3

those public speeches to the Jews; and how from an unlettered and unlearned mouth words full of divine wisdom proceeded; the earthquake that happened through prayer, and drew the gathered crowd to faith.

10 Both these things and whatever followed them that he both suffered and did, amounting to a mass of material not easily recounted, summarizing and condensing them, he proclaims one danger, the most difficult and inescapable of all, wrought with wonder-working, having both the great cruelty of the Jews against him and the swiftness of the alliance from God.

11 For that Herod, the descendant of the one who first reigned in Jerusalem, since he was of Jewish seed and worship, and being jealous over the dissolution of the ancestral customs and laws which were being overturned by the teachings of the apostles and undermined for destruction, being inflamed by the anger of his kinsmen [φ. 159 ῃο] and gratifying them if he would use his wrath and rage against the apostles all the more. First, he had killed James the brother of John by the sword, the scripture indicating his beastliness and inhumanity by means of the sword. For it was possible for him to slay the apostle by another death or to cast him down with punishments and tortures similar to death; but in order that his disposition, more savage even than wild beasts, might be exposed, and that the other's eager yielding to slaughter might be known, like a sheep being led to the slaughter, he received his consummation by the sword.

12 Thus, then, the holy James was perfected, and with a martyr's death sealed his apostolic course, drinking that cup which the wisdom of God long ago prophesied he would drink, and prefigured that he would be baptized with his own blood. And seeing that this was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also, whom he seized and put in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Because the days of Unleavened Bread were at hand, intending, after the Passover, to bring him to the people for judgment. Through all this, the writer [φ. 160 ρο] hinting at the bloodthirsty and murderous nature of Herod, used such words; for nothing just was done before his eyes, nothing lawful, nothing seemly or of good report. But whatever was to please his kinsmen, whatever was to gratify their profane will, these things were both said and done by him.

13 For the seizing of the apostle and delivering him to prison and making death stand before his face, was the result of pleasing the Jews; for they thought that if they did away with him and got him out of the way, they could easily overcome the rest of the other apostles. For he was the one breathing against and fighting against them in councils, in courts, in synagogues, and openly proclaiming the name of Jesus and by the invocation of this name performing extraordinary deeds.

14 But it is fitting to observe how this one also was eager to be like the scribes and chief priests who were mad against Christ. For they said that his arrest should not happen during the feast, so that there would not be a tumult among the people, as they were intending to lead him to the cross altogether after the feast. Here also, after the Passover, this one was to be brought for the [φ. 160 ῃο] (sentence) of death. Therefore it is necessary, since these were of one mind, to have used the same words and deeds concerning the apostle as they did concerning the teacher.

15 And he appointed the guard of the soldiers into four squads, and not in one place, but in several, set a little distance apart, so that the security might be stronger, and for the apostle, if it should happen that he escaped his bonds and eluded the nearer guards, he would be spotted and easily caught by the others.

3

ἐκείνας πρὸς Ἰουδαίους δημηγορίας· καὶ ὅπως ἐξ ἀγραμμάτου καὶ ἰδιωτικοῦ στόματος λόγοι σοφίας ἔμπλεοι θείας ἐξεπορεύοντο· τὸν διὰ προσευχῆς γεγονότα σεισμὸν, καὶ τὸ συνεληλυθὸς πλῆθος πρὸς πίστιν ἐφελκυσάμενον.

10 Ταῦτά τε καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἀκόλουθα πέπονθέ τε καὶ ἔδρασεν, εἰς ὄγκου πλῆθος οὐκ εὐαφήγητον ἀναφερόμενα ἐπιτεμών τε καὶ συνελὼν, ἕνα τῶν πάντων χαλεπώτατον καὶ δυσδιάφευκτον, μετὰ θαυματουργίας ἐνεργηθέντα κίνδυνον ἐπαγορεύει, πολλὴν ἔχοντα καὶ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὠμότητα καὶ τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ συμμαχίας τὴν ταχύτητα.

11 Ἡρώδης γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ τοῦ πρώτως βασιλεύσαντος ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀπόγονος, ἅτε τοῦ ἰουδαϊκοῦ καὶ σπέρματος ὢν καὶ σεβάσματος, καὶ ζηλωτυπῶν ἐπὶ τῇ καταλύσει τῶν πατρικῶν ἐθῶν καὶ νομίμων ἃ ταῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀνετέτραπτο διδαχαῖς καὶ πρὸς καταστροφὴν ὑπωρύσσετο, ταῖς τῶν ὁμοφύλων ὀργαῖς ἐξαπτόμενος [φ. 159 ῃο] καὶ χαριζόμενος αὐτοῖς εἰ ἐπὶ μᾶλλον χρήσαιτο τῷ κατὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων θυμῷ καὶ τῇ λύσσῃ. Πρῶτα μὲν Ἰακώβου τὸν ἀδελ φὸν Ἰωάννου ἀνῃρήκει διὰ μαχαίρας, τῆς γραφῆς τὸ θυριῶδες αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον διὰ τῆς μαχαίρας ὑποδηλούσης. Ἐξῆν γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ ἑτέρῳ θανάτῳ τὸν ἀπόστολον καταθῦσαι ἢ καὶ θανάτου παραπλησίοις κολάσεσι καὶ τιμωρίαις καταβαλεῖν· ἀλλ' ἵν' ἐκείνου μὲν ἡ καὶ θηρίων αὐτῶν ὠμοτέρα γνώμη στηλιτευθῇ, τούτου δὲ ἡ πρὸς σφαγὴν ἐπίδοσις πρόθυμος γνωρισθῇ, προβάτου δίκην τοῦ ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἑλκομένου, διὰ μαχαίρας ὑπεδέχετο τὴν τελείωσιν.

12 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ ἱερὸς Ἰάκωβος τετελείωται, καὶ μαρτυρικῷ θανάτῳ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ἐπεσφράγισε δρόμον, ἐκεῖνο πιὼν τὸ ποτήριον, ὃ πάλαι πιεῖν αὐτῷ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφία προέφησε, καὶ βαπτισθῆναι τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι προεσήμανεν. Ἰδὼν δὲ, ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστι τοῦτο τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέτρον, ὃν καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο ἐν φυλακῇ, παραδοὺς τέσσαρσι τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτόν. ∆ιὰ τὸ τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν ἀζύμων παρεστάναι, βουλόμενος, μετὰ τὸ Πάσχα, ἀγαγεῖν αὐτὸν πρὸς κρίσιν τῷ λαῷ. ∆ιὰ πάντων ὁ συγγραφεὺς [φ. 160 ρο] τὸ αἱμοχαρὲς καὶ φονικὸν αἰνιττόμενος τοῦ Ἡρώδου, τοῖς τοιοῖσδε ῥήμασιν ἐχρήσατο· οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐπράττετο δίκαιον, οὐδὲν ἔννομον, οὐδὲν εὐπρεπὲς καὶ εὔφημον. Ἀλλ' ὅσα πρὸς ἀρέσκειαν τῶν ὁμοφύλων, ὅσα πρὸς θεραπείαν τῆς βεβήλου αὐτῶν προαιρέσεως, ταῦτ' ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ λεγόμενα καὶ πραττόμενα.

13 Τὸ γὰρ τὸν ἀπόστολον κρατῆσαι καὶ εἱρκτῇ παραδοῦναι καὶ τὸν θάνατον αὐτῷ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐπιστῆναι, τῆς ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀρεσκείας συμπέρασμα ἦν· ᾤοντο γὰρ, ὡς, εἰ τοῦτον ἀνέλοιεν καὶ ἐκ ποδῶν ποιήσαιντο, εὐχερῶς τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποστόλων περιγενέσθαι. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ἀντιπνέων καὶ ἀντιμαχόμενος ἐν συνεδρίοις, ἐν δικαστηρίοις, ἐν συναγωγαῖς, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὄνομα διαῤῥήδην ἀνακηρύττων καὶ τῇ τούτου ἐπικλήσει τελῶν τὰ ἐξαίρετα.

14 Σκοπεῖν δὲ προσήκει, ὅπως τοῖς κατὰ Χριστοῦ μανεῖσι γραμματεῦσί τε καὶ ἀρχιερεῦσι ἐξομοιοῦσθαι καὶ οὗτος ἐσπούδακεν. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἔλεγον, μὴ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ γενέσθαι τὴν τούτου σύλληψιν, ἵνα μὴ θόρυβος γένηται ἐν τῷ λαῷ, ὡς μετὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν πάντως ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἄγειν μέλλοντες. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ μετὰ τὸ Πάσχα τὴν ἐπὶ [φ. 160 ῃο] θανάτῳ (ψῆφον) τοῦτον προσάγεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη, ὁμογνωμόνων ὄντων τούτων, ἐκείνοις τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις κεχρῆσθαι περὶ τὸν ἀπόστολον, οἷς καὶ περὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον.

15 Εἰς τέσσαρας δὲ τετράδας τὴν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀφώρισε φυλακὴν, καὶ οὐκ ἐφ' ἑνὶ τόπῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν πλείοσι καὶ μικρὸν ἄποθεν διεστηκόσιν, ἵν' ἥτε ἀσφάλεια εἴη ὀχυρωτέρα, καὶ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, ἐὰν προσγένηται τῶν δεσμῶν ἀποδράσαι καὶ τοὺς ἐγγυτέρω διαλαθεῖν φύλακας, ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων κατάφορός τε καὶ εὔληπτος γένοιτο.