Peter had walked out of a prison chained to, and guarded by, Roman soldiers and confined behind secure walls; yet he was unable to get past a gate because a servant girl was too excited to open it for him. Christian historian
Jaroslav Pelikan suggests that it is "difficult not to smile when reading this little anecdote," while biblical scholar
F. F. Bruce says that the scene is "full of vivid humor." Pastor and theologian
John Gill surmised that Rhoda recognized Peter's voice because she had "often heard him preach and converse [with Mary's] family". However, theologians Donald Fay Robinson and Warren M. Smaltz have suggested that the incident involving Rhoda really represents an idealized account of the death of St. Peter, which may have occurred in a Jerusalem prison in 44 AD.
Bruce Malina and John J. Pilch note that "Rhoda's behavior, both the surprised absentmindedness and the running, are considered humorous." Classicist Steve Reece traces both the name Rhoda and her eccentric behavior back to the stock characters and stock scenes of Greek New Comedy. Margaret Aymer suggests more generally that the humor is due to Rhoda's low social status and enslavement; Aymer states that "Rhoda reminds us that, even in the Christian assembly, class oppression continues." Writing from a
feminist perspective, Kathy Chambers argues that the narrative demonstrates "how Christian adaptations of comedic tropes challenged the dominant cultural construction of status and gender, of ecclesial authority, slaves, and women." Chambers connects this story to the fulfillment in
Acts 2 of the prophecy of
Joel 2 that women and slaves would prophesy. Although "Rhoda lacked the necessary authority to have her message taken seriously because of her status of both woman and
slave," she had enough courage and faith to keep insisting that it was Peter. ==See also==