Illustrated bible History - Catholic Apologetics Information

Pcter, and s bright light shone all around. The angel struck
Peter on tl~c side, and a~vakencd liirn, saying: " Arise,
quickly 1 " Ho did RO, a d the ch:lins fcll from off his
Ilnnds.
4. Then the angel spoko to him : " Gird thyself md put on
thy snnrlds, and follow me! Yctcr obeyed, not Ic~io~ving,
however, \vhether it was n tlrcnm, or a reality. Going out,
tI~y passed through the first and the second ward, or watch,
and came to the iron gstc lcading to the city, which opened,
of itself, befort? thcm. 13ut 1v11en they came out of tho
prison-yard, and had passed along one street, the angel disappe.ased.
fr. Then Petcr, coming to himself, found it was not s
dream, and hc cxclaimed: '' h'ow I Irnow in very deed that
the Lord hnth scnt His angel, and hsth delivered me out of
the hand of Hcuod, ant1 from all the expectation of thc peoplc
of thc Jews ! " Hc went then to the house of Mark,
nhcsc many Christians were asserribled in praycr. Whcn
Peter knocked nt thc door a you~~g girl named Rhode came to
listcn.
6. On hearing and recognieing Peter's voico, tha girl rvaa
so delighted that she forgot to open the door, and ran in
lmstc to tell the others. Dut they supposctl that she had
lost her mind. Yet she insisted that Peter was really
at tl~o gate. They tlicn said tl~at it must be his angel.
Meanwhile Peter continued knocking. When tl~o door was
at lengtll opened, and they Eaw it was indeed Peter, evcry
one wits truck with amaxernent.
7. Their wonder increased when they hcard how the
angel of the Lord had delivered hirn from prison. When
monling came, and Peter was not to bc found, the guards
were filled with consternation.' Ancl well thcy might, for
Herod, hearing of Peter's escape, caused them all to be put
to death. But Hcrocl himself did not long escopo thc punishment
which his impiety and cruelty had deserved.
l COSY.P~PXA.PIOH, alarm, horror.