Acts 19:32–41

Israel was a great assembly or congregation, as nobody can dispute. But that proves nothing about whether it was what God's assembly is now, according to the word. It is "Ecclesia," an assembly, in Acts 7, and the word, being simply an assembled multitude, says just no more than that. Acts 19 uses the identical word when it says that the town clerk "dismissed the assembly." Put "the church" there, and what nice sense you will have!

"Assembly" in this verse is exactly the same word the Spirit of God uses for "the assembly, the body of Christ" (Ephesians 1:22-23). It simply means a company of people elected out of the community to represent the city. The Spirit of God takes up that word and gives it a dignified meaning, a glorified meaning. It names ones called out of this world's system. They are to be for God intelligently, to represent God, and to function for God.

A popular cry is easily raised and taken up, as it was in this case. All could shout out "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" But why were they shouting this? What was it all about? The greater part of that vast crowd could not tell. They had carried Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's companions, with them in their headlong rush to the theatre. Yet plainly they did not know what to do with them. No one touched either of them: not a hair of their heads was hurt.

This outbreak shows us the power of the prince of this world. Worldly interests back him, and they love to shelter under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion; yet how thin a coat of it will do for the crowd, while the crowd in turn will do for the religion... In fact the cry that unites the mob is "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" Yet when they come together, it is hard to turn that cry into anything that makes sense.

It was fitting that we should have a living picture of a half-religious riot among the Gentiles themselves. And we have it in the largest theatre whose ruins survive to this day. The Gentiles were certainly a little more senseless than the Jews, though their convictions were nowhere near as deep... Whatever the selfish motives underneath, they voiced their anger for the great Artemis, the goddess the Ephesians boasted about. Yet, as we have seen, God worked providentially through wiser men of high station among them... God used them to shelter His servant, where zeal and courage would have been useless, and might have exposed him to danger.

Since that time, men's protest demonstrations have often produced the same senseless confusion.

It is the "People's Party" in politics and in religion. It is the "People's Church." And people tell us confidently, "The voice of the people is the voice of God." God does not tell us so. He tells us the opposite. And where is His voice heard in all the noise and confusion caused "by the voice of the people"? Today it is one thing, and tomorrow something else... All around is confusion, as at Ephesus.

In this book we have already had the Holy Spirit's account of religious excitement among the Jews... It was fitting that we should also see a living picture of a half-religious riot among the heathen themselves. It happened in the largest theatre whose remains still survive today. The Gentiles were certainly a little more senseless than the Jews, though their convictions were nowhere near as deep.

The Jews clearly began to fear that the persecution might turn against them, since most of the people did not know why they had come together. So they put forward a man named Alexander, probably to shift the blame from themselves onto the Christians. But the moment the heathen found out he was a Jew, their fury grew.

It is well to avoid the mistake of confusing the apostle's act here with what he did in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia, or what Alexander did in the tumultuous assembly at Ephesus. This was "beckoning with the hand", quite different in character and aim from stretching it out, here too with a chain.

It was useless, then, for Alexander to beckon with his hand in the desire to make a defence to the people. It was enough that they saw he was a Jew, and therefore hostile to their idolatry. There was one voice from all, for about two hours, as they cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" What a true picture of a world governed by prejudice and feeling in what matters most — for this life, and for the life to come! God, the true God, is not in their thoughts, which are therefore open to any and every delusion.

Once again the poor Jews prove themselves without light. Walking in darkness in their own errors, they put forward one of their countrymen to defend the doctrine of the one God. But this only stirred up the fury of the people even more... Without God no one can oppose the devil or uphold the truth. The truth of the one God had no power without faith and truth in the heart, and neither did the name of Jesus, linked with Paul who announced Him.

The Apostle then refers to "Alexander the coppersmith." Whether he is the same man mentioned in Acts 19:33 we cannot now tell. Here he carries the unenviable reputation of an uncompromising opponent of the truth, and of the Apostle in particular.

From the account in Acts we can see how God used one person and then another to work the deliverance. He used certain of the chiefs of Asia; Alexander, who drew attention away from Paul; and the town clerk with his diplomatic talk. Most of the wild demonstrators had no idea exactly why they were demonstrating.

Kind feeling, if not conscience, made these men of high station give Paul the wise advice not to venture into the theatre. God used them to shelter His servant, where zeal and courage would have been useless, and might have exposed him to danger.

Diana is the Latin name of one of the main goddesses of the Greeks and Romans; the Greek name is Artemis. People said an image of her had fallen from heaven. All Asia worshipped it. Her temple was at Ephesus, built of choice marble... Ephesus was an enlightened city in other ways, but it was dark when it came to religion. The excited people could shout for two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."

There was one voice from all, for about two hours, as they cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians." What a true picture of a world ruled by prejudice and feeling in the thing that matters most — not only for this life, but also for the life to come! God, the true God, is not in their thoughts, and so their thoughts lie open to any and every delusion.

A popular cry is easily started and taken up, as it was here. Everyone could shout out "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" But why were they shouting this? What was it all about? Most of that huge crowd could not tell.

They do not say, "Great is Diana," but "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." Knowing the true God makes us feel our own nothingness, and it judges the state of the heart. A false religion, by contrast, joins hands with the passions of the heart. Worshippers are great in the measure of their religion, and of what they worship... To look down on Diana was to take away from the greatness of her followers.

The story of this outbreak shows us the power of the prince of this world, held up by worldly interests that love to hide under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion; yet how thin a coat of it is enough for the crowd, while the crowd in turn is enough for the religion.

Here again we find the Jews putting Alexander forward. However clever the plan, it did them no good. It only inflamed the crowd all the more. The idol-worshippers instinctively resented a defender like this. Could anyone honestly think that the Jews had more respect for their great goddess than the Christians had?

Without God no one can stand against the devil or hold up the truth. Neither the truth of the one God, nor the name of Jesus joined with the name of Paul who preached Him, had any power without faith and truth in the heart.

God worked through wiser men of high standing among them... Kind feeling, if not conscience, made them give Paul the wise advice not to risk himself in the theatre. God used them to shelter His servant, where zeal and courage would have done no good, and might have put him in danger.

Until the Lord comes, this conflict must go on. Miracles have ceased, but the care of His servants never grows weaker in the heart of Jesus. He works as truly as ever, and God's government orders everything for the good of His work. He may allow Satan's rage to break out, but He never forgets His own.

The town clerk, or recorder, now comes on the scene. In that age and country he was a far more important man than such an officer is in most places, as we learn from ancient inscriptions and other evidence. He worshipped idols like the rest. But their pointless frenzy shocked his common sense. His speech states in plain, sharp terms their own folly and wrong — not their wrong towards God, but towards other men, and above all in the eyes of their Roman governors.

He appealed to what everyone knew: Ephesus worshipped Diana and the image they claimed had fallen down from Jupiter. The image was clearly a man-made thing. It stood for the powers of nature that give birth and feed, and that is why it had many breasts. But men given to idols will accept any superstitious lie.

Diana is the Latin name of one of the chief goddesses of the Greeks and Romans. The Greek name is Artemis. People said an image of her had fallen from heaven, or that someone had made it from wood or ebony that fell from the clouds. All Asia worshipped it. Her temple stood at Ephesus, built of choice marble… Ephesus was in other ways an enlightened city, yet it was dark in religion: the excited people could shout for two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."

"Since no one can deny these things, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here, and they are neither temple-robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess…" The little word "for", which our version and perhaps every other leaves out, hints without saying it outright: Why all this fuss?… All the old Protestant English versions give the completely false rendering "robbers of churches".

How foolish they looked! Neither Gaius nor Aristarchus had attacked their goddess. Neither they, nor any Christians, had committed the sacrilege of robbing the temple. So the right thing for them all was to be quiet and do nothing rash. If Demetrius had a grievance, the law courts and the Roman governors were there; he should take it to them, not to the excited crowd filling the theatre. So they should all break up quietly, or the city's leaders would have to answer for the uproar.

What a true picture of the world! It is ruled by prejudice and feeling in the very things that matter most — not only for this life, but for the life to come. God, the true God, is not in their thoughts, so their thoughts lie open to every delusion.

It was good for everyone that the town clerk was a man of great tact and skill. He flattered the crowd, calmed them, soothed them, and sent the assembly home. But faith sees more: God was using the persuasive speech of an idol-worshipping official to protect His servant and His many children there.

The apostle was writing to Gentiles. They had once been "worshippers of the great goddess, Diana," and of the image which they imagined had fallen "down from Jupiter." Poor idol-worshippers they were then. These Gentiles are the "you" of that solemn statement, and he himself with other Hebrews are the "we."

The town clerk, or recorder, now comes on the scene. He was a much more important person in that time and country than in most others, as we learn from ancient inscriptions and other sources. He was a pagan like the rest. But his common sense was shocked by their pointless excesses. His speech sets out in plain, sharp terms their own folly and wrong — not as to God, but as among men, and especially before their Roman governors.

This is how man is deceived. He assumes as beyond question what is merely a delusion of the enemy. Intelligence is no protection against the lie of Satan; nothing protects but the truth brought home by the Spirit of God. For this man, otherwise sensible, the great Artemis and the stone that fell from the sky were things that could not be denied. On that assumption he insists that calmness is the only fitting state of mind for his fellow worshippers.

He calls for calmness and for holding back from any rash action. He tells them that the men they had seized (Gaius and Aristarchus) were neither temple plunderers nor blasphemers of their goddess. He knew that these men were not agitators, but that Demetrius was causing the agitation. So he tells them this: if Demetrius and the other craftsmen want to bring a civil charge against anyone, the courts were fully available, and lawyers too... For, as he says, the Roman authorities would likely ask hard questions about such an uproar. And they could give them no satisfactory answer.

The town clerk was able to say of Paul and his companions that they are "neither temple-plunderers, nor speak injuriously of your goddess" (New Translation). This shows that they had carefully avoided all that might have given offence. They went in for the positive preaching of the gospel rather than the negative work of exposing the follies of idolatry.

The history of this outbreak shows us the power of the prince of this world, supported by the worldly interests that love to shelter under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion; yet how thin a coat of it will do for the crowd, while the crowd in turn will do for the religion. What an absurd thing, to deny what all Asia and the world worship! ...So it can become heresy to say that things made by human hands are not gods. And the town clerk can shame a crowd out of taking it seriously.

Fortunately for all parties, the town clerk was a man of great tact and admirable policy. He flattered, calmed, soothed, and dismissed the assembly. But to faith it was God using the persuasive eloquence of a pagan official to protect His servant and His many children there.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the town clerk was a man of great tact and admirable skill. He flattered the crowd, calmed them, soothed them, and sent the assembly home. But to faith it was God using the persuasive speech of a pagan official to protect His servant and His many children there.

All the old Protestant English Versions have the absurdly false rendering "robbers of churches". Bad habit runs that deep, and not only among ordinary people.

How foolish they looked! Neither Gaius nor Aristarchus had attacked their goddess. Neither they, nor any Christians, had committed sacrilege by robbing the temple. So the right course for them all was to keep quiet and do nothing rash.

Note how he could say of Paul and his companions that they are "neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess". This shows they had taken care to avoid anything that might cause offence. They gave themselves to the positive preaching of the Gospel, not to the negative work of exposing how foolish idol-worship is.

This is how man is deceived. He takes as beyond question what is only a delusion of the enemy. No amount of intelligence protects a man against the lie of Satan; nothing does but the truth brought home by the Spirit of God. For this man, sensible in other things, the great Artemis and the stone that fell from the sky were facts no one could deny.

This outbreak shows us the power of the prince of this world, propped up by worldly interests that love to shelter under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion; yet how thin a coat of it is enough for the crowd, while the crowd in turn is enough for the religion. What an absurd thing to deny what all Asia and the world worship! Really, men believe in men... So it can end up being heresy to say that things made with hands are no gods; and a town clerk can shame a crowd out of taking it seriously.

He knew that these men were not the troublemakers. Demetrius was the one stirring things up. So he tells them that if Demetrius and the other craftsmen want to bring a civil charge against anyone, the courts are open and there are lawyers too. As he says, the Roman authorities would likely question them closely about the reason for such an uproar, and they could give no satisfactory answer. It was the Lord's mercy that the matter ended in this way.

The town clerk of Ephesus tried, and with success, to calm the excited crowd in the theatre of the city. That city took pride in being the temple-keeper of Artemis the Great. "If Demetrius," he said, "and the craftsmen with him have a matter against any man, the law is open" (rather, the law courts are being held), "and there are deputies (or proconsuls): let them bring charges against one another."

So he tells them this. If Demetrius and the other craftsmen want to bring a civil charge against anyone, the courts were open and lawyers available. Other matters — political ones, for instance — would need a properly arranged assembly under proper government. For, as he says, the Roman authorities would likely question closely the reason for such an uproar, and they could give them no satisfactory answer.

He is more exact as well. He puts before Demetrius and the craftsmen with him that their procedure was irregular and dangerous for everyone. A charge must come at a proper time and place, and before the right judge. Only there could a case reach a lawful result.

This is how man is deceived. He takes as beyond question what is only a delusion of the enemy. No amount of intelligence protects him from the lie of Satan. Nothing does that but the truth brought home by the Spirit of God. For this man, otherwise sensible, the great Artemis and the stone that fell from the sky were things that could not be denied.

Notice what he could say of Paul and his companions. They are "neither temple-robbers, nor do they speak against your goddess," which shows that they had carefully avoided all that might have given offence. They went in for the positive preaching of the gospel , not the negative work of exposing the follies of idolatry.

Fortunately for all parties, the town clerk was a man of great tact and admirable policy. He flattered, calmed, soothed, and dismissed the assembly. But to faith it was God using the persuasive eloquence of a pagan official to protect His servant and His many children there.

He then dismisses the disorderly and irregular assembly, which had done nothing but show what man is under the power of Satan and moved by his own selfishness.

He is also more exact. He puts it to Demetrius and the craftsmen with him that their way of proceeding was irregular and dangerous for everyone. A charge must be brought at the proper time and place, and before the right judge. Only there could there be a lawful result. Any other question must be settled in the lawful assembly — and this gathering was not that.

It simply means an assembly, and the context decides what kind of assembly it is. For example, the same word is used three times of the riotous crowd at Ephesus, which Demetrius the silversmith and his fellow tradesmen brought together (Acts 19:32, 39, 41). In each of those places it is translated assembly.

The word by which the Church is named is itself an example — and hardly a more striking one could be found — of how a word is gradually raised in meaning. We have ekklesia in three distinct stages: the pagan, the Jewish, and the Christian. As to the first, ekklesia was the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those who held the right of citizenship, called to handle public affairs. The last part of the word says that they were summoned. The first part says that they were summoned out of the whole population — a select portion of it, which left out the common crowd, foreigners, and those who had lost their civic rights. Both the calling and the calling out are worth remembering when the word is taken up into its higher Christian sense, for much of its fitness for that greater use lies in them.

The town clerk calms the people. He lets them understand that the authorities would most likely step in because of the riot, and that the men (Gaius and Aristarchus) had done nothing against the law. He then dismisses the disorderly and irregular assembly. It had done nothing but show what man is under the power of Satan and moved by his own selfishness.

The story of this riot shows us the power of the prince of this world, propped up by the worldly interests that love to hide under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion. Yet how thin a coat of it is enough for the crowd — and the crowd, in turn, is enough for the religion.

It was fortunate for everyone that the town clerk was a man of great tact and skill. He flattered the crowd, calmed it, soothed it, and dismissed the assembly. But to faith it was God using the persuasive speech of a pagan official to protect His servant and His many children there.

It is worth noting that he could say of Paul and his companions that they are "neither temple-plunderers, nor speak injuriously of your goddess" (Acts 19:37, older translation). That shows they had been careful to avoid anything that might have caused offence. They gave themselves to the positive preaching of the Gospel, not to the negative work of exposing the follies of idolatry.

He is more precise. He points out to Demetrius and the craftsmen with him that their action was irregular and dangerous for everyone. They must bring a charge at the proper time and place, and before the right judge. Only there could there be a lawful result. Any other question belongs in the lawful assembly, and this was not one. More than that — "we are in danger". Not only they, but "we", might face a charge of rioting over this day's business. There was no reason they could point to that would account for this gathering. The Romans, as everyone knows, were deeply suspicious of such disorderly gatherings. They often punished them with bloodshed beyond measure. Since his speech closed with such a pointed hint, he had no trouble in dismissing the assembly.

The assembly dispersed. It had done nothing but shout. It had achieved nothing except to cover itself with ridicule. Its folly was exposed. Its senseless act was rebuked. The town clerk was wise. Demetrius and his fellows had fooled the people. Many a thoughtful person probably saw it the next day, when he reviewed the whole matter calmly.

The history of this outbreak shows us the power of the prince of this world. Worldly interests hold him up, and they love to shelter under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion. Yet how thin a coat of it is enough for the crowd, while the crowd in turn is enough for the religion… In fact the cry that unites the mob is "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" But when they come together, it is hard to turn this into anything they can put into words. … until the town clerk brings it to an end. He wonders at what was never in question. He pleads for men who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers. And behind it stands the hint of Rome's harsh way of putting down a riot.

Fortunately for all concerned, the town clerk was a man of great tact and admirable judgment. He flattered, calmed, soothed, and dismissed the assembly. But to faith it was God using the persuasive eloquence of a heathen official to protect His servant and His many children there.

The word does cover the riotous meeting at Ephesus that the town clerk dismissed (Acts 19:41). But it also means "called out ones". Archbishop Trench says: "The name we give the Church is itself an example of how a word is gradually ennobled — you could hardly find a more striking one… In a free Greek city, ekklesia was the lawful assembly of all those who held the right of citizenship, for the conduct of public affairs. The second half of the word says they were summoned. The first says they were summoned out of the whole population, a select portion of it — not the general public, not strangers, and not those who had lost their civic rights. Both the calling and the calling out are worth remembering when we take the word up into a higher Christian sense."

Any other question had to be settled in the lawful assembly, which this gathering was not. More than that, "we are in danger" — not just they, but "we". They could be accused of riot for what happened that day, and they had no reason to give that would account for this gathering. The Romans, as everyone knows, were deeply suspicious of such disorderly gatherings, and often punished them with unlimited bloodshed. His speech closed with such a pointed hint that he then had no difficulty in dismissing the assembly.

Israel is called "Ecclesia," an assembly, in Acts 7, and the word, being simply an assembled multitude, says just no more than that. The same word appears in Acts 19, where the town clerk "dismissed the assembly." Put "the church" there, and see what nice sense you get!

The "assembly in the wilderness" was of Israel; while the assembly of Acts 19:41 was an Ephesian mob. The Church of God is, moreover, called the "House of God," "Bride of Christ," "The Lamb's wife," and so on, applying to it, and to nothing else.

This is how man is deceived. He treats as beyond question what is only a delusion of the enemy. No intelligence protects against Satan's lie; nothing does but the truth brought home by the Spirit of God. For this man, otherwise sensible, the great Artemis and the stone that fell from the sky were things that could not be denied.

The history of this outbreak shows us the power of the prince of this world supported by the worldly interests that love to shelter under the cover of religion. Men must have a religion; yet how thin a coat of it will do for the crowd, while the crowd in turn will do for the religion.

For two whole hours the people shouted, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." Fortunately for everyone, the town clerk was a man of great tact and admirable policy. He flattered, calmed, soothed, and dismissed the assembly. But to faith it was God using the persuasive eloquence of a pagan official to protect His servant and His many children there.

God used these men of high position to shelter His servant, where zeal and courage would have been useless, and might have exposed him to danger.

The assembly broke up. It had done nothing but shout. It had achieved nothing except to cover itself with ridicule. Its folly was exposed. Its senseless act was rebuked. The town clerk was wise.

The enemy, left free and stirred up by the powerful effect of the word of God, raises a great tumult against Paul and the gospel. But it is useless to fight against God. His fury spends itself in shouts and cries… Thank God, it was too late! We have seen that until the work was finished, the enemy was held in check.