Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 12:17

"But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the prison. And he said, Tell these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went to another place." — Acts 12:17 (ASV)

On entering, Peter “motioned with his hand for them to be quiet.” This was not the time for celebration. After all, Herod’s soldiers would soon be prowling on the streets to look for him. Peter had to get moving to escape being recaptured. So he gave them a quick summary of “how the Lord had brought him out of prison” and instructed them to tell James and the other brothers what had happened. And with that, Luke tells us, Peter left “for another place.” The James mentioned here is, of course, James the Lord’s brother, not James the brother of John and son of Zebedee who was earlier beheaded by Herod Agrippa I (cf. v.2). Undoubtedly Peter was the leader of the first Christian community at Jerusalem, as the early chapters of Acts presuppose. But from the midthirties through the mid-forties James seems also to have exercised administrative leadership along with Peter and the apostles (cf. Galatians 1:19; 2:9), and he presided at the Jerusalem Council of A. D. 49 (cf. 15:13–21).Later still Luke refers to him as head of the Jerusalem church (cf. 21:18). He was likely martyred in 62. Luke does not state how or why the shift in leadership of the church from Peter to James came about, nor what qualified James for such a position. Apparently it had to do with (1) external pressures on the Jerusalem congregation to demonstrate its Jewishness, and (2) the need within the church for someone who could lead the growing number of scrupulously minded converts drawn from Pharisaic and priestly backgrounds (cf. comments on 6:7). After the expulsion of the Hellenists, both the Jews and the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem felt the need for the community of believers in Jesus to demonstrate more actively their continued respect for the traditions of Israel. Peter and his fellow apostles would hardly have been the best ones to head such an endeavor —in fact, Peter’s association with the Samaritans and Cornelius may have made him particularly suspect in certain quarters. It is, therefore, not improbable the Jerusalem church found it advantageous to be represented in its leadership by one whose legal as well as spiritual qualifications were above reproach. Such a person was James, the Lord’s brother, who seems to have been a devout Pharisee and who was not only physically related to Jesus but also had seen the risen Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7). Furthermore, the missionary activities of Peter and the apostles would require some kind of arrangement for the continuance of administrative authority at Jerusalem. That the apostles considered themselves to be something other than ecclesiastical functionaries has already been shown in Ac 6:2–6. And it is not too difficult to imagine that with the dispersion of the Hellenists and the Seven who were appointed to supervise the distribution of food within the community, the church turned to James for administrative leadership—not only, to demonstrate its Jewishness, but also to free the apostles for their “ministry of the word” (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:5).

The mention of “another place” to which Peter went after his miraculous deliverance has led to various suggestions. Roman Catholics have frequently suggested Rome, though most now agree it is unlikely. If 12:1–19 precedes 9:32–11:18 chronologically , this other place may refer to the maritime plain of Palestine, with its cities of Lydda, Joppa, and Caesarea. But such a region was still within Herod Agrippa’s jurisdiction. More likely Antioch of Syria is the place Luke had in mind—a place where Peter had fellowship with a mixed body of Jewish and Gentile believers till “certain men came from James,” and where he suffered the rebuke of Paul (cf. Galatians 2:11–21). Later on Peter appears at Jerusalem in connection with the Jerusalem Council (cf. 15:7–11, 14), though presumably only in transit.