«Now about that time» — clearly in the reign of Claudius — «Herod the king laid his hands upon certain of those belonging to the church, to do them harm; and he slew James the brother of John with the sword.»
And concerning this James, Clement also sets down a memorable account in the seventh book of the Hypotyposes, relating, as from a tradition of those before him, that the man who had brought him to the tribunal, seeing him bear witness, was moved and confessed that he too was himself a Christian.
«They were both, then, led away together,» he says, «and on the way he asked to be forgiven by James. And James, considering a little, said, «Peace be to you,» and kissed him. And thus they were both beheaded together.»
And at that time, as the divine Scripture says, Herod, seeing — upon the slaying of James — that what had been done was pleasing to the Jews, set upon Peter also, and, having delivered him over to bonds, would all but have carried out his murder as well, had not Peter, through a divine manifestation, when an angel stood by him in the night, been marvellously released from his chains and set free for the ministry of the proclamation. Such, then, was the dispensation concerning Peter.