_Herod. Agrippa, made king by the emperor Caius. See Josephus vi. 18. Jewish Antiquities, chap. viii. and lib. xix. chap. 5. put to death James the great, brother to John. (Witham) --- This man was the same as Agrippa, by which name he is most commonly known. He was brother to the famous Herodias, w... [ Continue Reading ]
St. James the elder, brother of St. John the evangelist.... [ Continue Reading ]
The days of the azymes. By this we may know about the time when St. James was executed. Peter was to be reserved till after the Pasch, because it was not usual for the Jews to put any one to a violent death on a festival day. They would not damp the joy of the solemnity by such actions. (Menochius)... [ Continue Reading ]
_To four files of soldiers. [1] To four times four soldiers, or to sixteen soldiers, each band or file consisting of four._ [BIBLIOGRAPHY] Quatuor quaternionibus,_ Greek: tessarsi tetradiois stratioton._... [ Continue Reading ]
With these two chains, according to the Roman custom, St. Peter must have been fastened to the two soldiers, that guarded him. Yet Peter slept secure, trusting in that Providence which sleepeth not.... [ Continue Reading ]
An Angel. This was probably his Angel guardian. It has always been the constant belief of the Church, that each individual is put under the protection of a tutelar Angel. (Haydock) --- St. Bernard, on these words of the psalm, he has given his Angels charge over thee, thus expresses himself: Wonderf... [ Continue Reading ]
_Peter coming to himself. Being now sensible that all was true. (Witham)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_And considering or reflecting, what was best to be done. (Witham)_... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou art mad, or talkest idly. --- Then said they, it is his Angel. It seems ridiculous to translate here a messenger. Does a messenger speak with the very voice of him that sends him? St. John Chrysostom[2] and others on this place observe, that they believed that every one, at least of the faithfu... [ Continue Reading ]
_He went into another place. Did not think fit to stay in the city of Jerusalem. St. John Chrysostom takes notice, that upon another occasion, when he was delivered by an Angel out of prison, he went boldly the next day, and preached in the temple. (chap. v. 19.) but there he was ordered by an Angel... [ Continue Reading ]
_Should be led [3] away to punishment or death, according to the sense both of the Latin and Greek text. (Witham)_ [BIBLIOGRAPHY] Jussit eos duci, _Greek: apachthenai._... [ Continue Reading ]
In the Greek, he was preparing to make war against them. These applied not to agriculture, but drew their support from Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. (Bible de Vence)... [ Continue Reading ]
_Struck him. Josephus relates, that when Herod saw he must die, he replied to the flatteries of the people, "See, he whom you call a god, is snatched out of life, in spite of himself. The necessity of suffering death proves the falsity of your words; but we must submit to the will of God." (Jewish A... [ Continue Reading ]
_Returned from Jerusalem, to Antioch, the capital of Syria. (Witham) --- This John Mark, the companion of Sts. Paul and Barnabas, was not the evangelist who bore that name; but a cousin of Barnabas, son of Mary, in whose house the apostles generally assembled at Jerusalem. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]