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announced that Peter was standing before the gate. But they said to her, You are mad. But she insisted that it was so. 2. See how the maidservants are also full of reverence. Out of joy she did not open the gate; but they, even when this happened, refused to believe. She, it says, insisted that it was so; but they said, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking. And when they opened, they saw him and were astonished. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Tell these things to James and to the brothers. And he departed and went to another place. Let us then look from the beginning at the sequence of what was said. About that time, it says, Herod the king laid hands on some from the Church to mistreat them. Like a wild beast he simply and irrationally attacked everyone. This is what Christ said: The cup that I am to drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. And he killed, it says, James the brother of John with the sword. And why, it says, did he not kill Peter immediately? The writer stated the reason: for it was, he says, the days of Unleavened Bread; and he wished to make a greater spectacle of his slaughter. They, then, because of Gamaliel’s advice, henceforth restrained themselves from killings; and besides they found no pretexts; but they contrived these things through others. And since there was also another James, the brother of the Lord, for this reason he specified, saying, The brother of John. Do you see that the leadership was among these three, but especially Peter 60.200 and James? This was their greatest condemnation; for the preaching was no longer shown to be human, and that was truly fulfilled, that We were regarded as sheep for slaughter. And seeing that it was pleasing, it says, to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Pleasing was murder, and an unjust murder. Great was the folly of Herod; he ministered to their wicked desires. For he ought to have done the opposite, and checked their impulse; but he intensified it, as if he were an executioner of the sick, and not a physician; and yet having countless examples both of his grandfather and his father Herod, and how the former suffered the greatest evils because of the slaughter of the children, and the latter, having killed John, stirred up a grievous war. Whom also having seized, it says, he put into prison. He was afraid that because of the murder of James, Peter might withdraw, and wanting to have him in a secure place, he threw him into the prison. The more exact the guard, the more wondrous the demonstration. But this was for Peter’s sake, that he might thereby become more approved, and demonstrate his own courage. But prayer, it says, was earnestly made. Prayer is a sign of affection. All were seeking a father, a gentle father. Earnest, it says, was the prayer made for him. Hear how they were disposed toward their teachers. They did not rebel, they were not thrown into confusion, but they turned to prayer, the truly invincible alliance, they fled to it. They did not say: I, who am humble and of no account, pray for him! for since they did it with love, they considered none of these things. Do you want to learn how much they accomplished even unwillingly? They showed them to be more approved, they made these more earnest. And see the temptations being brought on during the feast, so that these might appear more approved. But when Herod was about to bring him out, it says, on that very night Peter was sleeping. See Peter sleeping, and not being in agony nor in fear. On the very night on which he was to be brought out, he was sleeping, having cast everything upon God. And he was not simply sleeping, but between soldiers and bound. For he was sleeping, it says, between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Do you see how strict the watch was? And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, it says, saying, Arise quickly. The guards were sleeping with him; therefore they perceived none of the things that were happening. And a light shone, so that Peter could both see and hear, and not think it was a fantasy. And so that he might not be sluggish, his side is also struck. And he does not simply hear, Arise; but, Quickly, with an addition; so deeply

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ἀπήγγειλεν ἑστάναι τὸν Πέτρον πρὸ τοῦ πυλῶνος. Οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτήν· Μαίνῃ. Ἡ δὲ διισχυρίζετο οὕτως ἔχειν. βʹ. Ὅρα καὶ τὰς παιδίσκας εὐλαβείας γεμούσας. Ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς οὐκ ἤνοιξε τὸν πυλῶνα· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ καὶ τούτου γενομένου ἀνένευσαν. Ἡ μὲν, φησὶ, διισχυρίζετο οὕτως ἔχειν· οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον· Ὁ ἄγγελος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐπέμενε κρούων. Ἀνοίξαντες δὲ εἶδον αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐξέστησαν. Κατασείσας δὲ αὐτοῖς τῇ χειρὶ σιγᾷν, διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς, πῶς ὁ Κύριος αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγεν ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς. Εἶπε δέ· Ἀπαγγείλατε Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ταῦτα. Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐπορεύθη εἰς ἕτερον τόπον. Ἴδωμεν οὖν ἄνωθεν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν εἰρημένων. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, φησὶν, ἐπέβαλε τὰς χεῖρας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρώδης κακῶσαί τινας ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Καθάπερ θηρίον ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀλογίστως πᾶσιν ἐπῄει. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ὁ ἔλεγεν ὁ Χριστός· Τὸ μὲν ποτήριον, ὃ μέλλω πίνειν, πίεσθε, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα, ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι, βαπτισθήσεσθε. Ἀνεῖλε δὲ, φησὶ, Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρᾳ. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶ, τὸν Πέτρον οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνεῖλεν; Εἶπε τὴν αἰτίαν ὁ συγγραφεύς· Ἡμέραι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἦσαν τῶν Ἀζύμων· καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ ἐμπομπεῦσαι ἐβούλετο τῇ σφαγῇ. Αὐτοὶ μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς παραινέσεως τῆς Γαμαλιήλου ἐπεῖχον λοιπὸν ἑαυτοὺς τῶν φόνων· ἄλλως δὲ οὐδὲ αἰτίας εὕρισκον· δι' ἑτέρων δὲ αὐτὰ κατεσκεύαζον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτερος Ἰάκωβος ἦν, ὁ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Κυρίου, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεσημήνατο εἰπών· Τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὸ κεφάλαιον ἐν τούτοις ἦν τοῖς τρισὶ, μάλιστα δὲ Πέτρου 60.200 καὶ Ἰακώβου; Τοῦτο μάλιστα κατάκρισις αὐτῶν ἦν· Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ ἀνθρώπινον τὸ κήρυγμα ἐδείκνυτο, καὶ ὄντως ἐκεῖνο ἐπληροῦτο, ὅτι Ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Ἰδὼν δὲ, ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστι, φησὶ, τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέτρον. Ἀρεστὸν φόνος, καὶ φόνος ἄδικος. Πολλὴ ἡ ἄνοια τοῦ Ἡρώδου· ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτῶν ταῖς ἀτόποις ὑπηρετεῖτο. ∆έον γὰρ τοὐναντίον ποιεῖν, καὶ ἐγκόπτειν αὐτῶν τὴν ὁρμήν· ὁ δὲ ἐπέτεινε, καθάπερ τις δήμιος ὢν τῶν νοσούντων, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἰατρός· καίτοι μυρία παραδείγματα ἔχων καὶ τοῦ πάππου καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς Ἡρώδου, καὶ πῶς ἐκεῖνος μὲν διὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῶν παιδίων μέγιστα ἔπαθε κακὰ, οὗτος δὲ Ἰωάννην ἀνελὼν πόλεμον ἤγειρε χαλεπόν. Ὃν καὶ πιάσας, φησὶν, ἔθετο εἰς φυλακήν. Ἐφοβεῖτο, μὴ διὰ τὸν φόνον τοῦ Ἰακώβου ἀναχωρήσῃ ὁ Πέτρος, καὶ βουλόμενος ἔχειν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ, ἐνέβαλε τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ. Ὅσῳ ἀκριβεστέρα ἡ φρουρὰ, τοσούτῳ θαυμασιωτέρα ἡ ἐπίδειξις. Τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ὑπὲρ Πέτρου, δοκιμωτέρου μᾶλλον ἐντεῦθεν γενομένου, καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδεικνῦντος. Προσευχὴ δὲ ἦν, φησὶν, ἐκτενὴς γινομένη. Φιλοστοργίας δεῖγμα ἡ προσευχή. Πατέρα πάντες ἐζήτουν, πατέρα ἥμερον. Ἐκτενὴς, φησὶν, ἦν προσευχὴ γινομένη ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. Ἀκούσατε, πῶς διέκειντο περὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους. Οὐκ ἐστασίασαν, οὐκ ἐθορυβήθησαν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ εὐχὴν ἐτράπησαν, τὴν ὄντως συμμαχίαν τὴν ἄμαχον, ἐπ' αὐτὴν κατέφυγον. Οὐκ ἔλεγον· Ὁ ταπεινὸς ἐγὼ καὶ οὐδαμινὸς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου εὔχομαι! ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀγάπῃ ἐποίουν, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐλογίζοντο. Βούλει μαθεῖν πόσα εἰργάσαντο καὶ ἄκοντες; Ἐκείνους δοκιμωτέρους ἀπέδειξαν, τούτους σπουδαιοτέρους ἐποίησαν. Καὶ ὅρα ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς ἐπαγομένους, ἵνα δοκιμώτεροι φανῶσιν οὗτοι. Ὅτε δὲ ἔμελλεν αὐτὸν προάγειν ὁ Ἡρώδης, φησὶ, τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἦν ὁ Πέτρος καθεύδων. Ὅρα τὸν Πέτρον καθεύδοντα, καὶ οὐκ ὄντα ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ οὐδὲ ἐν φόβῳ. Αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ, ᾗ προάγεσθαι ἔμελλεν, ἐκάθευδε, τὸ πᾶν ῥίψας ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν, ἀλλὰ μέσον στρατιωτῶν καὶ δεδεμένος. Μεταξὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, δύο στρατιωτῶν κοιμώμενος ἦν, δεδεμένος ἁλύσεσι δυσίν. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς ἀκριβὴς ἡ φυλακή; Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐπέστη, φησὶ, λέγων· Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει. Συγκαθεύδοντες ἦσαν οἱ φύλακες· διὸ καὶ τῶν γινομένων οὐδὲν ἐπαισθάνονται. Φῶς δὲ ἔλαμψεν, ὥστε καὶ ἰδεῖν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν Πέτρον, καὶ μὴ νομίσαι φαντασίαν εἶναι. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ ῥᾳθυμήσῃ, καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν πατάσσεται. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀκούει· Ἀνάστα· ἀλλ', Ἐν τάχει, μετὰ προσθήκης· οὕτω βαθέως