Act 12:1-3, 23 | PNT | STEP | Persecutions in Judea SUMMARY OF ACTS 12: The First Apostolic Martyr. Peter Seized by Herod. The Prayers of the Church. Peter's Prison Opened by an Angel. His Appearance to the Praying Disciples. Herod Pronounced a God. His Pitiful Death. About that time . While Saul and Barnabas were at Antioch. Herod the king . Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great. See PNT . In the year 41, the Emperor Claudius had added Judea and Samaria to his former dominions, so that, at this time, Herod ruled over all Palestine. While voluptuous, and exhibiting in life none of the restrains of religion, he was a strict observer of the Jewish ceremonies, and hostile to Christianity, because it was subversive to Judaism. To vex certain of the church . Some of its leaders.

Acts 12:1-3

Persecutions in Judea SUMMARY OF ACTS 12: The First Apostolic Martyr. Peter Seized by Herod. The Prayers of the Church. Peter's Prison Opened by an Angel. His Appearance to the Praying Disciples. Herod Pronounced a God. His Pitiful Death.

About that time. While Saul and Barnabas were at Antioch.

Herod the king. Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great.

See PNT Mt 2:1. In the year 41, the Emperor Claudius had added Judea and Samaria to his former dominions, so that, at this time, Herod ruled over all Palestine. While voluptuous, and exhibiting in life none of the restrains of religion, he was a strict observer of the Jewish ceremonies, and hostile to Christianity, because it was subversive to Judaism.

To vex certain of the church. Some of its leaders. He killed James the brother of John. One of the three apostles most intimate with the Savior. The first apostle to suffer martyrdom. He is the only apostle whose death is recorded in the New Testament, save Judas the betrayer.

With the sword. He beheaded James. This James, the apostle, is to be distinguished from James, the brother of the Lord (Ga 1:19), whose name appears after this in Acts, and who wrote the Epistle of James. He saw it pleased the Jews. He would rather please men than God. Hence, he seized Peter.

The days of unleavened bread. The Passover week. See Ex 12:15,16. Called "Easter" in Ac 12:4.

Acts 12:23

The angel of the Lord smote him. Josephus says he lingered five days in great agony. This harmonizes with Luke's account.

He was eaten of worms. Josephus says he was taken with abdominal pains; Luke explains the cause. The disease is by no means unknown. Many cases of death from the same cause are on record. Among others the Emperor Galerius, the predecessor of Constantine the Great, so died.