Abstract:
The episode of Peter’s rescue from prison in Acts 12:5–17 occupies an intriguing position in
the narrative of Acts as a whole. Scholars hold differing views on the episode’s function. These
views range from seeing the episode as a hermeneutical key to the work as a whole to making
no discernable difference to the narrative whatsoever. The present article seeks to contribute
to the debate by reading Acts 12:5–17 spatially. In paying attention to the various spatial
references in the text, the movement of characters, their locales and their own and the reader’s
experience of them being present or not present, a contrasting structure may be perceived in
the text. Furthermore, spatiality helps to point out the contrast between different character
groups in the narrative. Some implications for reading the episode in this contrasting fashion
will be indicated, and the enigmatic statement about Peter’s ‘going to another place’ (Ac 12:17)
will be read against the text’s spatial background.
