12:1
Herod was a common name among rulers, and none of them were good. King Herod was Herod Agrippa and was a grandson of the most infamous Herod, Herod the Great who tried to have Jesus killed after the visit of the wise men. He had been brought up in Rome, and Emperor Claudius had added Judea to his kingdom. He had started to arrest some Christians and was embarking on a period of persecution.
12:2,3a
He started his persecution by having James, the brother of John, put to death by the sword. He was testing the waters to see how this went down. The one thing the Roman rulers were most wary of was taking actions that led to riots and unrest. If this did happen, it would not make them popular with the high-ups in Rome. This did go down well with the Jews. Now was this referring to the Jews in general, or primarily to the religious leaders? In John’s gospel it primarily refers to the religious leaders, but this is less clear in Acts. One can well understand the religious leaders approving of Herod’s actions, but less so with the people in general. However, Peter’s accepting of the Gentiles as equals may have met with general disapproval.
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