Rhoda

Life and work

Rhoda appears in a single, vivid scene in Acts. While believers were gathered at the Jerusalem house of Mary, mother of John Mark, praying for Peter's release from prison, an angel freed him and he made his way to the house and knocked at the outer gate. Rhoda came to answer and recognized his voice, but in her excitement ran back to tell the others without actually opening the gate — leaving Peter knocking outside while the praying believers argued that she must be out of her mind, insisting it could only be "his angel" (Acts 12:13-16). The small, almost comic detail — a group praying for a miracle and then refusing to believe it happened right at their door — has made Rhoda a favorite minor character for preachers ever since.

Extra-biblical evidence

No extra-biblical record of Rhoda survives outside this single scene in Acts.

Scripture references

• Acts 12:13-16 — Recognizes Peter's voice but leaves him at the door