Quaternion

Quarternion

Quarter´nion. A ’quaternion of soldiers’ (Act 12:4) was a detachment of four men, which was the usual number of a Roman night-watch. Peter, therefore, was guarded by four soldiers, two within the prison, and two outside the doors; and as the watch was usually changed every three hours, it was necessary that the ’four quaternions’ mentioned in the text should be appointed for the purpose.

Quaternion. A military term, signifying a guard of four soldiers, two of whom were attached to the person of a prisoner, while the other two kept watch, outside the door of his cell. Act 12:4.

"A guard of four soldiers", two attached to the prisoner, two outside his cell door. Four quaternions took by turns the guard over Peter for the four night watches (Act 12:4).

Quaternion. A body of four. Act 12:4-10. Four soldiers were appointed to keep guard during each of the four watches of the night. There were therefore sixteen in all. Of each quaternion probably two were in the prison, Peter being chained to them, and the other two were sentinels before the gate—the first and second guard.

A party of ’four soldiers.’ Four such parties were told off to guard Peter when in prison, that they might relieve each other every three hours in the night. Act 12:4.

QUATERNION (τετράδιον).—The word occurs only once in NT, and then not in the Gospels (Act 12:4); but we know that four soldiers at a time were ordinarily told off for work in the Roman army (Vegetius, de Re Milit. iii. 8), and that there were that number in charge of our Lord’s Crucifixion (Joh 19:23-24; cf. Evang. Petr. 9; see art. Coat).

C. L. Feltoe.

QUATERNION.—A guard of four soldiers (Act 12:4).

kwa-tûr´ni-un (τετράδιον, tetrádion): The name given to a company of four soldiers of Herod’s army (Act 12:4). To four such companies Peter had been handed over, who would take their turn of acting as guard over the prisoner, each of the four watches of the night according to Roman reckoning, which Herod Agrippa I would follow. In the castle of Antonia Peter was thus closely secured, in order that Herod, who had already killed James, the brother of John, with the sword (Act 12:2), might, after the solemnities of the Passover, make sure of his death likewise. On the night before his intended execution he was sleeping in his cell between two soldiers, “bound with two chains,” his left hand chained to one and his right to the other. The other two soldiers of the quaternion mounted guard before the door, and are spoken of as “the first and the second guard” (Act 12:10) whom Peter and his angel guide had to pass on the way to liberty. The Greek word thus rendered is not found in the Septuagint or anywhere else in the New Testament.

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(ôåôñÜäéïí, from ôåôñÜò, ‘the number four’; Vulg._ quaternio, whence the English word)

St. Peter, arrested by King Herod Agrippa, was handed over to four quaternions of soldiers (Act_12:4), probably at the fortress Antonia. A quaternion was a guard consisting of four men, two of whom would be chained to the prisoner in the cell, while the other two kept watch outside (cf. Philo, in Flaccum, 13; Polyb. VI. xxxiii. 7). The second two were apparently the ‘first ward’ (öõëáêÞ), which had to be passed before the iron gate was reached (Act_12:10). Four quaternions were required, as the night was divided in Roman fashion into four watches of three hours each.

James Strahan.