Acts 19
1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And 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 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 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 great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore 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. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. (Acts 19, ESV Bible)
1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. (Acts 19:1 , ESV Bible)
High Country of Asya
While Apollos was teaching in Corinth and Thomas was undertaking his second voyage to India, Paul and Timothy passed through the cities of Galatia for the third time. It was the last he would visit those congregations.
Paul intended on returning to Jerusalem: "When Paul, according to his private wish, desired to go to Jerusalem, the Spirit told him to return into Asia" (Acts 19:1, Western Text). On his previous journey through the region with Silas, he had left Pisidian Antioch with the intention of cutting cross-country, passing through Asia, and arriving at Ephesus, but the Holy Spirit redirected his path. This time, in obedience to God's leading, he traveled across the higher country of Asia Minor on his way directly to Ephesus. While en route, he passed near the cities of Hierapolis, Colossae, Laodicea, and Philadelphia. Apparently, he did not stop to teach in those cities, but he was at least indirectly involved with pioneering the gospel in them while teaching from Ephesus.
A decade later, while imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote an epistle to the Colossians, which indicates that he considered their community and the one at Laodicea as assemblies under his apostolate. He told them, "When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the [assembly] of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea" (Colos-sians 4:16). The epistle also makes it clear that Paul did not plant the community in Colossae and that he had only recently heard of its existence. The believers in Colossae first heard the gospel message "and understood the grace of God in truth" when they "learned it from Epaphras," a Colossian God-fearer. Paul considered Epaphras his "fellow bond-servant" (Colossians 1:6-9). Epaphras of Colossae was apparently responsible for establishing communities of faith in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
The greetings at the end of the epistle to the Colossians indicate that Paul personally knew some members of the Colossian community. Addi-tionally, his letter to Philemon of Colossae assumes a relationship in which Philemon owes Paul his very soul, an indication that he was a personal convert-"you owe to me even your own self" (Philemon 19). Perhaps Paul first met Epaphras and Philemon while on his way to Ephesus. If not, he met them sometime during his ensuing years at Ephesus.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
City of Artemis
The ancient city of Ephesus operated a major urban port on the western coast of modern Turkey and enjoyed the status of principal city of the Roman Province of Asia (Minor). Although under Roman control since 133 BCE, Ephesus did not become a Roman colony; it retained status as a free city. The Roman proconsul over Asia administered the province from Ephesus.
The city's population of two hundred thousand people made it the third-largest city in the Roman Empire. Only Rome and Alexandria were larger. The port at Ephesus received traffic from the Aegean to the west, the Bosporus and Dardanelles to the north, Syria and Israel to the east, and Egypt to the south.
Two important highways intersected at Ephesus and connected the city with the distant frontiers of the Roman Empire, making it an important communication center for Rome and a hub for all culture and commerce in western Asia.
Greek mythology associated the origins of the city with the legendary Amazon warriors and the goddess Artemis (Diana). On the coins minted at Ephesus, the goddess wears a crown in the shape of the walls of Ephesus. A great temple to Artemis at Ephesus drew pilgrims and worshipers of Artemis from all over the world. The temple also functioned as a treasury and bank for economic interests all over the Mediterranean world. In the second century ce, Antipater of Sidon ranked the Ephesian Temple of Artemis as the greatest of the seven wonders of the world (Antipater, Greek Anthology 9.58). Likewise, Pliny the Elder rated the temple at Ephesus as the greatest work of Greek architecture (Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.21).
Artemis was the most widely worshiped and revered goddess in the ancient world. She was the twin sister of Apollo, the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, childbirth, virginity, and chastity. Her father, Zeus, granted her the wish of perpetual virginity. Her mythological companions took vows of chastity, as did her cult followers. Like the Vestal Virgins of the Vesta cult, Artemis had worshipers sworn to celibacy.
At the same time, in seeming contradiction, images of Ephesian Artemis depict her bristling with multiple breasts, and the Ephesians looked to her as a mother-goddess and fertility goddess. The fusion of the two ideals suggests syncretism between the Greek Artemis and an older Ephesian fertility goddess. The combination worked, and the Artemis of Ephesus achieved worldwide acclaim.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” (Acts 19:2-3, ESV Bible)
Disciples of Yochanan
When Paul returned to the Jewish community in Ephesus, he encountered a small chavurah (fellowship) of disciples. They were not disciples of Yeshua. Like Apollos, they were disciples from the school of John the Immerser. As disciples of John the Immerser, they believed in the coming kingdom, the message of repentance, and the imminent arrival of the Messiah, but they had no direct knowledge about Yeshua of Nazareth. Paul sensed something amiss. He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" In Paul's experience, people routinely experienced some evidence of God's Spirit in their lives as they confessed their faith in and allegiance to Yeshua.
The disciples replied, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." This does not mean that they had never heard of the Holy Spirit. The term "Holy Spirit" is the rabbinic equivalent to the biblical term "Spirit of the LORD." They knew of the Spirit of the LORD, and they knew that God had promised to pour out His Spirit on all men when the Messianic Era arrives. They did not know that the outpouring had already begun. The Western Text clarifies their statement: "We have not even heard that any receive the Holv Spirit."
Paul argued that John was only the forerunner of the Messiah, reminding them of John's teachings about the Messiah:
As for me, I immerse you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will immerse you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11)
The twelve men consented to immersion into the name of Yeshua. Then Paul laid his hands on each one, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began to speak in languages, just as the apostles had done on the day of Shavuot two decades earlier. They began to prophesy in the Spirit.
The episode illustrates that the disciple who identifies with Yeshua of Nazareth not only prepares the way for the kingdom (as John did) but also receives a foretaste of the kingdom.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. (Acts 19:8, ESV Bible)
The Synagogue in Efsos
Paul and Timothy found lodging in the home of Priscilla and Aquila, and Paul took work again in the tent-making trade. Priscilla and Aquila were also tent-makers, and they simply expanded their enterprise to include Paul. He worked his trade the entire length of his stay in Ephesus. His enterprise provided for his own needs and even those of his immediate colleagues.
He later boasted about his years in Ephesus, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes ... these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions" (Acts 20:33-34).
Priscilla and Aquila were active members of the large Jewish community in Ephesus. The Jews of Ephesus had been there since the third century BCE. Josephus describes how the Jews at Ephesus enjoyed special dispensations from Augustus that shaped Roman-Jewish policy throughout the Empire. Similarly, Marcus Agrippa's defense of the Ephesian Jewish community secured Jewish rights under Rome. A city as large as Ephesus must have had at least a dozen synagogues.
Paul returned to the one at which he had spoken on his previous visit. The synagogue welcomed him back and gave him a forum to present his teachings. He spent three months in the synagogue, every Sabbath arguing persuasively about the kingdom. The fact that an Ephesian synagogue gave Paul a platform for his teaching for three months implies that the congregation received his message and respected his opinions.
Paul's first convert was a man named Epaenetus (Romans 16:5). The God-fearing Gentiles, Tychicus and Trophimus, became disciples early on as well. A man named Onesiphorus brought his entire household into the messianic faith and rendered many services to Paul and Timothy (2 Timothy I:16-18).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. (Acts 19:9, ESV Bible)
Beit Midrash of Turnus
After three months, opposition to Paul's message surfaced. It may have taken that long for the Jews of Ephesus to realize that Paul's gospel invited Gentiles into the fold. In Acts 21, "Jews from Asia" recognized Paul in Jerusalem with "Trophimus the Ephesian," and "they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple" (Acts 21:29). They assumed that, since Paul had brought the Gentiles into their synagogues, he would also bring them into the Temple.
One would assume that the Jewish community would be happy to support a teacher adept at turning the Gentiles away from idols. One man in particular, Alexander the metalworker, "vigorously opposed" Paul's teaching (2 Timothy 4:15). As a Jew, he was not directly part of the idol-making trade, but his fortunes were evidently connected with the broader interests of his guild. Alexander galvanized the opposition, and they began to denounce "The Way."
Rather than remain in the synagogue and see the gospel message reduced to an ugly bickering, Paul chose to withdraw. As he had done in Corinth, he took the disciples of Yeshua with him when he left, and they found new venues in which to assemble and fellowship. Priscilla and Aquila made their home in Ephesus available as a house-synagogue (I Corinthians 16:I9). Paul looked for a larger, more public place. In the Roman world, orators and philosophers sought venues in which to present their ideas, whether in private homes or public lecture halls. Paul wanted someplace like that where he could teach on his own terms without worrying about being chased out.
An Ephesian man named Tyrannus owned a lecture hall called "the school of Tyrannus." The name Tyrannus means "tyrant." It may have been a common name. It appears among Ephesian inscriptions from the period. The translation "school" is misleading: schole (oxoln) means "leisure." In the Greco-Roman world, a leisure hall was an auditorium for hearing oratory. Tyrannus owned a leisure hall.
It seems unlikely that Tyrannus was merely a wealthy Ephesian Gentile renting out his facility to the apostles. Idolatrous trappings would adorn such a facility, and these adornments would make it difficult for the apostles to utilize the facility as a place of Torah and praver. Tvrannus may have been a member of the Jewish community. Some scholars consider the hall of Tyrannus a "private synagogue" or local beit midrash ("house of study," waT n'1) where Jewish scholars could gather to discuss Torah and access scrolls. Paul used the hall to reach "both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). This suggests that the hall functioned within the Ephesian Jewish community.
Paul taught at the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two years. The Western Text says that Paul had the use of the hall for five hours a day: "He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyran-nus from the fifth to the tenth hour," ie., from 11:00 aM to 4:00 PM. The arrangement worked well for Paul. He spent the morning hours working as a tent-maker and the afternoons teaching. In the Greco-Roman world, the business day started at dawn, and public affairs concluded before noon. Most people took a siesta during the early afternoon. Paul and his disciples used the quiet hours for study and teaching.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 19:10, ESV Bible)
The Efsos Years
Paul did not limit his outreach efforts to Jews. "All who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." The good news of Messiah took root among Gentiles "not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia." In all those places, Paul "persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all" (Acts 19:26).
Acts 19:10 indicates that Paul taught in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two years, but his total stay in Ephesus was even longer. He had already been in Ephesus three months before renting the hall. Later, when leaving Asia Minor for the last time, Paul reminded the Ephesian elders, "Night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears" (Acts 20:31). This implies that the events narrated subsequent to Acts 19:10 occurred over a period of many months after the two years in the lecture hall. The three years in Ephesus (52-55 CE) represent Paul's longest stay in any one place.
Paul taught both publicly and privately in Ephesus. His work established several small house-synagogues, like the congregation that met in the home of Priscilla and Aquila. Paul later recalled teaching in Ephesus "publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Master Yeshua the Messiah" (Acts 20:20-21).
The three years in Ephesus were not just one more stop on the apostle's travels. Ephesus became the new base of Paul's ministry, just as Antioch had been in Syria. His farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 indicates the importance of Ephesus. He enjoyed his golden years of effective work while based in Ephesus. From Ephesus, the gospel went out like spokes from the hub of a wheel. He sent out a steady flow of epistles and fellow workers to visit his other congregations from Ephesus. As noted above, his fellow worker and disciple Epaphras of Colossae established communities of faith in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
Paul planted several congregations of God-fearing Gentiles in Ephesus. The congregations in Ephesus consisted of men and women of status as well as commoners and slaves. The number of Gentiles far outweighed the Jewish believers. Paul speaks of them as "the assemblies of the Gentiles" (Romans 16:4). Nevertheless, he encouraged the Ephesian Gentiles to think of themselves as co-religionists with the Jewish people. His epistle to the Ephesians speaks about how his readers "formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). He reminds the Ephesians that they are "Gentiles in the flesh who are called 'Uncircumcision," and that prior to their encounter with Messiah, they were "excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). The Messiah abolished the enmity between Jew and Gentile, reconciling them into one new man: "The Gentiles are fellow heirs [with Jews] and fellow members of the body [of Messiah]" (Ephesians 3:6). The disciples are "no longer strangers and aliens [to Israel], but ... fellow citizens with the saints" (Ephesians 2:I9).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. (Acts 19:11-12, ESV Bible)
Magic and Extraordinary Miracles
While living and teaching at Ephesus, the LORD was pleased to perform "extraordinary miracles" through the hands of Paul. The gospel message needed extraordinary miracles to achieve credibility in a city like Ephesus.
Ephesus had a reputation for the magical arts. It boasted schools of magic where sorcery could be studied and learned. Paul taught the Ephesians that they struggled "not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
Ephesus was so well known for sorcery that it was common throughout the Mediterranean to refer to magical scrolls as Ephesia grammata, i.e., "Ephesus Letters." Such scrolls contained secret formulations of meaning-less, magical words along the lines of "hocus-pocus" and "bibbity-bobbity-boo." Those who knew how to string the meaningless syllables together and properly pronounce the words used them to cast spells and charms. Casting spells also invoked the "secret names" of spirits, demons, or deities. The power of a spell-scroll derived from the secret names it contained.
The Torah forbids occultism, but the Roman world considered Jews to have potent magic. Some magical scrolls from the first century invoke the name of the God of Israel in their attempts to manipulate the world. First-century Jewish exorcism rituals also involved the invocation of secret names, including adjuration by the ineffable name of God.
Paul healed the sick and cast out evil spirits. He established a local reputation as a holy man, miracle worker, and exorcist. As his reputation grew, the people in Ephesus used to steal his personal articles of cloth-ing-handkerchiefs, sweat-rags, and aprons that he wore while at work as a tent-maker-and use them to heal the sick and cast out evil spirits. Paul did not approve of the use of holy handkerchiefs and blessed aprons, but enthusiastic disciples and superstitious Ephesians found the articles of clothing efficacious for healings.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. (Acts 19:13-14, ESV Bible)
Seven Sons of Skevah
A band of Kohen brothers worked in the exorcism business at Ephesus. Luke refers to them as the seven sons of Sceva, "a Jewish chief priest." Sceva (Sceuas, [keva) means "left-handed fighter" in Greek. It may be a Greek approximation for some form of the Hebrew Sheva ("seven," yaw), a name related to the Sabbath or the number seven. No high priest with that name served as high priest in Jerusalem, but Sceva may have simply been a family member of one of the high priestly dynasties.
Sceva's seven sons were exorcists. People hired them to exorcise demons. In a town so saturated with the occult, the sons of Sceva never lacked for business, but they regarded Paul as a competitor, and they sought to employ his power. They made careful inquiries and learned that he invoked the name of Yeshua of Nazareth.
When casting out a demon, a Jewish exorcist ordinarily invoked the name of God or the name of Solomon. The apostles did not presume to directly take the authority of God's name. The apostles believed that the Master alone wielded the authority of God's name. Yeshua, in turn, gave His apostles the authority to cast out demons in His own name, a name invested with the full weight of His Father's name. The apostles demonstrated the efficacy of prayer and healing in Yeshua's name. Even during the Master's lifetime, some non-disciples began to use the name of Yeshua for exorcism. Rabbinic literature reluctantly admits the reality of the miracles performed in Yeshua's name but forbids it all the same. By the second century, some Jewish teachers forbade using the Master's name for healing. They also forbade Jews from accepting the prayers of Yeshua's disciples.
The seven sons of Sceva decided to try to employ the name of Yeshua in their exorcism business. Yeshua was a common Jewish name, so in order to specify, they adjured the evil spirits, saying, "In the name of Yeshua whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out" (Acts 19:13). Apparently, the initial results of this formula were encouraging. On one occasion, however, the evil spirit responded, "I recognize Yeshua, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" The rhetorical question implies, "You do not have the right to be wielding that authority." To punctuate his point, the possessed man gave the seven sons a sound thrashing. The demon-possessed often exhibit superhuman strength, particularly in the course of exorcism. The demoniac tore the clothes from the men's bodies and sent them fleeing from the house, cut, bruised, and bleeding.
Word about the incident and the flight of the seven naked men traveled rapidly throughout the Ephesian Jewish community. Even the Gentiles heard about what had happened. Thanks to the buffoonery of the seven sons of Sceva, the city of Ephesus feared and reverenced the name of Yeshua.
The story shook up the believers as well. Those who had already believed confessed their involvement with occult practices. Both Jews and Gentiles who had dabbled in magic and sorcery came to Paul, confessing their sin and renouncing their secret practices. They sought deliverance from the evil spirits that their occultism had invoked. On one occasion, Paul and the apostles hosted a public burning of "Ephesian Letters" and magical spell scrolls. They estimated the value of burned scrolls at 50,000 silver drachmas. One drachma was the average daily wage. In modern terms, they committed millions of dollars worth of magic scrolls to the fire.
This might be the incident Paul mentioned to the Corinthians when he told them that he planned on lingering in Ephesus, where "a wide door for effective service has opened" (I Corinthians 16:9).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Wild Beasts at Efsos
Jews and Gentiles of Ephesus spoke of Paul as the Jewish holy man, and "the name of the Master Yeshua was being magnified" (Acts I9:17). "The word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing" (Acts 19:20), but at the same time, Paul told the believers in Corinth, "There are many adversaries here" (I Corinthians 16:9). Among those adversaries, Alexander the metalworker continued to forge new plots against Paul.
Luke skips some stories from the three years that Paul stayed in Ephesus. When saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, Paul recalled the tears and trials of living in Ephesus and the many "plots of the lews" (Acts 20:10). Luke does not elaborate on the tears and trials Paul suffered in Ephesus, and he does not tell his readers any details about the plots. Elsewhere, Paul made a cryptic reference to fighting wild beasts at Ephesus:
If the dead are not raised at all ... Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brethren ... I die daily. If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. (I Corinthians 15:29-32)
Whether the wild beasts Paul faced at Ephesus were literal or metaphori-cal, he lived to tell the Corinthians about the experience in his argument for a literal resurrection. He argued that, if not for hope in the resurrection of the dead, he would not have willingly faced the wild beasts at Ephesus.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. (Acts 19:21-22, ESV Bible)
The Yerushalayim Collection
After escaping the plots laid against him at Ephesus, Paul began to think about moving on from Ephesus. He had stayed there three years, worn out his welcome in the Jewish communities of Asia, and effectively planted assemblies of believers in Ephesus and the surrounding communities. He told the Roman believers that there was "no further place" for him in the region (Romans I5:23). He wanted to take the gospel someplace where no other apostle had been, to "preach the gospel, not where the Messiah was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation' (Romans 15:20). He began making plans to pass through Macedonia and Achaia again, visiting the congregations in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth. This was not to be just another teaching tour. He wanted to raise a contribution from each of his congregations for the poor ones in Jerusalem.
Diaspora synagogues commonly raised the annual half-shekel and additional donations for the Temple and priesthood in Jerusalem. Though the Torah's laws of tithing agriculture and offering the first fruits of crops do not technically apply outside of the land of Israel, Diaspora Jews kept the spirit of the laws by sending annual contributions to the Temple. Pilgrims going up for the festivals served as the couriers. Through this system, Jews outside of the land of Israel maintained a sense of participation in the Temple worship.
Paul adopted a similar model for the Gentiles in his congregations. He wanted them to send a gift to the impoverished Jerusalem believers, as he had promised when accepting his apostleship (Galatians 2:10). Paul knew of many brothers and sisters in Jerusalem with serious need. He explained the situation to the Corinthians:
This is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack." (2 Corinthians 8:13-15, quoting Exodus I6:18)
Years earlier, he had told the Galatians to set aside money for a contribution to the Jerusalem believers. He planned to bring representatives from each of the Diaspora congregations to hand-deliver the contribution at the next pilgrimage festival to dispel rumors about his work among the Gentiles. Then the Jerusalem believers could see for themselves the quality of the Diaspora congregations. They would learn first-hand that there was "nothing to the things which they have been told," but that he himself also walked orderly, keeping the Torah (Acts 21:24). Paul asked the Roman believers to "Pray that ... my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints there" (Romans 15:31).
He sent epistles to the Galatian congregations, urging them to send representatives to him, carrying the money they had collected for the endeavor (I Corinthians 16:5-8). He sent Timothy with Erastus (the city treasurer of Corinth) ahead of him to make arrangements with the congregations in Macedonia. In his epistle to the Roman congregations, Paul told them of his plans to first bring the contribution to Jerusalem and then travel on to visit them. He also reported on the collection efforts (Romans 15:25-28).
He planned on staying in Ephesus until after Shavu'ot. After the festival he hoped to travel through Macedonia and on to Corinth and from there to sail with the Corinthian delegates to hand-deliver their charitable contributions in Jerusalem (I Corinthians 16:2-8).
Paul did not make it to Macedonia as he had planned. He sent Timothy and Erastus ahead, but then he decided to go straight to Corinth. He referred to that visit as a painful one (2 Corinthians 2:1). He did not stay long. He returned to Ephesus and exchanged further correspondence with the Corinthians community. The difficult letters that comprise 2 Corinthians belong to this period.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. (Acts 19:23-24, ESV Bible)
Great is Artemis of the Ephesians
All this while, Paul and his co-laborers continued to preach Jewish monotheism and faith in Yeshua to the Gentiles of Ephesus. As Paul's reputation grew, he attracted the attention of the local silversmiths' guild. The silversmiths in Ephesus manufactured little Artemis (Diana) shrines for tourists. One could visit Ephesus, purchase a little replica of Artemis or her temple, bring it to her priesthood for a blessing, and then bring it back to one's own place and worship the goddess from the comfort of one's own home. The many-breasted Ephesian Artemis made a truly unique addition to one's collection of gods and goddesses.
Demetrius the silversmith was no fool. He recognized where all the Jewish talk about monotheism had to lead. If Gentiles all started embracing the Jewish religion, they would abandon the old gods. When that happened, no one would buy little silver idols any longer. He would go out of business.
Demetrius gathered together his fellow craftsmen and roused them with an impassioned speech. He reminded them that their prosperity depended on people worshiping the idols, and he warned them that in Ephesus and "almost all of Asia," Paul was persuading people to turn from the gods, "saying that gods made with hands are not gods at all."
A precipitous drop in the sale of idols would be bad enough, Demetrius argued, but far worse was the insult to the great goddess Artemis and her temple in Ephesus. The silversmith exclaimed, "She whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence!"
Demetrius' words had their desired effect. Whipped into a fury, the idol-makers of Ephesus began to chant, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" The silversmiths' guild took to the streets with their angry mantra and quickly assembled a crowd. Nothing riles a crowd faster than shouting a catchy slogan.
The shouting crowd grew. Pilgrims and Ephesians joined them. The situation escalated rapidly.
The silversmiths tried to find Paul, but they could only locate two of his disciples: Gaius and Aristarchus, disciples visiting from the congregations in Macedonia. Gaius and Aristarchus happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This might be the same as Gaius of Derbe, who is mentioned a few verses later (Acts 20:4). Aristarchus was a Jewish disciple from Thessalonica who accompanied Paul on his travels from Ephesus all the way to Rome (Acts 20:4, 27:2; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24).
The angry crowd of Ephesians seized them and dragged them off to the city's enormous theater. Carved into the side of Mount Pion and nearly five hundred feet in diameter, the three-tiered theater could seat more than 24,000 spectators.
Paul heard about what was happening. He wanted to go directly to the theater to address the crowd, but the disciples would not allow him. They feared for his life.
The streets filled with people, and everyone rushed to the theater to find out what the commotion was all about. As the city spun out of control, some high officials "who were friends of his" sent him repeated messages warning him not to venture into the theater. People from all over the city heard the uproar and left what they were doing to join the fun. They poured into the theater. Caught up in the crowd frenzy, most of them did not even know what the uproar was about. "Some were shouting one thing and some another."
One group of people in the assembly did know why they were there. The Jews of Ephesus knew that the angry Artemis-zealots would make no distinction between Paul's disciples and the ewish community. The riot placed the whole Jewish population in serious danger.
The Jewish community leaders acted quickly. They needed to pacify the angry crowd. They chose a man known as Alexander to speak on their behalf. Luke's narrative uses his name as if his readers should know who he was, but Alexander was a common name. He may have been a local synagogue official or an important political person in Ephesus. He may have been "Alexander the coppersmith":
Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. (2 Timothy 4:14-I5)
Was Alexander a member of the metalworker's guild with Demetrius? Had he warned Demetrius about Paul's teachings and encouraged him to take action? If so, his plot against Paul had gone awry, and now the threat of pogrom hovered over the whole Jewish community.
Alexander tried to silence the crowd in order to speak to them. He wanted to tell them that Jews attempt to live at peace with all peoples and have a long-standing policy against blaspheming other peoples' gods. He wanted to make a distinction between the Jewish community and the work of Paul of Tarsus. He did not have that opportunity.
When the crowd saw that he was a Jew, they identified him with Paul and the believers. Nearly three years after Paul had left the Ephesian syna-gogue, the believers of Ephesus still appeared to outsiders simply as Jews. The crowd in the theater shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
The city clerk entered the theater and calmed the crowd. He was, in essence, the town's registrar, a local Ephesian official in charge of keeping records, recording deposits to the temple, and filing notes and reports on city assemblies.
When he had silenced the crowd. he scolded them for their rash and irresponsible behavior. The city clerk dismissed the crowd's concern that Artemis might be dethroned from her place of magnificence in Ephesus.
After all, no one could deny that her image had fallen from heaven and now stood in her temple at Ephesus. Some speculate that the Ephesians fashioned an idol of Artemis from a meteorite. Her temple at Taurus contained a meteorite worshiped as an image of the goddess, and the practice of worshiping meteorites was not unusual. The clerk referred Demetrius and the idol-makers to the city forum where they could bring their complaint to the proconsul, and then he warned the crowd that the Roman government would call the city to account for the riot.
Finally, he dismissed the assembly. The Ephesians left the theater somewhat sheepishly, perhaps embarrassed at all the commotion.
Gaius and Aristarchus left, thanking God for a narrow escape. The Jewish community of Ephesus also sighed in relief as the city went back to normal. Paul knew he could no longer stay in Ephesus.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.