And going out, he followed him. And he knew not that it was true which was done by the angel: but thought he saw a vision.
και εξελθων ηκολουθει αυτω και ουκ ηδει οτι αληθες εστιν το γινομενον δια του αγγελου εδοκει δε οραμα βλεπειν
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Certainly, because of the extraordinary nature of the event. Do you see how extraordinary the sign is? How it amazes the one who sees it? How incredible it appears? If Peter thought he was seeing an apparition, even while he himself was girded and shod, what would not have happened to anyone else?
"And he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision." This is very natural, given the astonishing strangeness of what happened. The unusual character of signs strikes the beholder. Peter thought he was seeing a vision. Yet he himself was girding himself and putting on his sandals. What else could he have felt, if not amazement?
In the year 44 a new persecution arose in Jerusalem against the Church, this time from the ruler of Judea, Herod Agrippa. Wishing to please the people, he had already put to death one of the first apostles, James the son of Zebedee, brother of John. He wished also to put Peter to death, and had already imprisoned him. But on the very night after which death awaited him, God freed him from prison through His angel. Soon afterward He also struck the persecutor. Perhaps from this very time we must date the activity outside Palestine, among Jews and Gentiles, of the apostles themselves. They were twelve, or more precisely, after the death of James, eleven. Their number was soon supplemented by their most zealous fellow-laborer, Paul.
In the Church there is an ancient tradition from the second century that the Lord Himself commanded the apostles not to leave Jerusalem before twelve years had passed. According to Eusebius, this tradition was found in Apollonius’s work against the Montanists and in other books. At this time the Church of Jerusalem, after eight years of peace since Stephen’s death, was again disturbed, though not for long. King Herod Agrippa, to whom the emperor Claudius entrusted the rule of Judea itself, wished to show his zeal for the strict observance of the Law. His conduct was not always consistent with this zeal. He also adapted himself to the Roman way of life in order to attract the favor of the Gentiles. Yet, so as not to arm the Jews against himself, he rose up against the preachers of the new teaching. He ordered the Apostle James, the elder son of Zebedee and brother of the Apostle John, to be put to death. During the feast of Pascha in the year 44, he also cast Peter into prison. His purpose was to deal with him after the feast as he had dealt with James. But Peter, by a special act of God’s help, was freed from prison. In answer to the Church’s prayer for him, an angel loosed his chains, led him out of the locked prison, and brought him into the city. Thus he saved from death the chief apostle, whose life was still needed for the Church. Soon afterward Herod himself died, struck by an angel as punishment for his acts against the Church of Christ. His death restored peace to the Christians of Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas came to Jerusalem during these disturbances. Therefore they probably stayed there only a very short time, could do nothing of great importance, and soon returned to Antioch. The words καί έκείνον τόν καιρόν in Acts 12:1, however, do not define the time exactly.
But the time had not yet come for Peter to glorify the Lord by his martyr’s death. The Lord therefore freed him from prison miraculously. While he was there, one night an angel of the Lord stood before him, and light shone in the prison. Peter, entrusting his life to the will of God, was sleeping peacefully. Then the angel struck him on the side, woke him, and commanded him to dress and follow him. The chains fell miraculously from his hands, and he followed the angel. The suddenness and extraordinary character of the event brought Peter into such a state of soul that, although he did everything the angel commanded, he did not think it was an actual event rather than a vision. Meanwhile, following the angel, he first passed calmly by the first guard.
This guard probably watched the door from the prison section in which he was confined. Then he passed by the second guard, which probably watched the common exit door of the prison building. He next reached the iron gate leading into the city street. It opened by itself before those who were passing through. Finally, he went out into the street. When he and the angel had passed along one street, the angel suddenly disappeared. Only then, having collected himself, did Peter become convinced that everything that had happened to him was real. He understood that his deliverance had been accomplished by the hand of the Lord.
Yet everything seemed to have been in vain. The last night of the feast had come. The dawn of the following morning was to announce to Peter the tortures awaiting him at trial and his terrible death. It seemed that the day had already come when, as the Savior had foretold him, another would gird him and lead him where he did not wish to go. But in this final extremity God did not abandon His apostle or His Church. On the very last night an angel appeared in the prison and freed him from his chains. This deliverance was so sudden, mysterious, and striking that even to Peter, when he became fully assured of his rescue, it seemed like a vision.
"Not knowing that what was being done was real," and so forth. The unexpected and extraordinary character of the angel's appearance, commands, and actions brought Peter into such a state of soul that he did not suppose all this was truly taking place. He thought it appeared to him in a dream.
Peter’s deliverance from prison was so wondrous that even the apostle himself did not know whether what was happening to him was real, or only a marvelous vision whose end was unknown. Of course, he responded consciously to the Angel’s commands and fulfilled his directions exactly. Thus, without doubt, he was, as people say, in full possession of his senses. Yet he could not understand all that was taking place. Therefore he inclined to the thought that it was only a vision, either in sleep or in spiritual contemplation. The Angel’s actions especially astonished him. It was chiefly concerning the Angel that he was perplexed. About himself he understood more clearly that he was living a real life. For he was thinking, and did not know how this thought would be resolved.
“Do you see how extraordinary the sign is?” Saint John Chrysostom once exclaimed. “How it amazes the one who sees it! How incredible it appears! Meanwhile the Angel commands him to gird himself and put on his sandals for this reason also: to impress upon him that this is not an apparition. He does this so that Peter may rouse himself and be convinced that it is true. For this reason the chains immediately fell from his hands, and it was said, ‘Rise quickly.’ He thought he saw a vision, of course, because of the extraordinary nature of the event.”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS