Chapter 19

Acts 19:1–5. Now it happened, while Apollos was in Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus; and finding certain disciples, he said to them: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him: We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. And he said to them: Into what then were you baptized? They said: Into John’s baptism. Then Paul said: John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. They said, ‘We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ These men, among the ‘certain disciples,’ differed greatly from the rest, since they did not even know whether there is a Holy Spirit. That they did not even believe in Christ is clear from the saying, ‘in the One coming after him, that they should believe.’ And he did not say that John’s baptism is nothing, but that it is incomplete. How did these men, being in Ephesus, have John’s baptism? Perhaps they had traveled to Jerusalem at that time and returned, without even gaining knowledge of Jesus. He does not say to them, ‘Do you believe in Jesus?’ But what does he say? ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ He knew that they did not have the Spirit, but he wishes to put it this way so that, learning what they are deprived of, they might ask for it themselves.

Acts 19:6–7. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. And in all they were about twelve men. They did not see the Spirit, for He is invisible; but the gift gave a certain perceptible proof of that working. One spoke in the tongue of the Persians, another in that of the Romans, and another in some other tongue; and by this the outward sign was made plain, that it was the Spirit in him that was speaking.

Acts 19:8. And entering the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading about the things of the kingdom of God. What does ‘he spoke boldly’ mean? He had set himself in array against dangers; or he reasoned more openly, not veiling the doctrines. Observe how everywhere he pushes his way into the synagogues, and so goes out again. For everywhere he wished to take occasions from them.

Acts 19:9–10. But when some were hardened and would not believe, speaking evil of the way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. ‘Speaking evil of the way.’ Either he calls Christ ‘the way,’ who is indeed called the way; or by ‘the way’ he means the true faith proclaimed through Paul. And the words ‘he separated the disciples’ teach those who have believed in the Son of God to separate themselves from those who blaspheme Him.

Acts 19:11–12. And God worked no ordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his skin there were brought to the sick handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. ‘There were brought from his skin handkerchiefs.’ They did not only touch them while he was wearing them, but they also took them and laid them on the sick. But observe the Jewish hardness of heart: though they saw the garments of Christ’s disciples working such things, they paid no heed. For the signs done through the handkerchiefs and aprons, and through the shadows of the disciples, are greater than those Jesus Himself did. Handkerchiefs and aprons are both of linen; only the handkerchiefs are placed on the head, while the aprons are held in the hands by those who cannot wear oraria, such as those who wear consular robes, for wiping away the moisture of the face, such as sweat, spittle, tears, and the rest.

Acts 19:13. Then some of the wandering Jewish exorcists undertook to name over those who had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying: We adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches. These men were not willing to believe, yet by the name they wished to cast out demons. For the wording shows that they were adjuring the unclean spirits by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ not as believers in Jesus, but as men putting Him to the test. The word ‘undertook’ shows this: that they had no confidence, yet laid on their hands in order to attain their aim. For this reason, a little later, they paid the penalty for their rashness.

Acts 19:14–17. There were seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish high priest, who did this. But the evil spirit answered and said: Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped upon them, and overpowering them, prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the Jews and Greeks who dwelt in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. The sons of Sceva did this secretly, but their weakness is paraded before all. And it is worth marveling how the demon did not cooperate with the deceit of the exorcists, but exposed them and laid their pretense open. It seems to me that he was greatly enraged, just as someone who, when pressed in the utmost dangers by some pitiful and wretched creature, wishes to vent all his anger upon that creature.

Acts 19:18. And many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and declaring their deeds. Every believer ought to tell his own sins, and by reproving himself to renounce doing the same things again, that he may become righteous, according to what is said: ‘Declare your sins first, that you may be justified’; and the saying, ‘The righteous man is his own accuser in the opening of his speech.’

Acts 19:19–21. And a good number of those who had practiced curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all; and they counted up the prices of them, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed. Now when these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem, after passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying: After I have been there, I must also see Rome. ‘They burned them before all,’ knowing that there was no further profit in them. So given over to idols and to sorcery were the Ephesians that they fashioned the books of sorcery at great cost, as though they contained the best things in life. Having believed in Christ, they did not sell these books but burned them: first, so that no one might be infected by their soul-destroying plague; and then, so that they might not gain anything from such a source. For just as it is forbidden to bring to God the price of a dog, or the gain from harlotry, so neither did they judge it righteous that the silver from this source should be laid at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 19:22. And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed for a time in Asia. He sent the disciples into Macedonia to announce his coming and to make the Macedonians more eager to see him. And with good reason he lingers in Asia; for there was the tyranny of the philosophers.

Acts 19:23–24. Now about that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no small gain to the craftsmen. ‘Silver shrines.’ Perhaps small caskets. Observe how everywhere idolatry is upheld for the sake of money. And this Demetrius too acted for money’s sake: not because their impiety was in danger, but because his gain was being lost, since the cause that sustained the idolatry was being taken away. For Demetrius knew that he was deceiving men by making for them silver temples and silver gods, and he feared lest his fraud be exposed by the true teaching of Paul. He feared also lest the temple of Artemis in Ephesus should be utterly destroyed; and so he foretold the destruction of the temple, which indeed came to pass.

Acts 19:25–27. He gathered these together, along with the workmen of like occupation, and said: Men, you know that from this business comes our prosperity. And you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd, saying that those made by hands are not gods. And this threatens us, not only that our trade may fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted for nothing, and her majesty be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship. ‘That from this business.’ He set the danger before them, that ‘From this craft we are in danger of falling into famine.’ And yet the very things he said were able to lead them to true reverence. For if, he says, this man has such power as to turn away everyone, and the things of the gods are in danger, one ought to consider how great his God must be. But everywhere he steers his argument back to the craft. ‘He has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd’—not by force; that is how one ought to persuade. And it is enough merely to say, ‘They are not gods.’ If, then, the impiety is so easily refuted, it ought long ago to have been condemned; but if it is strong, it cannot be so quickly uprooted.

Acts 19:28–29. And when they heard this, and became full of wrath, they cried out, saying: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! And the whole city was filled with confusion; and with one accord they rushed into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s traveling companions. ‘And became full of wrath.’ The wrath arose when they heard about Artemis, and about their gain. For such are the ways of the rabble: to be carried away and inflamed by any chance thing. They had gods throughout the city, and were so disposed that by their shout they sought to recover reverence for them and to undo what had happened, as though fearing lest their object of worship be extinguished; and so they cried out without ceasing.

Acts 19:30–32. But when Paul wished to go in to the people, the disciples would not let him. And some also of the rulers of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater. So some cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the greater part did not know why they had come together. They would not let him give himself up to a disorderly crowd—so dearly did all the faithful love him. And Paul yields to them, for he was not ambitious for honor. ‘And the greater part did not know why they had come together.’ For such is the nature of a crowd: it simply rushes this way and that, like fire fallen into wood.

Acts 19:33–34. And out of the crowd they put forward Alexander, the Jews thrusting him forward. And Alexander, beckoning with his hand, wished to make a defense to the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, one voice arose from them all, as for about two hours they cried: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Why did Alexander wish to make a defense? Was he himself accused? No—but so as to find an opportunity, and to give the whole affair another turn

Acts 19:35–36. and to overturn matters, and to draw off the wrath of the people. And the town clerk, having quieted the crowd, said: Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great goddess Artemis and of the image fallen from Zeus? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be calm and to do nothing rash. Well and with reproof does the clerk make his defense; and he did not say, ‘Who is there who does not know Artemis?’ but, ‘who does not know your city.’ Why then do you contend as though over things uncertain? For they wished to make reverence their pretext. ‘Temple-keeper’ (neokoros) stands for ‘temple-servant.’ For ‘korema’ means a sweeping, from which also comes ‘neokoros,’ the one who sweeps, that is, cleans the temple. And by ‘that which fell from Zeus’ (Diopetes) he means either the rounded temple of Zeus, or he calls ‘Diopetes’ the image of Athena, that is, the Palladium, which they supposed had been hurled down from above by Zeus and not made by men—as the Greeks fabled—to astound the more simple-minded.

Acts 19:37–39. For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. If then Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls: let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further about other matters, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.

Acts 19:40–41. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting on account of today’s events, there being no cause by which we shall be able to give account of this concourse. And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. Gently he rebukes them, showing that they had acted rashly, and that one ought not to convene a common assembly on account of private complaints. For ‘the courts are open’ (literally, ‘the agoraioi are held’) refers to a class of lowly judges in Asia, the agoraioi, who judged the poor and common people. For this reason they were rather called agoraioi, just as there are advocates (ekdikoi) in certain cities. For the proconsuls attended to the suits of the rich, or to criminal cases. The pleaders, too, are called agoraioi, named from ‘agoreuein,’ that is, to speak publicly before the people.