Ver. 2. ἀνεῖλε, characteristic word, see On ν. 33.--Ιάκωβον τὸν a. Ἰ.: St. Chrysostom reminds us of our Lord’s prophecy in Mark x. 38 ff. (Matt. xx. 23), distinguished thus from the James of i. 13. Possibly his prominent position, and his characteristic nature 4s a son of Thunder marked him out as an early victim.—paxatpe: so in the case of John the Baptist. This mode of death was regarded as very disgraceful among the Jews (J. Lightfoot, Wetstein), and as in the Baptist’s case so here, the mode of execution shows that the punishment was. not for blasphemy, but that James was apprehended and killed by the political power. For the touching account of his.
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ἡμέραι τῶν ἀζύμων ') 4. dv καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο cis φυλακήν, παραδοὺς τέσσαρσι τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν Φυλάσσειν αὐτὸν, βουλόμενος μετὰ
a ιά a τὰ > x ~ x τὸ πάσχα ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ ad. a“ a uD ἐν τῇ pudaky!- προσευχὴ δὲ ἣν ἐκτενῆς ΔΝ x ‘ ς Ν > a προς τὸν Θεον ὕπερ αὐτού.
5. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πέτρος ἐτηρεῖτο Ζγινοµένη ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας
1 After φυλακῃ Syr. Η. mg., Par. add νπο της σπειρης του βασιλεως---Ἠεε, again the words may be a gloss to explain ετηρειτο, unnecessary after ver. 4.
2 exrevns A7EHLP 61, Bas., Chrys., so Meyer; εκτενως ΔΝΑΙΒ 13, 40, 81, Vulg., Lucif., so Tisch., W.H., Weiss, Wendt, R.V. ; D has ev εκτενειᾳ (cf. xxvi. 7), so Hig.
martyrdom narrated by Clement of Alex- andria, see Eus., Η. E., ii.,9. Whatever St. Luke’s reason for the brevity of the account, whether he knew no more, or whether he intended to write a third book giving an account of the other Apostles besides Peter and Paul, and so only men- tioned here what concerned the following history (so Meyer, but see Wendt, p. 267 (1888)), his brief notice is at least in striking contrast (ἀπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν, Chrys.) with the details of later martyr- ologies.
Ver. 3. ἀρεστόν ... τοῖς Ἰ.: exactly what we should expect from the character and policy of Herod in his zeal for the law, and from the success with which during his short reign he retained the favour of Jews and Romans alike. Holtz- mann, p. 370, seems inclined to doubt the truth of this description of Herod, and lays stress upon the mention of the king’s mild disposition in Josephus, Ant., xix., 7, 3. But Josephus also makes it quite plain how zealous Agrippa was, or pretended to be, for the laws and ordi- nances of Judaism, µ. 5. and xx., 7, 1, and see Schirer, 1. s., and Feine, p. 226. Nor is it at all certain that Agrippa’s reputed mildness and gentleness would have kept him from rejoicing in the per- secution of the Christians, cf. the descrip- tion of his delight in the bloody gladia- torial games, Jos., Ant., xix., 9, 5.— προσέθετο συλλ.: a Hebraism, cf. Luke xix. II, xx. 11: LXX, Gen. tv. 2, viii. 12, xxv. 1, Exod. xiv. 13, etc., peculiar to St. Luke in N.T., Viteau, Le Grec du N. Τ. Ρ. 209 (1893).—at 4. τῶν ἀζύμων, and therefore a large number of Jews would be in Jerusalem, and Herod would thus have a good opportunity of gaining wide popularity by his zeal for the law. ο)
Ver. 4. ὃν καὶ πιάσας, iii. 7, really Doric form of πιέζω (cf. Luke vi. 38, no- where else in N.T.), used in this sense also in LXX, and elsewhere in Ν.Τ., cf. Cant. ii. 15, Ecclus. xxiii. 21 (not A).
Modern Greek πιάνω = seize, apprehend. —rat: ‘when he had taken him, indeed,” so Rendail, as ifa delay had taken place, before the arrest was actually made.— τέσσαρσι τετραδ.: the night was divided by the Romans—a practice here imitated by Herod—into four watches, and each watch of three hours was kept by four soldiers, guaternio, two probably guarding the prisoner within the cell, chained to him, and two outside. τετραδ., cf. Philo, in Flaccum, 13; Polyb., xv., 33, 7, and see for other instances, Wetstein.—pera τὸ πάσχα, “after the Passover,” R.V., i.e., after the whole festival was over: Herod either did not wish, or affected not to wish, to profane the Feast: “non judicant die festo ” (Moed Katon., v., 2).— ἀναγαγεῖν: only here in this sense (in Luke xxii. 66, ἀπήγαγον, W.H.), probably means to lead the prisoner up, 1.e., betore the judgment tribunal (John xix. 13), to sentence him openly to death before the people.