Atti 19:35 Commento

We left Paul in his circuit visiting the churches (Act 18:23), but we have not forgotten, nor has he, the promise he made to his friends at Ephesus, to return to them, and make some stay there; now this chapter shows us his performance of that promise, his coming to Ephesus, and his continuance there two years; we are here told, I. How he laboured there in the word and doctrine, how he taught some weak believers that had gone no further than John's baptism (Act 19:1-7), how he taught three months in the synagogue of the Jews (Act 19:8), and, when he was driven thence, how he taught the Gentiles a long time in a public school (Act 19:9, Act 19:10), and how he confirmed his doctrine by miracles (Act 19:11, Act 19:12). II. What was the fruit of his labour, particularly among the conjurors, the worst of sinners: some were confounded, that did but make use of his name (Act 19:13-17), but others were converted, that received and embraced his doctrine (Act 19:18-20). III. What projects he had of further usefulness (Act 19:21, Act 19:22), and what trouble at length he met with at Ephesus from the silversmiths, which forced him thence to pursue the measures he had laid; how a mob was raised by Demetrius to cry up Diana (Act 19:23-34), and how it was suppressed and dispersed by the town-clerk (Act 19:35-41).

And it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth,.... Whither he came after the Apostle Paul, and where he watered what the apostle had planted, and where he became very famous and eminent; insomuch that he was set up, though not with his will, at the head of a party, in opposition to the chief of the apostles, Peter and Paul; see Co1 1:12. Paul having passed through the upper coasts; that is, of Phrygia, Galatia, Pontus, Bithynia, Lydia, Lycaonia, and Paphlagonia; came to Ephesus; into Ionia, of which Ephesus was the chief city, and lay near the sea; wherefore the other countries are called the upper coasts; hither he came, according to his promise in Act 28:21 And finding certain disciples; such as believed in Christ, made a profession of him, and had been baptized in his name, for such were commonly called disciples: these do not seem to be persons, who were either converted by Paul, when he was at Ephesus before, or by Apollos, who had been there since, and was gone; but rather some who came hither from other parts, since the apostle was at this place; though indeed his stay at Ephesus before was so short, that they might be here, and he not hear of them, or meet with them.

But if ye inquire anything concerning other matters,.... Than what belongs to the craft and business of Demetrius, and the artificers: it shall be determined in a lawful assembly; that is, called together according to law, and who have a right to hear, try, and judge causes, which such a confused lawless assembly as this in the theatre had not.

Rightly does the grammarian say, "Who is ignorant of the city of the Ephesians?" … He does not say "Who does not know Artemis?" but "Who does not know your city?" which is what they were worshiping: … they were trying to make their faith a pretext for making money.

Seest thou how God permits trials, and by them stirs up and awakens the disciples, and makes them more energetic? Then let us not sink down under trials: for He Himself will "also make the way of escape, that we may be able to bear them." Nothing so makes friends, and rivets them so firmly, as affliction: nothing so fastens and compacts the souls of believers: nothing is so seasonable for us teachers in order that the things said by us may be heard. For the hearer when he is in ease is listless and indolent, and seems to suffer annoyance from the speaker: but when he is in affliction and distress, he falls into a great longing for the hearing. For when distressed in his soul, he seeks on all sides to find comfort for his affliction: and the preaching brings no small comfort.

"And when the town clerk 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 temple-keeper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?" As if the thing were not palpable. With this saying first he extinguished their wrath. "And of the Diopetes." There was another sacred object that was so called. Either he means the piece of burnt earth or her image.

Afflictions cut us off from the sympathy we have for the present world, as appears in this, that we wish for death immediately, and cease to be loving of the body: which very thing is the greatest part of wisdom, to have no hankering, no ties to the present life. The soul which is afflicted does not wish to be concerned about many things: repose and stillness are all it desired, content for its part to have done with the things present, even though there be nothing else to follow.

A great good is affliction: and we learn this from our own children: for without affliction a boy would learn nothing useful. But we, more than they, need affliction. For if there, when the passions as yet are quiet, chastisement benefits them, how much more us, especially possessed as we are by so many! Nay, we behoove rather to have schoolmasters than they: since the faults of children cannot be great, but ours are exceeding great. Our schoolmaster is affliction. Let us then not draw it down willingly upon ourselves, but when it is come let us bear it bravely, being, as it is, always the cause of numberless good things; that so we may both obtain grace from God, and the good things which are laid up for them that love Him, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Well, and with rebuke does the town clerk say, "What man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians-" coming to the point which they were frightened about. Is it this, says he, that ye do not worship her? And he does not say, "That knoweth not" Diana, but, "our city," that it always worshipped her.

The scribe shows how great the superstition of the Ephesians was, both in adorning the temple of Artemis and in honoring her image, which they and the Diopetes said to be fallen from Zeus. For they all called that shell the Diopetes, sent from heaven by Zeus, either a fallen statue that had come down from the sky, or the Palladium, as the Greeks invented in order to astonish the more gullible, which they supposed to have been fashioned from above by Zeus and not by humans. [AMMONIUS]

The Diopetes, of the temple of Zeus, that is, the round-shaped one. Or it was likewise called another sanctuary among them. But instead of "temple-keeper" [Νεωκόρον] he says "temple-servant" [ἱερόδουλόν]; to "sweep" is the act of cleansing, from which also temple-keeper, the one who tends the temple, is so called, that is, he who sweeps the temple. [AMMONIUS]

The town clerk answers justly and with reproach; he did not say "what person does not know of Artemis?" but rather "who does not know that our city is a servant of the great goddess Artemis?" So why are you making an uproar, as though this were something unknown? The word "servant" means, properly speaking, an attendant who sweeps or cleanses the temple. By "Diopetes" he refers to the domed temple of Zeus, or the image of Athena Pallas called the Palladium, concerning which there existed a myth among the Greeks that it had been cast down by Zeus from heaven and was not made by human hands — this was meant to astonish naive people.

Paul, coming to Ephesus, finds certain disciples who had not received the gift of the Holy Ghost, knowing only the baptism of John, but receive it through the imposition of his hands, Act 19:1-7. He preaches for three months in the synagogues, Act 19:8. Many being hardened, he leaves the synagogues, and teaches daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years, Act 19:9, Act 19:10. He works many miracles, Act 19:11, Act 19:12. Account of the vagabond exorcist Jews, and the seven sons of Sceva, Act 19:13-17. Many are converted, and burn their magical books, Act 19:18-20. Paul purposes to pass through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, and afterwards to Rome; but, having sent Timotheus and Erastus to Macedonia, continues a little longer in Asia, Act 19:21, Act 19:22. Demetrius, a silversmith of Ephesus, raises an uproar against Paul, which, after some tumultuous proceedings, is appeased by the town clerk, vv. 23-41.

When the town-clerk - Ὁγραμματευς, Literally, the scribe. The Syriac has reisha damedinato, the chief or prince of the city. The later Syriac has, the scribe of the city. Some think that the word recorder would do better here than town-clerk; and indeed it is evident that a magistrate of considerable authority and influence is intended - the mayor or sovereign of the city. Ye men of Ephesus - The speech of this man may be thus analyzed: 1. He states that there was no need of a public declaration that the Ephesians were worshippers of Diana; this every person knew, and nobody attempted to contest it, Act 19:35, Act 19:36. 2. That the persons accused were not guilty of any public offense, nor of any breach of the laws of the city, Act 19:37. 3. That, if they were, this was not a legal method of prosecuting them, Act 19:38, Act 19:39. 4. That they themselves, by this tumultuous meeting, had exposed themselves to the censure of the law, and were in danger of being called into question for it, Act 19:40. See Dodd. Is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana - The word νεωκορος, neocoros, which we translate worshipper, signified at first, among the ancient Greeks, no more than sweeper of the temple, and answered nearly to our sexton: in process of time, the care of the temple was intrusted to this person: at length the neocori became persons of great consequence, and were those who offered sacrifices for the life of the emperor. Whole cities took this appellation, as appears on many ancient coins and medals; and Ephesus is supposed to have been the first that assumed this title. At this time, it was commonly known as belonging to this city. "What man is there that knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is the Neocoros of the great goddess Diana?" As if he had said: "The whole city is devoted to her worship: it is reputed an honor to our highest characters even to sweep her temple, and open and shut her doors. Besides, we offer to her the highest sacrifices; and are intrusted with the religious service that pertains to the emperor's safety." Of the image which fell down from Jupiter? - The original image of the Ephesian Diana (see on Act 19:27 (note)) was supposed to have descended from heaven; which intimates that it was so old that no person knew either its maker or the time in which it was formed, and it was the interest of the priests to persuade the people that this image had been sent to them as a present from Jupiter himself. Several images and sacred things were supposed, among the heathens, to be presents immediately from heaven. Euripides states the image of Diana of Tauri to be of this kind; and calls it διοπετες αγαλμα, the image fallen from Jupiter. Numa pretended that the ancilia, or sacred shields, had come from heaven. In imitation of these, many of the Italian papists believe that the shrine of our lady of Loretto was also a Divine gift to their country. St. Isidore, of Damietta, says that the heathen, in order to induce the people to believe that such images came from heaven, either banished or slew the artists that had formed them, that there might be no evidence of the time in which, or the persons by whom, they were made: this point secured, it was easy to persuade the credulous multitude that they had been sent from heaven. The story of the Palladium, on which the safety of Troy was said to depend, is well known. It was an image of Minerva, and also supposed to have descended from Jupiter.

SIGNAL SUCCESS OF PAUL AT EPHESUS. (Acts 19:1-41) while Apollos was at Corinth--where his ministry was so powerful that a formidable party in the Church of that city gloried in his type of preaching in preference to Paul's (Co1 1:12; Co1 3:4), no doubt from the marked infusion of Greek philosophic culture which distinguished it, and which the apostle studiously avoided (Co1 2:1-5). Paul having passed through the upper coasts--"parts," the interior of Asia Minor, which, with reference to the seacoast, was elevated. came to Ephesus--thus fulfilling his promise (Act 18:21). finding certain disciples--in the same stage of Christian knowledge as Apollos at first, newly arrived, probably, and having had no communication as yet with the church at Ephesus.

when the town-clerk--keeper of the public archives, and a magistrate of great authority. had appeased--"calmed." the people--"the multitude," which the very presence of such an officer would go far to do. he said . . . what man . . . knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana--literally, the neocoros or "warden." The word means "temple-sweeper"; then, "temple-guardian." Thirteen cities of Asia had an interest in the temple, but Ephesus was honored with the charge of it. (Various cities have claimed this title with reference to the Virgin or certain saints) [WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. and of the image which fell down from Jupiter--"from the sky" or "from heaven." See on Act 19:27. "With this we may compare various legends concerning images and pictures in the Romish Church, such as the traditional likenesses of Christ, which were said to be "not made with hands"" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].