Acts 19:1-41
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
22 So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.
23 And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.
24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;
25 Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought;a but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
28 And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
29 And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
30 And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
31 And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
34 But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35 And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipperb of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?
36 Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.
37 For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.
38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the lawc is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.
39 But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawfuld assembly.
40 For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.
41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
Acts 19:1. Paul came to Ephesus, a city of Ionia, built by the Amezones. Its temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the world; but Pompey plundered it of all its riches. This city is now in ruins, with few inhabitants. Smyrna, forty five miles north-west, having a fine port, has taken away its ancient glory. In the time of St. Paul, it was reckoned the glory of all Asia.
Acts 19:2. Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? The rabbins were grossly dark and deficient in understanding the prophets concerning the glory of Christ, and the Spirit of God; and these disciples had not been perfectly instructed, for John had promised the baptism of the Holy Ghost. John had enjoined the baptism of repentance, as a preparation for the Messiah about to appear: therefore they must now be rebaptized in the name of the Triune God. By St. Paul's prayer and imposition of hands, the Holy Ghost inspired their hearts with the love of God, and opened their mouths in effusions of discourse and song, as in the house of Cornelius: Acts 10:46.
Acts 19:10. This [work of daily disputation and preaching] continued for the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia, not Asia minor or Consular Asia, but the province of Asia, which contained the seven churches, heard the word. Poole says, properly speaking, the towns adjacent to Ephesus; quæ circa Ephesum. To localize Paul, and shut him up in one city for two years was impossible. He must go, and wrestle with the rulers of the darkness of this world.
Acts 19:11. God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. This power did not forsake him to the end of life. So it was also with the spirit of prophecy; he foretold the circumstances of his own shipwreck with historic accuracy. But while Paul, the great rabbi, shines; what must we think of the humility, the modesty, and piety of St. Luke? While his pen immortalizes others, he keeps himself out of sight. Who can doubt of his inspiration from the meek and lowly Redeemer? He believed in the perfect record, the doomsday book of heaven.
Acts 19:13. Vagabond jews, exorcists; who affected to heal demoniacs, by invoking the name of the devil. Other jews, more decently invoked the name of Jehovah. Our Saviour seems to allow that those invocations sometimes produced effects, by asking, If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Those invocations contained the essence of diabolical wickedness, and are utterly condemned in the law of Moses.
Acts 19:15. The evil spirit answered, Jesus I know, γινωσχω, I acknowledge; and Παυλον επισταμαι. I know who Paul is, but who are ye? They escaped naked and wounded, and happy for hypocrites to escape at all. We cannot overcome evil spirits with an arm of flesh.
Acts 19:19. Many of them used curious arts; magic, sorcery, necromancy, and astrology, Simon Magus practised these things in Samaria. The former of those arts were diabolical; and on judicial astrology, Reflections will be found on Jeremiah 10.
They counted the price. The triumph of the name of Jesus rendered their arts openly detestable, and made their books of no value. Those books were very expensive, being written on parchment, and often emblazoned with figures, exhibiting conversations with the dead, &c. When their hearts became touched with grace, they durst not sell those expensive works, for that were to corrupt others. A French bookseller having allowed me to look at his books, I found behind a shelf a manuscript in a beautiful text. He saw me reading it, and came with haste, and took it out of my hands, but with a blush on his cheek. The subject was necromancy. The example of those Ephesians should teach christians to abandon all trades connected with fraud, or intemperance, or profanation of the sabbath day. The children of our heavenly Father must not beg their bread of the wicked one.
Acts 19:24. Demetrius made silver shrines for Diana. According to Beza these were medals, exhibiting the goddess enthroned in her temple; but some read, “little temples,” or models. These could be suspended to the neck, or hung up in their chambers. This man excited against Paul a dreadful storm of popular fury, in which figuratively he fought with beasts at Ephesus.
Acts 19:34. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. The Greek mythology disguises the origin of their gods, and makes both gods and men the descendants of Jupiter. Our Saxon kings were all descended from Odin. Strabo, book 12., collects from fabulous history, that Diana was daughter of Jupiter and Latona, and sister of Apollo, born in the island of Delos. In youth, she made a vow of perpetual virginity, and shunned the company of men. Addicting herself to pleasures of the chase, she was surnamed huntress, and the guardian of forests and mountains. She is represented as a nymph, with a bow and a quiver of arrows at her side, and accompanied by young nymphs. Sometimes they represent her in a car, drawn by white stags, holding a torch in her left hand. She is called in heaven Lucina, on earth Diana, in hell Proserpine, or Hecata. Her attributes were much varied by different nations. Sometimes she is represented as a woman with three heads; the right a horse, the middle a boar, and the left a dog. The Sabeans, Job 1:15, in their celestial worship, regard her as the moon, justifying the words of Christ, “Ye worship ye know not what.” Diana of Ephesus was the goddess of nature, whose symbols were the sun and moon; and whom, in one form or another, Asia and the [gentile] world worshipped.
Acts 19:35. The town clerk: ‘ Ογραμματευς, the registrar, or clerk of the peace, a man who knew how to seize on the assembled multitude. He joined their tumultuous voices, that the goddess was great, and was worshipped in all Asia; if that would please them, he gave it in full; but he acquitted the apostles, that they were not robbers of churches, [temples] nor yet blasphemers of the great goddess. To Demetrius, if he had any wrongs, he promised redress in a legal way, and dismissed the assembly, lest the Roman legion should be called in. Truly wisdom is better than might.
REFLECTIONS.
Still following the ambassadors and ministers of Christ from Asia to Greece, and from Greece to Asia again, we find the disciples separated from the world, and a church left behind in every place. God was with his servants, truth carried conviction to the heart, and signs and wonders demonstrated the mysteries of the christian faith. But miracles may be regarded as an excess of grace, granted while the nations had not time to examine christianity, and while their prejudices were strong. And if God had not clothed his servants with divine powers, how could they have subsisted? His ways are diversified. The race of Shem in the islands of the South seas have been converted without miracles. A calm reading of the bible, with much prayer to know the truth, will afford conviction equal to any miracle.
We must also remark the superior glory of the christian religion. The twelve disciples of John had not heard of the Holy Ghost; yet the old testament abounds with promises of his sacred influence. Christianity therefore brought to light the mysteries hid in ages past, and called believers to all the glorious liberties and high privileges of the children of God.
We must next remark the powers and virtues of Jesus' name. When we view his person and worth, and call upon his name by faith and prayer, God will glorify it in granting us what we ask according to his will. Yes, and all the demons of evil tempers shall be expelled by the virtue of Christ. Oh the other hand they who mock at his name, shall, like the sons of Sceva, be put to confusion.
The apostles preached Christ in a noble spirit. There, was neither weakness nor fear in their ministry. It was so godlike as to make the heathen tremble for their craft and interest. The banner of the cross was exalted above all temples; and hoary idolatry trembled to her foundation. Demetrius, injured in his trade of making models of Diana and her shrine, roused the populace to shout for the safety of the goddess. Ah, shout on, shout on. The softer whispers of truth and grace, the mild and heaven born mien of christianity will shortly demolish all the proud temples of Ephesus.
We admire the good sense of the recorder of the city; and in him, the care of providence over the apostles and their mission. The talent of seizing on an assembled populace, and persuading them to quietness and duty is enviable and happy in a magistrate. A mob may be diverted when it can not be opposed. To fire on a misguided mass of men is often the sudden effect of misguided passion; and the magistrate is never forgiven by his neighbours. Argument and gentle force should first be tried. But in regard to the first planting of christianity, the malice of the priests, the sneers of philosophy, and the fury of the mob, were everywhere the threefold enemies with which the apostles had to wrestle. Lord, make us thankful for ecclesiastical peace, and the quiet of religious worship.