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Theliberation of the apostle Peter is an event described inchapter 12 of theActs of the Apostles, in which theapostle Peter is rescued from prison by anangel. Although described in a short textual passage, the tale has given rise to theological discussions and has been the subject of a number of artworks.
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Acts 12:3–19 says thatPeter was put into prison byKing Herod, but the night before his trial an angel appeared to him, and told him to leave. Peter's chains fell off, and he followed the angel out of prison, thinking it was avision (verse 9). The prison doors opened of their own accord, and the angel led Peter into the city.
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When the angel suddenly left him, Peter came to himself and returned to the house ofMary, the mother ofJohn Mark. A servant girl calledRhoda came to answer the door, and when she heard Peter's voice she was so overjoyed that she rushed to tell the others, and forgot to open the door for Peter (verse 14). Eventually Peter is let in and describes "how the Lord had brought him out of prison" (verse 17). When his escape is discovered, Herod orders the guards to be put to death.[1]
Loveday Alexander describes this episode as "one of the most sensational" in the Acts of the Apostles. He notes that Peter's situation was "perilous" yet he was sleeping peacefully. There is a greater "dramatic tension" in this narrative than in an earlier record of the escape of the apostles from prison, mentioned briefly inActs 5:18–19.[2]
F. F. Bruce argues that "direct divine intervention is strongly indicated" in this narrative. He contrasts the story of Peter to that ofJames the Great, who was reported in verse 2 as having been executed by Herod, and notes that why "James should die while Peter should escape" is a "mystery ofdivine providence".[3]
James B. Jordan suggests that this incident is portrayed as being a type ofresurrection for Peter. Noting that one of the major themes of theBook of Acts is that "Christ's servants follow in His footsteps", Jordan argues that the events of the chapter "recapitulate theresurrection of Jesus".[4]Amy-Jill Levine and Marianne Blickenstaff, like Jordan, relate the disbelief ofRhoda's message toLuke 24:1–12, where most of the disciples refuse to believe the news of the resurrection brought by a group of women.[5]
The following artists have depicted this event:
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A number of churches are named after "Saintt Peter in Chains" (St Peter ad Vincula, ItalianSan Pietro in Vincoli), includingin Rome (which claims to house the very chains that fell from Peter's hands[6]),in Pisa,in London, atBirżebbuġa in southernMalta,Tollard Royal (UK),in Cincinnati, and in Wheelersburg, OH.
Therelic of the Chains of Saint Peter were kept in Jerusalem, where they werevenerated by Christianpilgrims. In the fourth century, thePatriarch of Jerusalem,Saint Juvenal, presented them toEudocia, wife of theEmperorTheodosius the Younger, and she took them toConstantinople.
Later, Eudocia sent a portion of the chains to Rome with her daughterLicinia Eudoxia, the wife ofValentinian III. Licinia Eudoxia built the church ofS. Petrus ad Vincula on theEsquiline Hill to house the relic. Also in Rome was the relic of the chains with which Peter was bound when he was imprisoned byNero. These latter chains were placed in the same church as the chains from Jerusalem.
The traditional festival of "St Peter in Chains" was on 1 August, and had thecollect:
O God, who didst deliver thy holy Apostle Saint Peter from his bonds and suffer him to depart unhurt:
vouchsafe, we pray thee; to deliver us from the bonds of our sins, and of thy mercy preserve us from all evil.[7]
It was included in the pre-1962 General Calendar of theRoman Rite (see theTridentine calendar, theGeneral Roman Calendar as in 1954 and theGeneral Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII).Traditional Roman Catholics continue to celebrate thefeast day of "St Peter's Chains" either as aGreater-Double or aDouble Major feast. In theOrthodox Church this feast is celebrated on January 16.[8]
Acts 12:7 is referred to in verse 4 ofCharles Wesley's hymnAnd Can It Be:[9]
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
