STORY SETIING AND BACKGROUND

PETER SAVED FROM PRISON

An angel saves Peter from death by leading him from prison past the guards.Acts. 12:1-19

KING AGRIPPA I

    King Herod Arippa I was a grandson of Herod the Great and a son of AristobuIus, whom Herod had executed in 7 B.C. After the execution, Agrippa was sent with his mother Bernice to Rome, where he grew up on intimate terms with the imperial family.
    Agrippa left Rome in A.D. 23 because of heavy debts. In 36 he returned only to be put into prison by the emperor Tiberias. In 37 Caligula became emperor. He released Agrippa and made him king over the former tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanius. The former especially was a rich grain-producing area east of the Upper Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee. Later Galilee and Perea were added to his realm.
    When Caligula died, Agrippa served as the intermediary betwen the Roman Senate and Claudius who was then made emperor. In gratitude Claudius added Judea and Samaria to his kingdom. Now Agrippa ruled over the same territory as his grandfather Herod before him.
    When in Rome, Agrippa lived as did the Romans. But when he came to rule over Palestine, he went to great pains to live in accordance with the Jewish way of life. He made Jerusalem his capital and lived there to keep himself in ritual purity. He took part in the Jewish festivals and observed the strict ritual of these festivals.
    Palestine was again a Jewish kingdom ruled by a Jewish king. Gone were the Roman legions, the hated eagles and taxcollectors of a foreign power. Agrippa remitted the house-tax to gain greater favor of his subjects. The coins minted in Jerusalem were issued without a picture of either the king or the emperor in keeping with the requirements of Jewish Law.
    Agrippa's grandfather had been a great builder. Agrippa, too, aspired to leave his mark on his kingdom. He began the Third Wall, an enormous building project to enclose the northern suburb of the growing city. This wall probably followed the line of the present north wall of the Old City.
    Although a strict Jew at home, Agrippa was a cosmopolitan philanthropist outside of his realm. He gave the Roman colony of Berytus (Beirut) a theater, an amphiteheater, porticoes, public baths, sumptuous dramatic presentations and a gladiatorial contes! in which more than 1400 men were f,'lced to kill each other in combat.
    At Caesarea, Agrippa held games in honor of the emperor. His palace contained statues of three of his daughters. Coins struck in Caesarea bore his own image and that of the emperor.

THE PERSECUTION

    The persecution of Saul of Tarsus forced many Christians to leave Jerusalem and seek safety elsewhere. Wherever they went, they shared the Gospel with fellow Jews. They went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, Syria. It was here that they first b-Jews the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 11: 19) . Antioch was the capital of the province of Syria and a key city in the eastern part of the Roman empire.
    Seemingly three apostles were at Jerusalem: Peter and the sons of Zebedee, James and John. Agrippa arrested James. A charge was made against him in the king's court. He was sentenced to be executed by being beheaded. This was the civil mode of execution and suggests that James was accused of being disloyal to the king.
    Seeing that his subjects were very pleased, Agrippa arranged to have Peter arrested at the time of the Passover when the city was filled with perhaps 100,000 pilgrims. These heard about the king's zealousness for his faith. Agrippa chose to keep Peter in prison during the 8-day festival of the Passover and Unleavened Bread rather than pollute this festival period with an execution. - It is possible to date this event as taking place in the Spring of A.D. 44.
    In a previous imprisonment, Peter and John had mysteriously disappeared from prison (Acts 5: 1 7-40) . To prevent a recurrence, Agrippa ordered Peter to be held under maximum security in an inner prison. A group of four soldiers were ordered to guard him at all times, each serving three hours at a time. Two soldiers were chained to Peter, one on each side; the other two probably guarded the door outside of his cell.

PETER'S RELEASE

    Peter's arrest was a heavy blow to the brethren dwelling in Jerusalem. The Christians spent much time in very earnest prayer, pleading that Peter's life be spared.

JUDEA

    On the night before the execution many Christians were gathered for prayer in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. The fact that the house had an entrance way opening from the street into a courtyard suggests that Mary was well-to-do.
    When Peter knocked and was finally admitted, the Christians could scarcely believe their eyes. Their prayers had been answered in such an unexpected manner. But Peter knew that he had to find safety elsewhere - where Luke does not tell us. He asked those present to inform James and other Christians that he was safe.
    When Peter's absence was discovered, an intensive manhunt was made, but without success. The four soldiers to whom Peter had been entrusted were executed.