Bible Timeline · AD 44

James Is Beheaded and Peter Escapes Prison

King Herod Agrippa I had the apostle James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword, making him the first of the Twelve to die for Jesus. Herod then jailed Peter, but an angel led him out while the church prayed. Soon after, Herod was struck down at Caesarea, and the Jewish historian Josephus also records his sudden death in AD 44.

Read it in the Bible: Acts 12:1-24 Matthew 20:20-23 Mark 3:17 Psalm 116:15

In AD 44, King Herod Agrippa I arrested leaders of the church in Jerusalem and had the apostle James, son of Zebedee and brother of John, killed with the sword. James became the first of the twelve apostles to die for Jesus, and the only one whose death is recorded in the Bible. Herod then threw Peter into prison to execute him after Passover. But the night before his trial, an angel woke Peter up and walked him right out the prison gate. A few months later, Herod himself was dead.

About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. Acts 12:1 to 2

Who Was King Herod in Acts 12?

The Bible has a lot of Herods, and it gets confusing. This one was Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great, the king who tried to kill baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Agrippa grew up in Rome among the imperial family and was close friends with the future emperors Caligula and Claudius. Those friendships paid off. By AD 41, Claudius had made him king over nearly all the land his grandfather once ruled.

Agrippa worked hard to keep his Jewish subjects happy. Acts says that when he saw the killing of James pleased the people, he went after Peter next. It was politics, plain and simple.

Who Was James, Son of Zebedee?

James and his brother John were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee who left their nets and their father’s boat to follow Jesus. Jesus nicknamed them Sons of Thunder, Mark 3:17. That might be because of the time they offered to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that would not welcome Jesus, Luke 9:54. Jesus said no.

James was part of the inner circle of three, with Peter and John. Only those three saw Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter, saw Him transfigured on the mountain, and were taken farther into Gethsemane to pray. Once, James and John asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom. Jesus answered with a hard promise.

“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.” Matthew 20:23

About fourteen years after Jesus said that, James drank that cup. His brother John would be the last of the Twelve to die, many years later. One brother went first and one went last.

How Did James the Apostle Die?

Acts says only that Herod had him put to death with the sword, which most understand as beheading. That was the Roman way to execute someone of standing, quicker than crucifixion or stoning. Luke gives it just one sentence, which shows how fast and cold it was.

An early tradition adds a moving detail. Clement of Alexandria, writing about AD 200, said the man who brought James to trial was so moved by his testimony that he confessed faith in Christ himself. On the way to execution he asked James to forgive him. James paused, said peace be with you, and kissed him, and the two were beheaded together. The historian Eusebius preserved this story about AD 325. We can’t confirm it, but it is an old tradition. The FAQ How Did the Twelve Apostles Die on this site covers James and the others.

How Did Peter Escape From Prison?

Herod was not taking chances with Peter. He assigned four squads of four soldiers to guard him, Acts 12:4. On the last night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, chained to both, with more guards at the door. Sleeping, the night before his own execution. That is peace.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him. Acts 12:5

Then an angel appeared and light filled the cell. The angel had to tap Peter on the side to wake him up. The chains fell off his wrists. The angel told him to put on his sandals and his cloak, and Peter followed, thinking he was dreaming. They walked past the first guard, then the second, and the iron gate to the city opened by itself. One block later the angel was gone, and Peter realized it was real.

What Happened When Peter Knocked at the Door?

This is one of the funniest scenes in the Bible. Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many believers were praying for him. A servant girl named Rhoda came to the gate, recognized Peter’s voice, and was so excited that she ran back inside without opening it.

“You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” Acts 12:15

So the church was praying hard for Peter’s release, and when the answer was knocking at the door, they told the girl she was crazy. Meanwhile Peter just kept knocking. It is comforting, honestly. God answered the prayers of people whose faith was real but not perfect. Peter told them to send word to James and the brothers, then went to another place. This James was the brother of Jesus, who now led the Jerusalem church.

How Did Herod Agrippa I Die?

Some time later Herod went to Caesarea. On a set day he put on his royal robes, sat on his throne and gave a speech. The crowd shouted that this was the voice of a god, not a man.

Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to spread and multiply. Acts 12:23 to 24

The Jewish historian Josephus tells the same event in his Antiquities, book 19, written about AD 93. He says Agrippa held games in Caesarea in honor of the emperor, wore a robe made of silver that shone in the morning sun, and let flatterers call him a god. He was seized with terrible pain in his stomach and died five days later, in the seventh year of his reign. That is how we can date this chapter to AD 44. Two writers who did not depend on each other tell the same story.

What Acts 12 Means for You Today

Look at how the chapter starts and ends. It begins with a king killing an apostle and jailing another. It ends with the king dead and the word of God spreading. Herod had power, soldiers and chains. The church had prayer. Guess who won.

It is also honest about something hard. God rescued Peter but did not rescue James. Both were faithful. Both were loved. The Bible does not explain why. It simply says that God is still in charge, and that the death of His people is precious to Him, Psalm 116:15. For James, death was not defeat. It was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, and a seat prepared by the Father.

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Questions People Ask

How did James the brother of John die?

Acts 12:2 says King Herod Agrippa I had James put to death with the sword, most likely by beheading, in AD 44. He was the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred and the only one whose death is recorded in the Bible.

Which Herod killed James in Acts 12?

It was Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great. Emperor Claudius made him king over Judea in AD 41. He is different from Herod Antipas, who killed John the Baptist, and from his son Agrippa II, who heard Paul in Acts 26.

How did Peter escape from prison in Acts 12?

An angel appeared in Peter's cell, woke him, and his chains fell off. The angel led him past two guard posts, and the iron gate to the city opened by itself, Acts 12:7 to 10. Peter then went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where the church was praying.

Who was Rhoda in the Bible?

Rhoda was a servant girl in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. When Peter knocked after escaping prison, she recognized his voice and was so excited she ran to tell everyone without opening the gate, Acts 12:13 to 14.

Does history outside the Bible record Herod Agrippa's death?

Yes. The Jewish historian Josephus, in Antiquities book 19, says Agrippa wore a shining silver robe at games in Caesarea, was hailed as a god, and was struck with stomach pain and died five days later. Josephus places it in the seventh year of his reign, AD 44.

Sources

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