Luke i. 65: .

vii. 16. ch. ii. 43: v. 5,

of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and I fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus r was magnified. 18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 19 Many of them s Matt. iii.6. also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

t

20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

t ch. vi. 7, 12,

24.

x ch. xx. 2.

xxiii. 11.

21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in Rom. xv. 5. the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. 22 So he sent into Mace- y ch. xviii. 21: donia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and a Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. 23 And the same time there arose no small stir about, 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a

b

i that way.

i render, the: see ch. ix. 2.

occasion and St. Luke has retained the
word as it stood in the record furnished to
him. Whether any similar occurrence
happened to the rest, we are not informed:
this one is selected as most notorious.
18.] The natural effect of such an occur-
rence was to induce a horror of magical
arts, &c., which some were still continuing
to countenance or practise secretly, together
with a profession of Christianity. Such
persons now came forward and confessed
their error. The deeds mentioned in this
verse were probably the association with
such practices: the next verse treats of
the magicians themselves. 19. their

Rom. xv.
[see Rom.
Tim. iv. 20.

24-28.
z ch. xii. 5.

xvi. 23.] 2

b 2 Cor. i. 8.

the legitimate centre of his apostolic working. Or perhaps he speaks under some divine intimation that ultimately he should be brought to Rome. If so, his words were literally fulfilled. He did see Rome, when he had been at Jerusalem this next time but after considerable delay, and as a prisoner. Compare the same design as expressed by him, Rom. i. 15: xv. 23-28; and Paley's remarks in the Horæ Paulinæ. 22.] He intended himself to follow, after Pentecost, 1 Cor. xvi. 8. This mission of Timothy is alluded to 1 Cor. iv. 17 (see also 1 Cor. i. 1); xvi. 10. The object of it was to bring these churches in Macedonia and Achaia into remembrance of the ways and teaching of Paul. It occurred shortly before the writing of 1 Cor. He was (1 Cor. xvi. 11) soon to return:-but considerable uncertainty hangs over this journey. We find him again with Paul in Macedonia, 2 Cor. i. 1: but apparently he had not reached Corinth. See 1 Cor. xvi., as above: and 2 Cor. xii. 18, where he would probably have been mentioned, had he done so.-On the difficult question respecting a journey in of Paul himself to Corinth during this period, see notes, 2 Cor. xii. 14; xiii. 1,— and Introduction to 1 Cor. § 5. Erastus] This Erastus can hardly be identical with the Erastus of Rom. xvi. 23, who must have been resident at Corinth: see there : and therefore hardly either with the Erastus

books] These books consisted of magical formula, or receipt-books, or written amulets. These last were celebrated by the name of Ephesian scrolls. They were copies of the mystic words engraved on the image of the Ephesian Artemis (Diana).

fifty thousand pieces of silver] 50,000 drachmæ, i. e. denarii: for the drachma of the Augustan and following ages was the Roman denarius-about 84d. of our money which makes the entire value about £1770. 21. these things] The occurrences of vv. 19, 20.

the spirit] An expression mostly used by St. Paul, see Rom. i. 9; viii. 16; xii. 11: 1 Cor. ii. 4; v. 3, 4; xiv. 14, and other places. I must also see Rome] As he was sent to the Gentiles, he saw that the great metropolis of the Gentile world was

c Ps. cxv. 4. Isa. xliv.

x. 3.

silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; 25 whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. 26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no 10-20. Jer. gods, which are made with hands: 27 so that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess k Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. 28 And when they heard [these sayings] they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 29 And the [whole] city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord

d Rom. xvi. 23.

1 Cor. i. 14.

e ch. xx. 4:

xxvii. 2. Col. iv. 10.

Philem. 24.

d

k The Greek is Artěmis. Diana is the Roman name.
1 render both times, employment.

m read, she should be deposed from her greatness.
nnot expressed in the original.

24.

of 2 Tim. iv. 20: see note there.
silver shrines] These were small models of
the celebrated temple of the Ephesian
Artemis (Diana), with her statue, which it
was the custom to carry on journeys, and
place in houses, as a charm. We may find
an exact parallel in the usages of that
corrupt form of Christianity, which, what-
ever it may pretend to teach, in practice
honours similarly the "great goddess" of
its imagination.

25. of like occu

pation] i. e. manufacturers of all sorts of
memorials or amulets connected with the
worship of Artemis (Diana).-Mr. Howson
(ii. p. 98) suggests that possibly Alexander
the coppersmith may have been one of
these craftsmen: see 2 Tim. iv. 14.
26.] The people believed that the images
themselves were gods: see ch. xvii. 29, and
the citation from Plutarch in my Greek
Test.-And so it is invariably, wherever
images are employed professedly as media
of worship. 27.] but that eventually
even the temple itself of the great goddess
Artemis will be counted for nothing.
"Great" was the usual epithet of the
Ephesian Artemis.-The temple of Artemis
at Ephesus, having been burnt to the
ground by Herostratus on the night of the
birth of Alexander the Great (B.c. 355),

• omit.

was restored with increased magnificence,
and accounted one of the wonders of the
ancient world. Its dimensions were 425
by 220 feet, and it was surrounded by 127
columns, 60 feet high. It was standing in
all its grandeur at this time. See Conybeare
and Howson, ch. xvi. vol. ii. pp. 84 ff.
29. having caught] It is not implied that
they seized Gaius and Aristarchus before
they rushed into the theatre: but rather
that the two acts were simultaneous.
Gaius] A different person from the Gaius
of ch. xx. 4, who was of Derbe, and from
the Gaius of Rom. xvi. 23, and 1 Cor. i. 15,
who was evidently a Corinthian. Aris-
tarchus is mentioned ch. xx. 4; xxvii. 2;
Col. iv. 10; Philem. 24. He was a native
of Thessalonica. into the theatre]
The resort of the populace on occasions of
excitement. Of the site of the theatre,
the scene of the tumult raised by Deme-
trius, there can be no doubt, its ruins
being a wreck of immense grandeur. I
think it must have been larger than the
one at Miletus; and that exceeds any I
have elsewhere seen. . . . . Its form alone
can now be spoken of, for every seat is
removed, and the proscenium is a heap of
ruins.' Fellows, Asia Minor, p. 274. The
theatre of Ephesus is said to be the largest

30 And when Paul would have entered

f

into the theatre.
in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
31 And
certain of the 4 chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent
unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure
himself into the theatre. 32 Some therefore cried one
thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused;
and the more part knew not wherefore they were come
together. 33 And they drew Alexander out of the mul-
titude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander
g beckoned with the hand, and would have made his
defence unto the people. 34 But when they knew that he
was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two
hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 35 And
when the townclerk 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 at worshipper of the
great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down
from Jupiter? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be
spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing
rashly. 37 For ye have brought hither these men, which

¶ see note.

S

rrender, some of the multitude drew forth Alexander.
render, multitude.

t literally, a temple-keeper: see note.

known of any that have remained to us
from antiquity.' Conybeare and Howson,
ii. p. 83, note 3.
31. certain of the
chief of Asia] Literally, of the Asiarchs.
These Asiarchs were officers elected by the
cities of the province of Asia to preside
over their games and religious festivals.
Of these it would be natural that the one
who for the time presided would bear the
title of "the Asiarch" but no more is
known of such presidency. The Asiarch
Philip at Smyrna is mentioned by Eusebius
as presiding in the amphitheatre at the
martyrdom of Polycarp. These Ephesian
games in honour of Artemis took place in
May, which whole month (another sin-
gular coincidence with the practices of
idolatrous Christendom) was sacred to, and
named Artemisian after, the goddess.

33. drew forth] i. e. urged forward,
through the crowd; the Jews pushing him
on from behind.-Alexander does not seem
to be mentioned elsewhere (but see on
2 Tim. iv. 14). He appears to have been
a Christian convert from Judaism, whom
the Jews were willing to expose as a

f[see 1 Tim. i. gch. xi. 17.

20. 2 Tim. iv. 14.]

34.

victim to the fury of the mob: or perhaps
one of themselves, put forward to clear
them of blame on the occasion.
when they knew that he was a Jew] They
would hear nothing from a Jew, as being
an enemy of image-worship. 35.] The
townclerk is the nearest English office
corresponding to that here mentioned in
the original. He was the keeper of the
archives, and public reader of decrees, &c.,
in the assemblies.
The word here
rendered worshipper probably means a
virger, or adorner of the temple: here used
as implying that Ephesus had the charge
and keeping of the temple. The title is
found on inscriptions as belonging to
Ephesus; and seems to have been specially
granted by the emperors to particular
cities.

of the image which fell down from Jupiter] To give peculiar sanctity to various images, it was given out that they had fallen from heaven. See examples in my Greek Test. This artifice also has been imitated by the paganized Christianity of the wretched Church of Rome. 37.7 From this verse it appears that Paul had

are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. 38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, y the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. 39 But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. 41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

XX. 1 And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called a1 Cor. xvi. 5. unto him the disciples, & and embraced them, and a departed for to go into Macedonia. 2 And when he had gone over

1 Tim. i. 3.

b ch. ix. 23: xxiii. 12: XXV. 3. 2 Cor. xi. 26.

those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 3 and there abode three months. And b when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. 4 And there accompanied him into Asia b Sopater of Berœa;

I better, temples.

Z render, the.

render, court-days are held.

a read, and exhorted them, and bade them farewell. b read, Sopater [the son] of Pyrrhus, a Bercean. proceeded at Ephesus with the same caution as at Athens, and had not held up to contempt the worship of Artemis, any further than unavoidably the truths which he preached would render it contemptible. This is also manifest from his having friends among the Asiarchs, ver. 31. Chrysostom, however, treats this assertion of the town-clerk merely as a device to appease the people: "this," he says, was a lie, and was said only for the populace."

able to give an account, i. e. 'no ground whereon to build the possibility of our giving an account.'

66

38. court-days are held] The sentence implies that they were then actually going on. They were the periodical assizes of the district, held by the proconsul and his assessors (see below). deputies]

i. e.,-see on ch. xiii. 7,—proconsuls: the fit officers before whom to bring these causes. So the Commentators generally. But perhaps the assessors of the proconsul may have themselves popularly borne the name. let them implead one another] i. e. let them (the plaintiffs and defendants) plead against one another. 39.] The definite article points out the regularly recurring assembly, of which they all knew.

40.] He here assumes that this assembly was an unlawful one. The meaning is, There being no ground why (i. e. in consequence of which) we shall be

CHAP. XX. 1-XXI. 16.] JOURNEY OF
PAUL TO MACEDONIA AND GREECE, AND
THENCE TO JERUSALEM.
2.] Notices

of this journey may be found 2 Cor. ii. 12,
13; viii. 5, 6. He delayed on the way
some time at Troas, waiting for Titus-
-broke off his preaching there, though
prosperous, in distress of mind at his non-
arrival, 2 Cor. ii. 12, 13,-and sailed for
Macedonia, where Titus met him, 2 Cor.
vii. 6. That Epistle was written during it,
from Macedonia (see 2 Cor. ix. 2, I am
boasting'). He seems to have gone to the
confines at least of Illyria, Rom. xv. 19.

them] The Macedonian brethren. Greece] Achaia: see ch. xix. 21. 3. there abode] This stay was made at Corinth, most probably: see 1 Cor. xvi. 6, 7: and was during the winter; see below on ver. 6. During it the Epistle to the Romans was written: see Introduction to Rom. § 4. was about to sail] This purpose, of going from Corinth to Palestine by sea, is implied ch. xix. 21, and 1 Cor. xvi. 3—7. 4. into (as far as) Asia] It is not hereby implied that they went no further than to

as he

and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and ech. xix. 29: d Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and & Trophimus. 5 These going before tarried for us Troas. 6 And we sailed away from Philippi, after days of unleavened bread, and came unto them Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. 7 the first day of the week, when d the disciples came

c render, we ourselves.

d read, with all our ancient authorities, we.