Chapter 19
Paul in Ephesus.[a] 1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 He asked, “Then how were you baptized?” They answered, “With the baptism of John.”
4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve of them in all.
8 He then entered the synagogue, and during the next three months he spoke out fearlessly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some remained stubborn in their disbelief and began to malign the Way publicly. So he withdrew from them, taking the disciples with him, and began to hold daily discussions in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, with the result that all the residents of the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
11 New Encounter of the Church with Magic.[b] So extraordinary were the wonders God worked through Paul 12 that when handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, they were cured of their diseases and the evil spirits came out of them.
13 Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists used the name of the Lord Jesus over those possessed by evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish leading priest named Sceva were among those who were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit sprang at them, overpowered them, and prevailed over them so violently that they fled out of the house battered and naked.
17 When this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus came to be held in ever increasing honor. 18 Moreover, many of those who had become believers came forward and openly confessed their deeds, 19 while a great number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly. When the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver pieces.[c] 20 In such ways did the word of the Lord spread ever more widely and successfully.
21 Paul’s Future Plans.[d] After all this had been accomplished, Paul decided in the Spirit to visit Macedonia and Achaia and then return to Jerusalem. “And after I have been there,” he said, “I must also visit Rome.” 22 Then he sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed a while longer in the province of Asia.
23 The Riot of the Silversmiths. About that time, a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way. 24 A man named Demetrius was a silversmith who crafted silver shrines of Artemis[e] that provided considerable employment for the craftsmen. 25 He called a meeting of these craftsmen and of those in similar trades, and addressed them: “As you men know, our prosperity depends upon this business. 26 And as you can now see and hear, not only in Ephesus but also throughout most of the province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people by insisting that gods fashioned by human hands are not gods.
27 “Therefore, we are facing a dangerous situation. Not only may our business be discredited, but it could also happen that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will become an object of scorn, and that she who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the entire world will be deprived of her greatness.”
28 When they heard this, they became enraged and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The entire city was in an uproar, and the people all rushed to the theater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus,[f] Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not permit him to do so. 31 Even some officials of the province of Asia who were friendly to him sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater.[g]
32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in an uproar, and most of the people had no idea why they had all come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. Then Alexander motioned for silence and tried to offer some type of defense. 34 However, as soon as the crowd recognized him to be a Jew, all of them shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 Finally, the town clerk quieted the crowd and said, “Citizens of Ephesus, is there anyone who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple[h] of the great Artemis and of her statue that descended from heaven? 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to remain calm and do nothing rash. 37 These men whom you have brought here are not temple robbers, nor have they uttered any blasphemy against our goddess.
38 “Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow artisans have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges there against one another. 39 If there are further charges to present, let these be settled in the lawful assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting today. There is no reason for it, and we will be unable to offer any justification for this commotion.” 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:1 The foundation of the Church of Ephesus takes place in the house of a Greek professor. In all likelihood, during this same period Paul’s group established the nearby Churches, such as those of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
- Acts 19:11 Here we have a new account of miracles analogous to those of Peter (Acts 5:15); the Gospel changes one’s life. Then the account becomes picturesque in reporting a new encounter with a milieu influenced by magic. From the Gospels, we know that there were Jewish exorcists (Mt 12:27) and that some even acted in the very name of Jesus (Mk 9:38; Lk 9:49). Those at Ephesus must have moved with ease in this city of superstition where books of magic proliferated. The feeling is that since there is a new name circulating—that of Paul’s Jesus—why not profit from that name so as to be up-to-date! However, once again we see the affirmation of the incompatibility between the magic enterprise and the Christian life. The Gospel will never be a secret act in the hands of sorcerers.
- Acts 19:19 Fifty thousand silver pieces was an enormous sum, representing the wages for 50,000 days of work.
- Acts 19:21 Luke announces the two stages that comprise the last part of Acts (21–28). He presents beforehand each cycle of new events in the course of the one that precedes.
- Acts 19:24 Artemis: the Greek name for the Roman goddess Diana. However, Artemis also had the characteristics of Cybele, the mother goddess of fertility worshiped in Asia Minor. She was one of the most widely worshiped female deities in the Hellenistic world (see Acts 19:27), and her temple at Ephesus was known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
- Acts 19:29 Aristarchus: later he traveled with Paul from Corinth to Jerusalem (Acts 20:3f) and again from Jerusalem to Rome (Acts 27:1f; Col 4:10).
- Acts 19:31 The story mentions the sympathy Paul won from some officials of the province (“asiarchs,” “heads of Asia”). It also underscores the participation of lay believers in the struggle (vv. 29-30).
- Acts 19:35 Guardian of the temple: a title given by Rome to cities that provided a temple for the cult of the Emperor. Ephesus was recognized as the provider of the temple of Artemis and of the cult of the Emperor. The statue of the goddess (425 feet long and 220 feet wide, with 127 marble columns 62 feet high and less than four feet apart) was thought of as having descended from heaven.