18.13 The ambiguous charge could refer to either Jewish (see 6.13) or Roman law (16.21; 17.7).
18.14–15 Gallio’s response, that this is an inter-Jewish quarrel, vindicates Paul and coheres with later claims (24.14–15; 25.19; 26.2–3).
18.17 Paul refers to a Sosthenes in 1 Cor 1.1, but identifying the two with one another seems unlikely since it is not clear that this Sosthenes is a Christian, much less a co-worker of Paul. Gallio’s lack of concern about Jewish debates extends to a lack of concern when Sosthenes is beaten.
18.18–19.22 The mission in Ephesus is prepared for by Paul’s travel (v. 19) and again in the story of Apollos (vv. 24–28).
18.18 Priscilla and Aquila. Placing the woman’s name first is unusual and could suggest that Priscilla has a higher social or economic standing than Aquila (see v. 26; Rom 16.3; cf. 18.2; 1 Cor 16.19). Cenchreae, the eastern port of Corinth. On the Nazirite vow, see Num 6.1–21, although the requirement is that the hair not be cut until the end of the vow. As in 21.20–26, this action conveys continuity with Jewish practice.
18.19 Ephesus, a port in western Asia Minor, at this time the fourth largest city of the Roman Empire and capital of Asia. On Paul’s practice of visiting synagogues first, see note on 13.14.
18.22–23 This sketchy description sets the stage for Paul’s return to Ephesus (19.1) and reconnects Paul with the two central communities, Jerusalem and Antioch.
18.24 The description of Apollos is consistent with his origin in Alexandria, the literary center of the Hellenistic world and home to a large Jewish population.
18.25 Where and how Apollos was converted is less important than the fact that his knowledge, though accurate, was incomplete. The Way. See note on 9.1–2. With burning enthusiasm, or “burning with the Spirit,” which would explain how Apollos differs from the disciples in 19.1–7, who must be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
18.26 Speaking boldly further identifies Apollos with Christian preachers, even if he still requires instruction (see note on 4.13). Priscilla and Aquila. See notes on 18.2; 18.18; by their instruction of Apollos, they become the forerunners of Paul’s Ephesian mission. The Way. See note on 9.1–2.
18.28 Like his predecessors in mission, Apollos argues from scripture (see, e.g., 8.35;17.2–3; see also Lk 24.26–27, 45–46) about the messiahship of Jesus.
Acts 19
Paul in Ephesus
1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” 4Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—7altogether there were about twelve of them.
8He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.a 10This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
The Sons of Sceva
11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. 13Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. 17When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. 18Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. 19A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these booksb was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. 20So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
The Riot in Ephesus
21Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.” 22So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Asia.
23About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. 24A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. 25These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, “Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. 26You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.”
28When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29The city was filled with the confusion; and peoplec rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travel companions. 30Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; 31even some officials of the province of Asia,d who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater. 32Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven?e 36Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of ourf goddess. 38If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. 39If there is anything furtherg you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. 40For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
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a Other ancient authorities read of a certain Tyrannus, from eleven o’clock in the morning to four in the afternoon
b Gk them
c Gk they
d Gk some of the Asiarchs
e Meaning of Gk uncertain
f Other ancient authorities read your
g Other ancient authorities read about other matters
19.1–7 Paul’s first encounter in Ephesus is with disciples who have been influenced by John the Baptist.
19.1 Apollos…in Corinth. See 1 Cor 1.12;3.4–6, 22; 4.6; 16.12. Some disciples, Christians, but with incomplete education and experience.
19.2 Receive the Holy Spirit. See 1.5; 2.4; 8.17; 9.17; 10.44; Lk 3.16.
19.4 Cf. John’s words in Lk 3.16–17.
19.5 On baptism in the name, see 2.38; 8.16; 10.48.
19.6 Peter and John conveyed the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans in this same way; see 8.17. On speaking in tongues, see 2.4, 11; 10.46.
19.8 On bold speech, see note on 4.13. Kingdom of God. See note on 1.3.
19.9 As in Corinth (18.4–7), Paul’s synagogue preaching is not well received. The Way. See note on 9.1–2. For the first time, Luke specifies that Paul takes believers with him when he separates from the synagogue. The lecture hall of Tyrannus, possibly a guild center or a place for philosophical instruction. Nothing is known of the individual after whom it is named.
19.10 All the residents of Asia surely exaggerates in order to underscore the importance of the Ephesian mission, which reaches both Jews and Greeks outside the synagogue; cf., e.g., 14.1;17.1–4; 18.7, where Gentiles are reached within the synagogue setting.
19.11–12 Like those of his predecessors Peter (5.12–16) and Philip (8.4–8), Paul’s ministry includes healing and exorcism; see also 2 Cor 12.12.
19.13–16 The humorous account of the defeat of seven exorcists contrasts sharply with the report of Paul’s successful healings and exorcisms in 19.11–12.
19.13 Jewish exorcists. See Josephus, Antiquities 8.45–49; see also Acts 13.6–11; cf. Deut 18.10–14. It was a widespread assumption that having the name of a spirit allowed one to compel that spirit to act.
19.14 No high priest by the name of Sceva is known; a Latin name, it would have been most remarkable for a high priest.
19.15 Jesus I know. See Jas 2.19.
19.17 As with the defeat of Bar-Jesus, the defeat of the seven prompts faith (see 13.6–11).
19.19 Burned them publicly. See the prohibitions in Deut 18.10–14. Fifty thousand silver coins. Because their possessors used them for financial gain, such books would command a high price.
19.20 See note on 6.7.
19.21 Unlike 16.6–8, where Paul’s own mission initiatives are thwarted, here he makes his decision with the Spirit’s aid. The motif of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem and Rome recurs throughout the remainder of Acts (see 20.22; 21.13;25.9–12; 28.14) and parallels Lk 9.51, where Jesus determines to go to Jerusalem. Paul must also see Rome because it is divine necessity; see note on 1.16; see also Rom 1.10, 15; 15.22–32.
19.22 Timothy, last referred to in 18.5; for references to Timothy’s visit to Corinth, see 1 Cor 4.17; 16.10. An Erastus is mentioned in Rom 16.23; 2 Tim 4.20, but the name was common, making identification of these three persons with one another uncertain.
19.23–41 Paul’s mission in Ephesus culminates in a riot and in Paul’s public vindication.
19.23 No little disturbance. See note on 12.18–19. The Way. See note on 9.1–2.
19.24 Silver shrines of Artemis, miniature versions of the temple of Artemis. Artemis of the Ephesians (vv. 28, 34), an ancient mother goddess widely worshiped in the Hellenistic world. Her temple in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, functioned as a cultural and financial center of Asia. No little business. See note on 12.18–19.
19.25 As in 16.16–21, Luke draws attention to the profit motive of competing groups.
19.26 See note on 17.29.
19.27 See 21.28 for parallel fears in Jerusalem regarding the people and the temple.
19.28 Artemis of the Ephesians. See v. 24.
19.29 See 7.57, where the crowd rushes against Stephen, and 21.30–31, where riot breaks out in Jerusalem. Gaius. See 20.4; see also Rom 16.23; 1 Cor 1.14; 3 Jn 1. Aristarchus. See 20.4; 27.2; Col 4.10; Philem 24.
19.33 Whether Alexander is a Christian is unclear.
19.35 Temple keeper, a title given cities that maintained temples honoring the emperor, but the term is also used of temples honoring gods or goddesses. The statue that fell from heaven refers to a legend about Artemis and counters Paul’s assertion in v. 26.
19.37 Josephus says that Jews are not to blaspheme or destroy the gods of others (Antiquities 4.207; Against Apion 2.237); see also Rom 2.22; but cf. Deut 7.25.
19.38–40 By announcing that no formal charges have been made and that proper procedures have not been used, the town clerk offers an indirect defense of the Christian mission.
Acts 20
Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece
1After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples; and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left for Macedonia. 2When he had gone through those regions and had given the believersa much encouragement, he came to Greece, 3where he stayed for three months. He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and so he decided to return through Macedonia. 4He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia. 5They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas; 6but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
Paul’s Farewell Visit to Troas
7On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. 9A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. 10But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. 12Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.
The Voyage from Troas to Miletus
13We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for he had made this arrangement, intending to go by land himself. 14When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15We sailed from there, and on the following day we arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, andb the day after that we came to Miletus. 16For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders
17From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. 18When they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. 20I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus. 22And now, as a captive to the Spirit,c I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. 24But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
25“And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 26Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of Godd that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.e 29I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. 31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn ever
yone with tears. 32And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. 33I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 34You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. 35In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. 37There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.
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a Gk given them
b Other ancient authorities add after remaining at Trogyllium
c Or And now, bound in the spirit
d Other ancient authorities read of the Lord
e Or with his own blood; Gk with the blood of his Own
20.1–16 Paul’s final trip to Jerusalem begins with pastoral visits to several cities.
20.1–2 Encouragement of believers is a constant refrain in Paul’s journeys; see 14.22; 15.36, 41; 16.40. On the decision to go to Macedonia and Greece, see 19.21.
20.3 For earlier plots, see 9.24;13.50; 14.5; 17.5, 13; 18.12–13; see also Lk 6.11; 19.47;22.2.
20.4 Sopater and Secundus, mentioned only here. Aristarchus. See note on 19.29. Although in 19.29 Gaius is said to be a Macedonian, here he is said to be from Derbe, which is in Asia Minor. Timothy. See note on 16.3. Tychicus. See Eph 6.21; Col 4.7; 2 Tim 4.12; Titus 3.12. Trophimus. See 21.29; 2 Tim 4.20.
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