Acts 19:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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?

NIV: The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?

NASB: After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, 'Men of Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from the sky?

CSB: When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, "People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven?

NLT: At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. 'Citizens of Ephesus,' he said. 'Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven.

KJV: 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 a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

NKJV: And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

For two hours, the people of Ephesus have crowded the theater, chanting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" Most of the people don't know why they're there. They don't know it is a marketing campaign planned by Demetrius and the other craftsmen who make idols and shrines of the city's goddess—craftsmen who are afraid that if Paul continues preaching, healing, and rescuing people from demons, there won't be anyone left to buy their idols (Acts 19:23–34).

The theater is huge. The stage is in a valley; three tiers of seats that can hold 24,000 people climb the hillside around it. The entire city must be able to hear the shouting. Three times a month it's used as a public forum. This is not a public forum, and Rome does not have freedom of assembly.

The town clerk is the executive officer of the civic assembly and the liaison between the Ephesian government and the Roman provincial representatives who are housed in Ephesus. If he doesn't get the riot calmed down, the Romans will hold him responsible and fine the city. The temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the "sacred stone" is probably a meteorite that is housed in the temple. Worship of the goddess is ancient, even at this time; "Artemis" is the Greek name given to the local fertility goddess so the residents can keep their old traditions while not breaking the law against worshiping an unauthorized deity.

The clerk has already accomplished step one: let the crowd wear themselves out. Now, he affirms their feelings: of course Artemis worship isn't going away. Next, he will remind them that they are safe, as Gaius and Aristarchus haven't spoken against Artemis or damaged any of her places of worship. Then, he will remind them of the proper way to express their fear. If Demetrius has a legal complaint against Paul, he can file charges. Finally, he will warn them of the consequences. The crowd is breaking the law by causing a riot. Everyone needs to go home (Acts 19:34–41).

Acts 19:35–41 describes one way to deal with unruly mobs; much the same as one might with over-tired toddlers. A crowd has formed in the Ephesian theater to renew their devotion to Artemis. The mob was started by idol makers whose businesses are threatened by the decreasing demand for shrines for Artemis as city residents convert to Christianity. The town clerk of Ephesus needs to disperse the crowd. He lets them wear themselves out, affirms their feelings, shows them they have nothing to fear, reminds them of the proper way to handle disappointment, and tells them the consequences if they don't behave. It works, and the crowd goes home.

Acts 19 recounts Paul's three-year visit in Ephesus. He starts by revealing how Jesus of Nazareth has brought to life the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit validates Paul's message by healing those struck with physical ailments and demon possession. Amazed by Paul's authority over evil spirits, so many magicians turn to Christ that the craftsmen who make idols fear for their livelihoods. They nearly incite a riot before the town clerk settles them down. Paul realizes his time in Ephesus has ended, and he travels to Macedonia (Acts 20:1).

Acts 19 is the meat of Paul's third missionary voyage. He has already revisited the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now he returns to Ephesus for a three-year stay. After firmly establishing the church there, rescuing many from pagan magic and the worship of Artemis, he returns to Macedonia and Greece. A threat on his life sends him back up to Macedonia and across to Troas. He meets briefly with the Ephesian elders to tell them they will not meet again (Acts 20). When he returns to Jerusalem, he is arrested and, eventually, taken to Rome.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.