| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ( A ) THE FEAST WEEK In Acts 12:4, Luke writes that Herods� intention was to wait until after Easter upon which he would then bring Peter out to the people; 4. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. - Acts 12:4 What would be Herods� reason to wait until after Easter, a pagan Roman celebration, to bring Peter from prison out to the people? There is no indication whatever within verses 1-4 that Herod held any respect or honor for the feast of unleavened bread, a holy time of the people of God much less for God Himself. It is after all, during the days of that holy week of the feast of unleavened bread in which Herod vexes certain of the church and kills James, a Christian man, with the sword and apprehends the Christian man, Peter. Herod decides against any further dealings with Peter until the pagan religious custom of Easter is passed on. Passover is part of the week of unleavened bread, it is the first day of that seven day week, ( see section B ). Since Herod had no problem persecuting the Christian church during the days of the holy feast of unleavened bread as clearly stated in verse 3, then he would not have had any reason to hesitate against persecuting the church on Passover as well. If the word Easter in verse 4 were to be translated, Passover, as some suggest should be the case and thereby have Herod actually waiting after Passover instead of Easter to bring Peter from the prison to the people, then there should in reality be no reason for Herod to have vexed the Christian church and the apostles of that Christian church during the days of the feast week of unleavened bread in the first place. Thus, the scriptural evidence of Herods� hesitation for any further dealings with Peter in verse 4 reveals that Herod is giving respect and honor to a Roman religious custom, Easter, rather than a holy custom of the Living God, Passover. Therefore, the King James translators correctly translated in verse 4 the word Easter rather than Passover. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |