Chapter Nineteen

Paul in Ephesus, the baptism of John’s disciples (1–7). The separation of Christians from the Jews (8–10). Paul’s miracles and their influence (11–20). Paul’s plans for a further journey (21–22). The riot in Ephesus against Christians (23–40).

Acts 19:1. While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus and, finding some disciples there, “Having passed through the upper country” — the mountainous regions lying above Ephesus and the low-lying coastline on which it was situated; these were obviously the interior provinces of Asia Minor, including Phrygia and Galatia, which Paul had visited during this journey (Acts 18:23). If during his second journey Paul had been forbidden by the Spirit to preach in proconsular Asia (Acts 16 and following), and had only stayed briefly in Ephesus on his way back (Acts 18 and following), then now, coming straight from Phrygia and passing through proconsular Asia, he arrived in Ephesus and remained there for quite a long time (Acts 19:10). “Certain disciples...” From what follows it is clear that these were properly disciples of John, not of Jesus, whom the narrator refers to pre-eminently as “disciples.” Baptized only with “the baptism of John,” these “disciples” believed in the coming Messiah as proclaimed by the Forerunner, but had no complete understanding of him — like Apollos for a time; however, as sufficiently prepared for faith in Christ, they could be called Christians, or “disciples” of Christ in the broad sense of the word. These disciples were, in all probability, from among Jews who had recently settled in Ephesus, where they had attached themselves to the Christian community, so that Paul himself took them for Christians (v. 2: “having believed”).

Acts 19:2. said to them: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They replied: We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. “We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit?” A strange and even not entirely comprehensible or polite answer, if taken literally. Of course they could not have failed to know that the Spirit of God had spoken through the prophets and through John, but they did not know the foundation of the new divine economy in which the Holy Spirit is promised and given to all in Jesus Christ as the sole agent of the regeneration of souls. Thus, what is at issue here is not whether the Holy Spirit exists or has being, but whether the Messiah has come who was to baptize people with the Holy Spirit, and whether the gracious gifts of this Holy Spirit have appeared and begun to dwell on earth among people. It is precisely in this sense that the answer is to be understood: “we have not even heard whether the Holy Spirit has already come,” that is, in his gifts upon earth, among people (cf. John 7:39). Evidently, they simply knew nothing of the events in Jerusalem from the time of the Forerunner’s death, having lived in some corner of the world where reports of these events had not yet penetrated, and only now, in Ephesus, were they beginning to learn more about everything — but, owing to the recentness of their arrival in Ephesus, before meeting the apostle they had not yet managed to learn everything in full detail from anyone.

Acts 19:3. He said to them: Into what then were you baptized? They answered: Into John’s baptism. The puzzling answer of the “disciples” provokes a new puzzling question from the Apostle: “Into what then were you baptized?” What teaching, and about whom, did you receive and seal with your baptism? The simple and brief answer of those questioned — “into John’s baptism” — opens the apostle’s eyes, leaving him puzzled at the sight of these strange “disciples.” They were baptized into what constituted the goal of John’s baptism and the confession required at this baptism. This gives the apostle occasion to characterize the essence of the baptism of John and its relation to Christ in a brief, concise, yet very substantive way.

Acts 19:4. Paul said: John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. “The baptism of repentance” (Mark 1:4; cf. Matt 3:11 and others) — as a sign of a good change in one’s way of thinking and life, as a sign of a firm intention, after repentance and confession of sins, to abandon the former sinful life and distorted way of thinking and to begin a God-pleasing life, in readiness to enter the Kingdom of the Messiah. According to Theophylact’s interpretation: “The Forerunner proclaimed a baptism of repentance so that people, having repented and received Christ, might receive the forgiveness of sins.” Why was this baptism insufficient, so that those baptized “with John’s baptism” were baptized again “in the name of the Lord Jesus”? Because the first baptism did not give a positive content to the spiritual life of the one being baptized, while the second, bestowing the grace of forgiveness of sins, had the significance of an actual and essential rebirth of the spiritual nature of the one being baptized. In relation to the second, Christian baptism, the first, John’s baptism, had a preparatory significance, disposing and preparing one for faith in the Lord Jesus, baptism in whom had, however, a completely independent and final significance.

Acts 19:5. Hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, “On hearing this” — that is, about the coming of the Messiah proclaimed by John and about the insufficiency of John’s baptism — “they were baptized” with Christian baptism (see Acts 2 and Matt 28:19) and, after Paul laid his hands on them (see note to Acts 8:15-17), received the Holy Spirit, whereupon they immediately began to “speak in other tongues” (see note to Acts 2:4) “and to prophesy” (see note to Acts 11:27; cf. Acts 13:1; 1 Cor 14). It is necessary to note here the groundlessness of the false teachings of the ancient heretics and the more recent sectarians (Anabaptists and Mennonites) who based their practice of rebaptism on this passage of Acts. To see the full falsity of the basis on which the advocates of rebaptism rest, it is sufficient to point out the incongruity of the analogy they establish in such a case. The present verse of Acts speaks of such a new baptism of John’s disciples as is essentially different from what they had previously received. Earlier they had been baptized with John’s baptism of repentance, in order to believe in the one coming after John. The Christian baptism they received in Ephesus, however, was a baptism in the name of the Messiah who had already come, Jesus Christ. In contrast, for the more recent advocates of rebaptism, both baptisms are Christian — in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. There, consequently, what is insisted upon is the repetition of one and the same Christian baptism.

Acts 19:8. Going into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them concerning the kingdom of God. “He spoke boldly.” An oblique indication that the apostle’s preaching had significant opponents, who were ready to manifest their opposition to great detriment to the apostle; yet this did not restrain his zeal. “About the kingdom of God.” By the Kingdom of God here is meant the Christian Church with all the blessings it confers on its true members, both in the present life and in the future. This kingdom, in contrast to the kingdom of the prince of this world, is the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of holiness and truth, the kingdom of eternal life in union with Christ (see note to Matt 3:2; John 3:3).

Acts 19:9. But when some became hardened and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he left them, separated the disciples, and spoke daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus. “Speaking evil of the Way” — cf. Acts 18:25-26. “In the hall of Tyrannus.” Judging by the name, this was some Greek rhetor or philosopher who had a school for teaching those who wished to study philosophy or rhetoric; it is hard to say whether he was a pagan or a proselyte. Some also suppose that this was a Jewish teacher who had a private synagogue (beth midrash) in his home, where they normally taught the traditions and their interpretation. In the school of this rabbi, who was apparently sympathetic to Christianity and readily placed his services at Paul’s disposal, the latter could more safely and with greater profit (daily) engage in planting Christian truths among not only Jews but also Greeks.

Acts 19:10. This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia heard the proclamation about the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. “All the inhabitants of Asia heard.” Into the flourishing commercial city of Ephesus there constantly flowed from all the provinces of Asia Minor a great multitude of both Jews and Greeks, proselytes and pagans, so that Paul truly had “a wide door” opened to him there (1 Cor 16:8-9). If not personally from Paul, then from visitors who had personally heard him, the whole of proconsular Asia could in fact have been filled with news of Christ Jesus proclaimed by the apostle.

Acts 19:11. God was performing extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul, Acts 19:12. so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, and their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. “Extraordinary miracles” — more precisely in the Greek and Slavonic texts: δυνάμεις τας τυκούσας — “miracles not ordinary,” that is, not small but extraordinary, remarkable works — not only in quantity but chiefly in quality. “By the hands of Paul.” This expression of the narrator does not in itself oblige one to suppose that all the miracles performed by the holy Paul himself were done through his hands. Such a construction — “by the hands” — is customary in the New Testament to indicate a particular person performing miracles. The very possibility of such a metaphor (διά τῶν χειρῶν Παύλου) suggests, however, that the holy Apostle performed some of his miracles indeed through his hands, by the laying on of hands, probably pronouncing brief prayerful words of release with mention of the name of the Lord Jesus. This practice of the apostle led others, in imitation of him, to place parts of his garments on the sick, which, by the grace of God, was accompanied by the same miraculous power.

Acts 19:13. Some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying: We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims. “Some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists.” Something like present-day healers and hypnotists, who made use of certain secrets and forces of nature, the full significance of which for the human being has not yet been explored (cf. Acts 13 and following; Josephus, Antiquities VIII, 2, 5; Jewish War Jude 1:1; Matt 12:27). Noticing the extraordinary effects of the name of the Lord in Paul’s mouth when healing the sick, some of these exorcists began to use this name in their charlatan formulas and, not knowing or believing in the Lord Jesus themselves, added: “whom Paul proclaims,” that is, this particular Jesus, and no other. “So they all acted out of greed. See: they did not want to believe, yet they wanted to cast out demons in this Name” (Chrysostom).

Acts 19:14. This was being done by certain seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva. “The seven sons of Sceva.” Who this Sceva was and in what sense he is called a Jewish high priest is unknown. He may have been one of the leaders of the priestly divisions (Matt 2:4), whose sons had emigrated from Judea and were making their living by sorcery.

Acts 19:15. But the evil spirit answered: Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with, but who are you? “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize.” With these words the demon acknowledges the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and his apostle over itself, while with the expression — “but who are you?” — it expresses its contempt and its power over these abusers of the name of Jesus.

Acts 19:16. And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and, overpowering them, prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19:17. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear fell upon all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in great honor. Acts 19:18. Many of those who had believed also came, confessing and disclosing their deeds. “They came, confessing and divulging their practices,” that is, their sins, under the influence of a feeling of fear and awe at the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:17). This was especially to be done by the former exorcists who had abandoned their trade and turned to Christ: repentance was the result of their belief and their decision to join the Christian community, which was then sealed by their baptism.

Acts 19:19. And quite a number of those who had practiced sorcery collected their books and burned them before everyone, and they reckoned up their value, and it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. “Having gathered their books,” in which were recorded the methods for performing various acts of sorcery and incantations, the exorcists committed them to a public, solemn burning. This original bonfire was the best possible sermon to the crowd on the power of Christ, especially in view of the value of what was burned — 50,000 pieces of silver. The narrator does not specify what coin was counted in this sum. But undoubtedly in the Greek commercial city the “drachma” of 20–25 kopecks was used at the time. Consequently, this sum more precisely amounted, in the currency of the day, to approximately 10,000–12,500 rubles.

Acts 19:21. When these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in his spirit that, after passing through Macedonia and Achaia, he would go to Jerusalem, saying: After I have been there, I must also see Rome. “Having passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem.” From the apostle’s epistles (1 Cor 16 and following; 2 Cor 8; Rom 15 and following) it is evident that this journey of the apostle was accompanied by the collecting of alms for the Palestinian Church, to which he also referred in his speech later on (Acts 24:17). “I must also see Rome.” This intention of Paul the Lord afterward approved himself, as one consistent with his will (Acts 23:11).

Acts 19:22. And, having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself remained in Asia for a time. “Having sent Timothy and Erastus” (2 Tim 4:20), probably to dispose the Macedonians toward the collection of alms and for the collection itself.

Acts 19:23. About that time no small disturbance arose concerning the Way of the Lord, “A disturbance against the Way” — against the apostle’s preaching and against Christianity in general (cf. Acts 18:25-26).

Acts 19:24. for a certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis and brought the craftsmen no small profit, “The silversmith... Demetrius, who made silver shrines” (that is, models of them) “of Artemis,” the Ephesian goddess, for sale to travelers and pilgrims to the city. The cult of Artemis was very widely spread in Asia Minor. The temple of this goddess in Ephesus, burned by Herostratus on the day of Alexander the Great’s birth, was rebuilt with such magnificence that it was counted among the seven wonders of the world. Small models of this temple and statuettes of Diana were in wide use among the devotees of this goddess: they adorned rooms, served as amulets in travel, and so on. Naturally, Demetrius’s trade was very profitable, and his workshop brought considerable income to the craftsmen and artisans under his direction, who were so easily stirred up to riot.

Acts 19:26. and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd of people, saying that gods made by human hands are not gods. Notable here is the testimony to the successes of Paul’s preaching from the mouths of his enemies, confirming what was said above (Acts 19:10). “Saying that gods made with hands are not gods.” A remarkable expression from a pagan, showing that the pagan people identified the statues of the gods with the gods themselves, or assumed that the gods dwelt in these statues (cf. Acts 17:29; 1 Cor 8:4 and others).

Acts 19:27. And this threatens us not only that our trade will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted for nothing, and that the magnificence of the one whom all Asia and the world worship will be brought to ruin. “See, says Chrysostom, how idolatry is everywhere maintained by greed: not because their piety was threatened with danger, but because they were being deprived of the possibility of gain... For this (the words of Demetrius) means almost the same as: ‘with our trade, we are threatened with dying of hunger.’” “All Asia and the world” — that is, the whole Greek-Roman world.

Acts 19:28. When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, saying: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! “They were in such a state as if by their shouting they wished to restore her worship and undo everything Paul had done” (Chrysostom).

Acts 19:29. And the whole city was thrown into confusion. They seized the Macedonians Gaius and Aristarchus, traveling companions of Paul, and rushed all together into the theater. “Seizing Paul’s companions, the Macedonians...” Paul himself, as is evident from this and from what follows, was not found by the rioters. One of these companions — Gaius, it seems — is to be distinguished from Gaius of Derbe, mentioned later (Acts 20:4); the other — Aristarchus of Thessalonica — is the one mentioned in Acts 20:4. “They rushed to the theater...” — to the city theater building, which normally served as the venue for large popular assemblies.

Acts 19:31. Also some of the officials of Asia, who were friends of his, sent to him urging him not to venture into the theater. “Some of the Asiarchs” — these were representatives chosen by the cities to organize festive games in honor of the gods and the emperor. These representatives elected from among themselves ten members as organizers and directors of the games. From among them, certain ones, having become personally well-disposed toward the apostle, though still not Christians, urged Paul “not to show himself in the theater,” fearing — as did his disciples — for his life from the riotous crowd. The apostle himself, for his part, displayed on this occasion the great boldness and strength of spirit of a true soldier of Christ, straining toward the crowd that was enraged against him.

Acts 19:32. Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and others another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority of those who had gathered did not even know why they had gathered. “Some shouted one thing and others another... and most did not know why they had gathered together” — a characteristic depiction of the confusion of such riotous crowd gatherings. That something was happening in the theater against Paul and his companions was more or less known to all (“with one accord” — Acts 19:29, “with one voice” — Acts 19:34); but exactly what, and why one needed to assemble there, “most” did not even understand.

Acts 19:33. At the suggestion of the Jews, Alexander was brought forward out of the crowd. Giving a signal with his hand, Alexander wanted to make a speech to the people. “At the suggestion of the Jews, Alexander was brought forward from the crowd.” Why — “at the suggestion of the Jews”? For what purpose? Who was this Alexander, and what did he intend to say? — explanations are not uniform. It is supposed that this Alexander, a Jew by birth and religion (Acts 19:34), was put forward by the Jews out of fear that in this popular uprising against the Christians, Jews might be confused with them and subjected to the same treatment as the Christians, especially since Jews were well known as enemies of idols. The stratagem failed, and served only to harm the Jews; the people did not even want to hear the speech of a Jew, expressing their complete contempt for Jews in general. Others suppose, however, that this Alexander was a Christian of Jewish origin, intending to speak in defense of Paul and the Christians; he was brought forward at the suggestion of his cunning and malicious kinsmen solely to make him a victim of popular fury. Chrysostom also ventures the conjecture that the Jewish Alexander wanted to speak in order to inflame the people’s anger against the Christians even more. If so, then here too the Jews fully deserved the contempt of the crowd expressed in their direction as their just reward for their cunning.

Acts 19:35. But the town clerk, having quieted the crowd, said: Men of Ephesus! who among people does not know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the great goddess Artemis and of the Diopetes? Acts 19:36. Since these things cannot be disputed, you must remain calm and do nothing reckless. Acts 19:37. For you have brought these men here who have neither robbed the temple of Artemis nor blasphemed your goddess. Acts 19:38. If Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, there are court sessions and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. Acts 19:39. But if you are seeking anything beyond that, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. Acts 19:40. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting over today’s events, since there is no justification by which we could account for this gathering. Having said this, he dismissed the assembly. “The town clerk” — properly a scribe or secretary — γραμματεύς — something like a city secretary (γραμματεύς ο τῆς πόλεως), whose duty was to draft official documents, to make public announcements of civic matters, to read them at popular assemblies or to report on them, to keep all kinds of written records, and so forth. In his speech to the people this “secretary” points out first that the cult of Artemis stands firm in Ephesus and that Paul’s companions taken by the crowd cannot be accused of directly offending it (35–37). In the absence of, so to speak, a corpus delicti, it is also necessary to bear in mind that for the hearing of legitimate complaints there exist legitimate authorities and a set procedure for dealing with them (38–39). Finally, if all these conditions are disregarded, the people risk finding themselves in the position of the accused for rioting (40). Such sensible, skillful arguments cooled the temper of the assembly, and it dispersed without any incident. “Diopetes” — fallen from Zeus. This name designates the statue of Artemis in the Ephesian temple, since according to popular legend it had fallen from the sky — from Zeus.