a thing of humankind. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 26.

12:5 | Earnest Prayer Offered for Peter

PRAYER ARISING FROM LOVE FOR A FATHER. CHRYSOSTOM: The stricter the watch, the more wonderful the demonstration. This was done on behalf of Peter, who became more esteemed as a result, and to demonstrate his innate virtue. “Prayer was earnestly made,” it says. It was the prayer of heartfelt love. They all sought a father, a gentle father. “Earnest prayer,” it says. Listen as to how they were disposed toward their teachers. They did not divide into factions or make an uproar but turned to prayer, that true alliance which is invincible. In this they sought refuge. They did not say, “Am I, a lowly good-for-nothing, to pray for him?” For since they acted out of love, they did not give these things any thought. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 26.

THE GROANING BODY. SEVERUS OF ANTIOCH: This we urge you, by both supplications and tears, to contribute to us—insignificant ones. For the shared sufferings of the church call for shared prayers, just as when Peter, the head of the apostles, was bound in prison by two chains and watched over by guards … “there was made constant prayer by the church to God for him.” When this is the case for an apostle, who needs help, and prayers are offered up by the church, how would we, the uninitiated and brood of sin, not all the more beg these prayers to be offered for us by the faithful, those noble limbs of the church and educated to groan with godly and spiritual perception? CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 12.5.