Acts 12 verse 9
And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. (KJV)
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And going out, he followed him, and did not know that this happening through the angel was real; but he thought he saw a vision. (Interlinear Bible)
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Retranslation (9): Advancing, Peter walked in the divine way, sharing the divine bread; and he could not tell whether this way being generated through the Messenger was “real”; he truly seemed to be perceiving something that aided his intellectual sight.
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NOTE on “he did not know”:
. . . and wist not . . . . that it was true. . . which was done. . . by the angel; (KJV)
. . . and did not know. . . that this happening. . . through the angel . . . was real; (IB)
but thought he saw a vision.
And he was not aware
And he could not behold
And he could not tell
And he cannot tell
And he did not know
And he did not have knowledge
And he did not look on
And he did not perceive
And he did not see
And he could not be sure
And he could not understand
And he did not wot (to know; to be aware)
And he did not wish (desire; to be disposed or inclined; hope; long for)
These words: know, perceive, be sure, understand, see, look on, consider, have knowledge, behold, tell, desire-----are words of consciousness. Peter is not sure what type, form or mode of consciousness he is experiencing: his own dream state, or a novel form of consciousness that is presenting to him a vision, or as the Greek provides, a supernatural spectacle, i.e. something that aids intellectual sight.
Is Luke giving us insight into the nature of consciousness in this passage? Peter does not know whether this “happening through the angel” is real. Before we consider the question of what type, form or mode of consciousness is real, let’s consider the phrase “happening through the angel” or “done by the angel”.
Let’s consider for a moment the definition of angels given on page 581 of Science and Health: “God’s thoughts passing to man; . . .” So something is happening through the angel,----happening through God-like thoughts which Peter is somehow perceiving.
Let’s consider mere mortal thought for a moment. Our mortal thoughts can color our experience; they can make the day more bright (or colorless). Imagine what God-thoughts can do. Maybe this is what Luke is showing us: the power of God-thoughts to change our experience. What does the omnipotent do to our conscious experience?
Consciousness is always presenting something to us. In dreams it presents us with a dream state of consciousness where the laws of physics are relaxed. Could Luke be presenting to us what divine consciousness is presenting to Peter? Peter isn’t 100% sure what he is seeing, is he? Is Peter advancing into divine consciousness step by step? Has he been aware of that state of consciousness before? Perhaps in the Pentecostal experience?
NOTE on “following”:
What does it mean that Peter follows the angel? Peter is not so overwhelmed by the experience that he is paralyzed by the wonder of it. He’s thinking. To follow something, you have to think about it, decide if this is the right thing for you to do at this time.
Is this the first time Peter has seen God’s thoughts, experienced the supernatural spectacle? Has Peter seen God’s thoughts before, perhaps during the Pentecostal experience? Peter has had time to reflect on that experience. If I was Peter I would be thinking what more I could have done in that experience. Questions could be asked and answered. Things could be seen and done. Jesus is clear about this: all things are possible in this light.
We can look at this story as Peter’s escape from prison. But, this is the Bible! It’s all about the escape from the bondage of the false self, the self-deceived Satan-consciousness that would put God far away in heaven and limit all things.
Peter’s decision to follow the angel is a “no-brainer” as we would say today. What are Peter’s options? To stay in prison and die? There is little to attract him back into his mortal consciousness, is there? Eddy’s phrase “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity” comes to mind.
Nevertheless, we all know people who would resist the idea of asking God to help in a time of need. Peter is not like that! Peter already has shown great trust in God, and he is showing a quick trust here as well. The idea of quickly and completely trusting God’s ideas may be a leading lesson of this story.
Peter is ready (spiritually prepared) and willing (sacrificing self, i.e. beliefs and opinions) to listen (intentional stillness from silencing mortal will) and follow (trusting the leader, leaping into the unknown).
Trust must be a sign of spiritual advancement: a willingness to replace God’s ideas with one’s own.
NOTE on the meaning of “true” or “real”: The very meaning of “true” requires a thinking creator and a thinking receiver. One has to be aware that something is “true”. The Greek word translated as “true”, alethia 227, is a compound word: a, (not or without), and lethano, (hidden, ignorant of, unawares); thus, “true” means not unaware, not without thinking, not hid from consciousness, not ignorant, not without thought, not inattentive, not without premeditated design, not without previous preparation. Doesn’t this words suggest that if one thinks, is attentive, is prepared, gives thought to, seeks consciousness, etc., that one will know truth?
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going out 1831 exerchomai, from 1537 and 2064; to issue (literally of figuratively):-----come (forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.
proceed (Origins Dict.): See CEDE. L. cedere (stem ced-), to go, hence to go back, hence to halt (cf CEASE); perhaps akin to L. cadere (stem cad-), to fall; to Gr hodos; to Skt utsad-, to step aside, (hence) to disappear; perhaps also to L. sedere (stem sed-), hence to E. SIT.
L. procedere (pro-, forwards), to advance, to progress, . .
followed 190 akoloutheo, from G1 (as a particle of union) and keleuthos (a road); properly to be in the same way with, i.e. to accompany (specifically as a disciple):---follow, reach.
accompany (Origins Dict.): See PANTRY. L. panis, (stem and root pan-), bread, akin ultimately to L. pascere, to nourish, q.v. at PASTOR. In Late Latin, panis acquires the special sense ‘the Eucharist.’ Prefix compounds include L. compania, literally the sharing of bread with another, and Old French acompagnier, whence E. to accompany.
way (Origins Dict.): See VIA.
him 846
knew 1492 eido, a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent 3700 and 3708; properly to see (literally or figuratively); by implication (in the perfect only) to know:------be aware, behold, can (+ not tell), consider, know, have knowledge, look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Compare 3700.
not 3756
that 3754
happening 1096 ginomai, a prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be (“gen” -erate). i.e. (reflexive) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literally, figuratively, intensively, etc.):-----arise, be assembled, be, become, befall, behave self, be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, God forbid, grow happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.
through 1223 dia, a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In compounds it retains the same general import:----after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . .fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, forsake, that, thereby, therefore, though, through, throughout, to wherefore, with, within.
angel 32 angelos from angello [probably derived from 71; compare 34] (to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an “angel”; by implication a pastor:-----angel, messenger.
71 ago, a primary verb; properly to lead; by implication to bring, drive (reflexive) go, (specifically) pass (time), (figuratively) induce:-----be, bring (forth), carry, (let) go, keep, lead away, be open.
34 age, from 71 [compare 32]; a drove:-----herd.
was 2076
true 227 alethes, from G1 (as a negative particle) and 2990; true (as not concealing):----true, truly, truth.
2990 lanthano, a prolonged form of a primary verb, which is used only as an alternate in certain tenses; to lie hid (literally or figuratively); often used adverbially unwittingly:-----be hid, be ignorant of, unawares.
unaware a. (1828 Dict. def.): Without thought, inattentive.
unawares adv. (ibid.):
- Suddenly; unexpectedly; without previous preparation.
- Without premeditated design.
thought 1380 dokeo, a prolonged form of a primary verb doko (used only as an alternate in certain tenses; compare the base of 1166) of the same meaning; to think; by implication to seem (truthfully or uncertainly):----be accounted, please, of own pleasure, be of reputation, seem (good), suppose, think, trow.
1166 deiknyo, a prolonged form of an obsolete primary of the same meaning; to show (literally or figuratively):----shew.
see 991 blepo, a primary verb; to look at (literally or figuratively):----behold, beware, lie, look (on, to), perceive, regard, see, sight, take heed. Compare 3700.
vision 3705 homama, from 3708; something gazed at, i.e. a spectacle (especially supernatural):------sight, vision.
spectacle (Origins Dict.): L. specere, to perceive with the eyes, to look at, as the frequentative spectare, to look at habitually, hence to fix one’s eyes upon, with the past participle spectatus, whence English spectator. Spectare has the derivative spectaculum, something often looked at or worth looking at, whence Old French spectacle, adopted by English. From spectaculum, in its Late Latin sense, ‘the act of seeing’ comes the Middle English spectacle, a spy glass, a mirror, whence spectacles in the modern sense.
spectacle (1828 Dict. def.): [L. spectaculum, from specto, be behold; specio, to see.]
- A show; something exhibited to view; usually, something presented to view as extraordinary, or something that is beheld an unusual and worthy of special notice. Thus we call things exhibited for amusement, public spectacles, as the combats of gladiators in ancient Rome. “We are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.” 1 Cor. iv.
- Anything seen; a sight. A drunkard is a shocking spectacle.
- Spectacles, in the plural, glasses to assist in the sight.
- Figuratively, something that aids the intellectual sight. “Shakspeare---needed not the spectacles of books to read nature.” Dryden.
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