Article December 6, 1941 Issue

Bible Notes

[The Biblical citations given in the Christian Science Quarterly are from the Authorized King James Version. The Bible Notes in this column can be used, if deemed necessary, to elucidate some of the words or passages contained in the Bible Lessons. The Notes in this issue are related to the Lesson-Sermon designated to be read in Christian Science churches on December 14, 1941.]

"Herod the king" (Acts 12:1)—This ruler, whose full title was Herod Agrippa I, should not be confused with his uncle, Herod Antipas (the "Herod" of Luke 9:9, Acts 13:1, and other passages), nor with his grandfather, Herod the Great, who is himself termed "Herod the king" in Matthew 2:1. Herod Agrippa I reigned over Ituræa and Trachonitis from 37 to 41 A. D., when Galilee and Judea also came under his away. This access of power increased the impious egotism which brought his reign to a sudden end (see Acts 12:21–23).

"Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains" (Acts 12:6)—The extreme care with which Peter was guarded is suggested in verse 4, where we learn that "four quaternions of soldiers"—that is, sixteen men—were detailed to guard him. There were always four on duty, day and night. We learn from verse 6 that even when he slept, two of his guards were chained to him; while it appears that the remaining two were stationed at the door of his cell—"the keepers before the door kept the prison."

"The first and the second ward" (Acts 12:10)—A clearer sense of the meaning of the original is obtained if we substitute for the term "ward" the word "warden" or "guard." It would appear from the Greek that "the first and the second ward" were probably the two soldiers who were guarding the door of the apostle's cell. Compare Moffatt's rendering: "When they had passed the first guard and the second."

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