"Peregrinatio Pauli" by Jodocus Hondius from a reprint
of "Hakluytus Posthumus" by Samuel Purchas, 1625
of "Hakluytus Posthumus" by Samuel Purchas, 1625
Though Paul spent considerable time in Ephesus, Luke records only five episodes: Apollos, the twelve disciples of John the Baptist, the synagogue, the seven sons of Sceva, and Demetrius the Silversmith. Taken together, these episodes illustrate the range of contexts in which the Gospel has been proclaimed throughout the ages. At the extremes, we have instruction of a receptive believer and persecution by a hostile mob; in between, we have varying degrees of receptiveness, ambivalence and hostility. These are the same contexts in which believers proclaim the Gospel today.
Though Paul first arrived in Ephesus from Corinth on his second missionary journey, we hear nothing of any converts until his return some time later. Priscilla and Aquila, who had accompanied Paul from Corinth, meanwhile attended a synagogue where they encountered Apollos, a highly educated Jew from Alexandria who taught accurately though incompletely about Jesus. We read that Priscilla and Aquila provided Apollos with a more complete understanding of the Gospel, but they evidently regarded him as a fellow believer because no mention is made of a his subsequent baptism. Luke’s observation that Apollos was a forceful teacher with a thorough knowledge of Scripture has led some, notably Martin Luther, to suggest that he may have been the unnamed author of Hebrews.
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 18.24−28)
The first recorded coverts in Ephesus were twelve disciples of John the Baptist whom Paul re-baptized in the name of Jesus. This is the only recorded instance of such a re-baptism unless Jesus washing his disciples’ feet qualifies as re-baptism. The story in any case highlights the vagueness of transition periods—a useful comparison might be the status of people who followed Jesus but died before he did, which probably has something to do with the resurrections mentioned by Matthew.
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[b] you believed?”They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”“John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19.1-7)
The local synagogue at first welcomed Paul and the other disciples with interested ambivalence, but many closed their hearts to the Gospel when pressed to make a commitment. This resulted in a split between synagogue and church, after which Paul frequented a lecture hall where he held daily discussions with Jews and Greeks alike during the extended lunch hour. During this time, God performed miraculous healings through Paul, which aroused admiration and jealousy among exorcists and magicians in the city, including the sons of a relative of the Chief Priest in Jerusalem. This sentiment turned to fear when the latter were attacked by a demon whom they attempted to expel using the name Jesus as a magical incantation. The incident provoked a number of exorcists and magicians to repent and publicly burn scrolls worth several million dollars in today’s currency.
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (Acts 19.8−10)
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (Acts 19.11−20)
The Temple of Artemis, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, was a massive structure of ornate design that eclipsed the Parthenon and the Coliseum as an architectural marvel. More importantly, the temple treasury—which accepted deposits, minted coins, and made loans—functioned something like a massive bank whose importance made Ephesus the financial center of the Mediterranean as well as the third largest city of the Roman Empire behind Alexandria and Rome. Any assault on the prestige of this temple indirectly impacted the local economy and directly affected the livelihood of local silversmiths such as Demetrius whose business almost certainly involved selling miniature reproductions of the temple. Civic concerns regarding ramifications of the gospel were therefor not unfounded.
About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”(Acts 19.23-27)
The fundamental issue is the nature of each person's treasure: (a) what is the treasure, (b) what makes it so valuable, (c) how great is the treasure, and (d) how vulnerable is it to circumstance? This is what underlies Paul's oblique comparison of the massive temple treasury in Ephesus with the riches that the Ephesian believers share in Christ.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3.17−19)
