Atos 12
William Barclay · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 12
Barclay - Let us see briefly the various branches of the family of the Herods in their New Testament connections. The first of the New Testament Herods is Herod the Great, who reigned from about 41 BC to 1 BC. He is the Herod of Matthew 2, who was in power when Jesus was born, who received the wise men from the east and who massacred the children. Herod the Great was married ten times. Those of his family who cross the pages of the New Testament are as follows. (1) Herod Philip I. He was the first husband of the Herodias who was responsible for the death of John the Baptist. He is mentioned, under the name of Philip, in Matthew 14:3, Mark 6:17 and Luke 3:19. He had no official office. He was the father of Salome. (2) Herod Antipas. He was the ruler of Galilee and Peraea. He was the second husband of Herodias and consented to the death of John the Baptist. He was also the Herod to whom Pilate sent Jesus for trial (Luke 23:7ff.). (3) Archelaus. He was the ruler of Judaea, Samaria and Idumaea. He was a thoroughly bad ruler and was deposed and banished. He is mentioned in Matthew 2:22. (4) Herod Philip II. He was the ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis. He was the founder of Caesarea Philippi, which was named after him. In the New Testament, he is called Philip and is mentioned in Luke 3:1. (5) Herod the Great had another son called Aristobulus; his mother was Mariamne, a princess who was descended from the great Maccabaean heroes. He was murdered by his own father, but he had a son called Herod Agrippa. This is the Herod of our present passage in Acts 12. (6) To complete the list, we may note that Herod Agrippa was the father of: (a) Agrippa II, before whom Paul was examined and before whom he made his famous speech (Acts 25–6); (b) Bernice, who appeared with him when Paul was under examination; and (c) Drusilla, who was the wife of Felix, the governor before whom Paul was tried (Acts 24:24). SEE ALSO Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? | GotQuestions QUESTION - Who was Herod the Great? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - The name Herod comes up again and again in the New Testament from Matthew 2 to Acts 26. A casual reader might think that Herod had tremendous longevity as a ruler. However, Herod is the family name of a ruling dynasty in Palestine. There are four different Herods in the New Testament as well as Herod Philip II, who is referred to as Philip the tetrarch in the New Testament. Herod I came to be known as Herod the Great and was also called King of the Jews. He ruled from 37 or 36 BC to 4 BC. He is mentioned in the New Testament in Matthew 2. Magi from the East came to Jerusalem looking for the one who had been born King of the Jews. Of course, this would arrest Herod’s attention, as this was his title. Herod called the scribes and determined that, according to prophecy, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. As the magi left for Bethlehem to find the Messiah, Herod asked them to report back to him with the location of the newborn King “so that I too may go and worship him” (Matthew 2:8). Of course, Herod had no such intentions. The magi find Jesus and worship Him, presenting their gifts to Him, but they are then warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod. When Herod realizes that the magi have not reported back to him, he is furious and calls for the slaughter of all the boys up to two years old in Bethlehem and the surrounding area, hoping to end the life of any potential rival. God warns Joseph that he needs to flee to Egypt with Jesus and Mary. Jesus is not harmed; however, there is a great slaughter of the innocents in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16–18). Such is Herod the Great’s biblical legacy. Herod the Great was the son of a high-ranking official in the Hasmonean dynasty, which was ruling Palestine as an independent kingdom. He was an Idumean or Edomite (a descendant of Esau), but there had been intermarriage between Jews and Edomites, and Herod publicly identified himself as a Jew, although he was not faithful to observe Jewish Law. In 41 BC Herod the Great was named governor of Galilee. However, the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty was in conflict with Rome, and Herod supported Rome in the conflict. He was given the title King of the Jews by the Roman Senate and then charged with the responsibility of conquering Judea so that he could rule as a client king. After about three years of fighting, Herod was victorious in 37 or 36 BC. As king of Judea, Herod the Great’s primary directive was to carry out the wishes of Rome. As always, Rome wanted to maintain peace and foster good will among the local inhabitants who had been conquered. (If that didn’t work, Rome would eventually respond with overwhelming force.) Herod tried to foster good will by reducing taxes, enacting policies that helped bring about economic prosperity, and building public works including the incredible artificial port city of Caesarea, the fortress of Masada, and fortifications around Jerusalem. Herod also built a magnificent palace for himself atop a man-made mountain. The palace was called the Herodium. In order to gain favor with the Jews, Herod the Great greatly enlarged and updated the temple in Jerusalem to a size and magnificence it had never enjoyed before, not even under Solomon. This renovated structure became known as Herod’s temple. He also married Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess, and appointed her brother as high priest. Despite his brilliant and ambitious building projects, Herod the Great had a dark side that showed itself in the events of Matthew 2 and in other historical events. He always feared potential rivals. He had his wife’s brother Aristobulus, the high priest, drowned in the swimming pool in his palace. He put to death 46 members of the Sanhedrin. He killed his mother-in-law. He also had his wife Mariamne murdered along with two of their sons, as he considered them potential rivals with legitimate claim to the throne because of their Hasmonean lineage. (Herod had ten wives in all and many other children who did not have Hasmonean blood.) Augustus Caesar is reported to have said, “It is better to be Herod’s dog than one of his children.” When placed in this context, the incident in Matthew 2 does not seem out of character. In BC 4, after a long and excruciating illness, Herod the Great died. This news was reported to Joseph by an angel of the Lord in a dream in Matthew 2:19, so Joseph knew it was safe to return to Israel with Jesus. Of course, our dating system will cause some consternation. We know that Herod died in 4 BC, which means that Jesus must have been born before 4 BC. It is normally assumed that Jesus was born in 1 BC (or perhaps 0 BC or AD 1), but these dates were assigned at least nine centuries later, and there were some errors in the calculations. So Jesus was born some time before 4 BC, and we do not know how much time passed between Joseph’s taking his family to safety in Egypt and Herod’s death. Upon Herod the Great’s death, his sons were appointed rulers in his place. Archelaus was appointed ethnarch (ruler of an ethnic group, but not a king) of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea. He is mentioned once in Scripture: when Joseph heard that Archelaus was ruling in Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph took his family to Nazareth in Galilee (Matthew 2:22–23). Philip (Herod Philip II) was appointed tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitus. Philip is mentioned later in the New Testament as the one who lost his wife to his half-brother, Herod Antipas, the Herod who was then rebuked by John the Baptist for taking his brother Philip’s wife (Matthew 14:3–4). Herod the Great was an ambitious and ruthless ruler who set himself in opposition to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Throughout history and the scriptural record, we see the Herod family following in the footsteps of their father in opposing Chris FAMILY TREE FOR HEROD Acts 12:2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. KJV Acts 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. James Matthew 4:21,22; 20:23; Mark 10:35,38 With a sword. 1 Kings 19:1,10; Jeremiah 26:23; Hebrews 11:37 THE APOSTLE JAMES BEHEADED And - Many versions do not translate the Greek conjunction (de) which can be translated by several English words - most commonly "but" which clearly does not fit the context in this section, but it is also translated "now," "then," "and" and one of these latter words fits the context better as it serves to couple the mistreatment of the Church in general in Acts 12:1 with specific mistreatment (martyrdom) of one of the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. You may be asking why did God allow James to die and rescue Peter? Good question but there is no way to answer except that it reflects the sovereign will of Jehovah. I like the way Pastor Jack Arnold answers this question... The final answer to this is found in the sovereign wisdom of God. The issues of life and death rest in the hands of a sovereign God and we will not get the full answer to this question of James's death until we get to glory. James's death, while executed by Herod, was appointed by God (ED: and allowed by God) and what may seem to us as a life cut short was for God a saint come home. Surely, this tells us that in the mind of God death is not as horrible as we think it is. It is not the bitter experience the human mind imagines it to be. (ED: WATCH OUT FOR THIS NEXT STATEMENT MAY SHOCK YOU!) For a Christian, death should be an anticipated event for it means entrance into heaven. We Christians have the promise, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). From the human perspective, James’s death was a tragedy, but from the perspective of a sovereign, supernatural working God, it was a fantastic blessing. God delivered James as much or more than He delivered Peter. (ED: PONDER THAT THOUGHT) He delivered James through death and Peter from death. God reserves the right to do as He pleases, but in the case of James, he was better off than Peter because he was in heaven. (Acts 12:1-25 Supernaturalism and the Church) THOUGHT - What a difference in perspective (and our reaction/response when a fellow saint passes from earth to Heaven) if saints truly understood death as God's "rescue" from life, with all its trials, turmoil and sorrow! Ask God to give you His perspective that death of one of His children is "precious." (Hebrew word yaqar = valuable, prized, weighty, splendid, highly valued, describes costly stones - 2 Sa 12:30, 1 Ki 10:2, 11; Lxx = timios = of great worth or value, held in honor) (Ps 116:5). That may be why death of God's children is often described as them simply falling asleep (e.g., Acts 7:60 of Stephen as he was being stoned, Lazarus in Jn 11:11, saints in 1 Th 4:13, 15 -- never used of an unbeliever!). Warren
Atos 12
Barclay quips "In this story, we do not necessarily see a miracle." O really? It certainly looks like a miraculous rescue to me! Sadly Barclay's remark is somewhat like the response of Herod, Jack Arnold commenting that "Herod was cold-blooded as well as stiff-necked and hardhearted. Sixteen innocent soldiers died because of this man's stubborn unbelief. He would not believe that Peter’s deliverance was a supernatural act of God. Herod, as an antisupernaturalist and humanist, had no respect for the value of human life. Anti-supernaturalists (ED: AKA "METAPHYSICAL NATURALISTS") and humanists often claim to be the protectors of man and his right, but these same people are often the first to put people into prison and to death who do not agree with them. " Acts 12:19 When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there. KJV Acts 12:19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode. NLT Acts 12:19 Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn't be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while. ESV Acts 12:19 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. When Herod had searched for him 1 Samuel 23:14; Psalms 37:32,33; Jeremiah 36:26; Matthew 2:13 he examined Acts 12:4,6; Matthew 28:11-15 ordered that they be led away to execution Daniel 2:11-13; Matthew 2:16; John 12:10,11 he went down Acts 21:8; 25:13; 1 Kings 20:43; Esther 6:12 HEROD'S MURDER OF INNOCENT GUARDS When Herod had searched for him and had not found him - NET Note says "Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself". Searched for (1934)(epizeteo from epi = intensifies meaning + zeteo = try to learn location of something, searching for) means to search or look for (people [Jesus] Lk 4:42). Herod of course was not about to accept a supernatural solution for Peter's escape, so he sought a natural answer. He examined the guards - The verb examined is anakrino (to sift up and down, question thoroughly) a forensic or judicial term which means Herod engaged in a formal investigation, carrying out a careful study to answer the question, the "64 dollar" question of course being "How in the world could Peter have escaped given the extra guards Herod had ordered." He examined them closely, interrogating them as to what had transpired. Of course the guards would have had to reply that they had no idea how Peter had escaped, for they were somehow supernaturally impeded from seeing (or remembering) what had transpired. As the next phrase suggests, their ignorance of these matters did not gain their acquittal but their condemnation and execution for their supposed incompetence and/or complicity with the prisoner. And ordered that they be led away to execution - The words "to execution" are added by the translators. When a guard, jailer or soldier lost a prisoner the penalty was death. Prison guards would sooner kill all the prisoners—or themselves—than let any get away! In Acts 16:27+ "When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped." (cf Acts 27:42) He knew what the punishment would be and wanted to cut his misery short by taking his own life! Some think all 16 guards were held responsible and that all 16 were executed! Whether 4 or 16, Herod was only adding to his blood guilt. BLOODGUILT, liability for punishment for shedding blood. The biblical concept of bloodguilt derives from the belief that deeds generate consequences and that sin, in particular, is a danger to the sinner. The most vivid examples of this belief appear in connection with unlawful homicide, where innocent blood (dam naki (naqi); Jonah 1:14) cries out for vengeance (Gen. 4:10), is rejected by the earth (Isa. 26:21; Ezek. 24:7), and pollutes it (Num. 35:33–34). Bloodguilt attaches to the slayer and his family (II Sam. 3:28ff.) for generations (2 Kings 9:26), and even to his city (Jer. 26:5), nation (Deut. 21:8), and land (Deut. 24:4). The technical term (Hebrew) for bearing bloodguilt damo bo, or damo bero'sho, meant originally "his blood [remains] in him/in his head" (Josh. 2:19; Ezek. 33:5), and the legal formula mot yumat damav bo (Lev. 20:9–16) means that in the case of lawful execution, the blood of the guilty victim remains on his own person and does not attach itself to his executioners. (See also Holman Bible Dictionary) Led away (520)(apago from apó = from + ágō = to carry, lead) means to carry or lead away, leading from one place to another. Apago was used as a legal term meaning to lead one from one point to another in legal proceedings (to trial, punishment, prison or execution). For example apago was used to describe Jesus being "led...away to Caiaphas, the high priest." (Mt 26:57), "led...away...to Pilate" (Mt 27:2) and finally they " led Him away to crucify Him" (Mt 27:31). In short, apago meant to lead away a prisoner or condemned man (Mk 14:44; 15:16; Rev 13:10). Apago is the verb used by Jesus in the "ultimate trial" of every man or woman where the broad way "leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it" and the narrow way "that leads to life." (Mt 7:13-14+). Dear reader, which way will you be led when you take your final breath? Barclay - When Peter escaped, the soldiers were led away to execution because it was the law that, if a criminal escaped, the guard should suffer the penalty the prisoner would have suffered.