Assignment for 8.2 to 8.8.09; Acts Chapter 19:23-41
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Irving
Jul 31, 2009, 5:26:57 PM7/31/09
to Peace Lutheran Bible Study
Assignment 8.2 - 8.8.09
THE BOOK OF ACTS, 19: 23 – 41
PREFACE: A riot takes place in Ephesus, instigated by the silver
smiths who were in fear of losing their livelihood of making images of
Artemis as a result of Paul’s preaching against idolatry. They whipped
up the whole city. Two of Paul’s companions were forcibly taken to the
city amphitheater. Paul was dissuaded from going by his friends. Chaos
prevailed . The people shouted in unison for two hours. The City Clerk
quieted them by laying out Roman law before them., stating that
charges could be brought against Paul et al in court and decided
there. After that the rioters went home.
Here we have another of the several instances that take place during
the missionary journeys of Paul where the rule of Roman law works to
his advantage and underscore his inspired words in Romans 13. In this
chapter the Christian understanding of the divinely established role
of government and the necessity of a believer’s submission to it, so
long as it does not violate the higher authority of God, is clearly
laid out.
The ruins of the great 24,000 - seat amphitheater in Ephesus still
remain, fully excavated to reveal three vast tiers of semicircular
rings of marble seats. A boulevard famed as the most beautiful of
antiquity approaches the amphitheater and was the path the rioters
took to their assembly in protest to Paul’s evangelism, which was
evidently making a significant dent in the profitable trade in statues
of Artemis and silver models of her temple.
Names we encounter in Acts 19: 23-41.
Demetrius: The leader of the silver smith guild.
Gaius: Baptized by Paul in Corinth.
Aritarchus: A native of Thessalonica, who will go with Paul on his
final trip to Jerusalem and on his subsequent trip to Rome
verse 23. We see the use of the word ”Way” for the first time in Acts.
We should reflect on what this term implies, namely, “ The way
Christians live, starting with belief and affecting everything they
do.”
verses 24-27. By opposing idolatry, Paul and his associates were
impacting the livelihood of silversmiths who made statues of Artemis.
Demetrius, evidently the leader of the silver smiths tradesmens'’
guild, lays out the unfavorable consequences of Paul's work and gets
the desired response.
verses 28,29. A riot starts, and two companions of Paul, Gaius and
Aristarchus are seized. A huge number of people rush into the Theater,
dragging Gaius and Aritarchus. The theater is a 24,000 seat
amphitheater of semicircular arrangement.
verses 30,31. Paul wanted to speak but the Christians would not let
him. Paul had friends in the highest circle of Roman authority in the
city,and they begged him not to go into the theater. It was a bad
riot. Paul agreed. He was courageous but not foolhardy.
verses 32-34. Much chaos. Typical of riots, most people participating
did not know what it was about. The Jews of Ephesus, thinking that
this was an opportunity to differentiate themselves from the
Christians, put up a spokesman, Alexander. He motioned for silence
but the crowd realized that he was a Jew, and as such, as much an
opponent of idolatry as the Christians. They shouted him down in
unison with the words, “ Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
verses 35-41. The City Clerk quieted the crowd. This title does not
do justice to the role the man played and his importance. He was the
secretary of the city who published all decrees of the City Council.
He managed to quiet the crowd and addressed them in good Roman style
and convinced them of the wisdom of good judicial procedure. Paul
wrote the epistle to the Romans in Corinth on this same third
missionary journey. When he wrote Romans 13:1-5 ), he may have
had this episode in mind.
The City Clerk in his address to the crowd used the strategy of
appealing to the religious pride of the city’s in habitants. The
reference he made to the image of Artemis falling from the heavens was
a probably reference to a meteorite that had fallen in Galatia within
the recorded history of his hearers.
Study Questions for Chapter 19:
23 - 41
1. What in this part of Chapter 19 stands out in your mind as the
most valuable
teaching?
2. Do you consider it surprising that in the few years that Paul was
in the vicinity he
had made such an impact on a city large enough to have an
amphitheater that
would seat 24,000? Comment?
3. Paul’s preaching and teaching Christianity impacted the
livelihoods of a
powerful block of craftsmen and tradesmen in Ephesus. They
responded with
opposition to the teachings of Paul. Can you identify any group
of people in the
world today who are or could be negatively impacted financially
by the
promulgation of the Gospel?
4. When Alexander, the Jew, gained the attention of the assembly of
rioters and
began to speak to make the point that Paul and his associates
were not
followers of Judaism, he was shouted down because he was
recognized as a
Jew, who were also known for their opposition to idolatry. But
the commonly
perceived evil of idolatry did nothing to make relationships
between Paul and
the Jews of Ephesus any closer. Why do you think Alexander was
anxious to
differentiate Judaism from Christianity ?
THE BOOK OF ACTS, 19: 23 – 41
PREFACE: A riot takes place in Ephesus, instigated by the silver
smiths who were in fear of losing their livelihood of making images of
Artemis as a result of Paul’s preaching against idolatry. They whipped
up the whole city. Two of Paul’s companions were forcibly taken to the
city amphitheater. Paul was dissuaded from going by his friends. Chaos
prevailed . The people shouted in unison for two hours. The City Clerk
quieted them by laying out Roman law before them., stating that
charges could be brought against Paul et al in court and decided
there. After that the rioters went home.
Here we have another of the several instances that take place during
the missionary journeys of Paul where the rule of Roman law works to
his advantage and underscore his inspired words in Romans 13. In this
chapter the Christian understanding of the divinely established role
of government and the necessity of a believer’s submission to it, so
long as it does not violate the higher authority of God, is clearly
laid out.
The ruins of the great 24,000 - seat amphitheater in Ephesus still
remain, fully excavated to reveal three vast tiers of semicircular
rings of marble seats. A boulevard famed as the most beautiful of
antiquity approaches the amphitheater and was the path the rioters
took to their assembly in protest to Paul’s evangelism, which was
evidently making a significant dent in the profitable trade in statues
of Artemis and silver models of her temple.
Names we encounter in Acts 19: 23-41.
Demetrius: The leader of the silver smith guild.
Gaius: Baptized by Paul in Corinth.
Aritarchus: A native of Thessalonica, who will go with Paul on his
final trip to Jerusalem and on his subsequent trip to Rome
verse 23. We see the use of the word ”Way” for the first time in Acts.
We should reflect on what this term implies, namely, “ The way
Christians live, starting with belief and affecting everything they
do.”
verses 24-27. By opposing idolatry, Paul and his associates were
impacting the livelihood of silversmiths who made statues of Artemis.
Demetrius, evidently the leader of the silver smiths tradesmens'’
guild, lays out the unfavorable consequences of Paul's work and gets
the desired response.
verses 28,29. A riot starts, and two companions of Paul, Gaius and
Aristarchus are seized. A huge number of people rush into the Theater,
dragging Gaius and Aritarchus. The theater is a 24,000 seat
amphitheater of semicircular arrangement.
verses 30,31. Paul wanted to speak but the Christians would not let
him. Paul had friends in the highest circle of Roman authority in the
city,and they begged him not to go into the theater. It was a bad
riot. Paul agreed. He was courageous but not foolhardy.
verses 32-34. Much chaos. Typical of riots, most people participating
did not know what it was about. The Jews of Ephesus, thinking that
this was an opportunity to differentiate themselves from the
Christians, put up a spokesman, Alexander. He motioned for silence
but the crowd realized that he was a Jew, and as such, as much an
opponent of idolatry as the Christians. They shouted him down in
unison with the words, “ Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
verses 35-41. The City Clerk quieted the crowd. This title does not
do justice to the role the man played and his importance. He was the
secretary of the city who published all decrees of the City Council.
He managed to quiet the crowd and addressed them in good Roman style
and convinced them of the wisdom of good judicial procedure. Paul
wrote the epistle to the Romans in Corinth on this same third
missionary journey. When he wrote Romans 13:1-5 ), he may have
had this episode in mind.
The City Clerk in his address to the crowd used the strategy of
appealing to the religious pride of the city’s in habitants. The
reference he made to the image of Artemis falling from the heavens was
a probably reference to a meteorite that had fallen in Galatia within
the recorded history of his hearers.
Study Questions for Chapter 19:
23 - 41
1. What in this part of Chapter 19 stands out in your mind as the
most valuable
teaching?
2. Do you consider it surprising that in the few years that Paul was
in the vicinity he
had made such an impact on a city large enough to have an
amphitheater that
would seat 24,000? Comment?
3. Paul’s preaching and teaching Christianity impacted the
livelihoods of a
powerful block of craftsmen and tradesmen in Ephesus. They
responded with
opposition to the teachings of Paul. Can you identify any group
of people in the
world today who are or could be negatively impacted financially
by the
promulgation of the Gospel?
4. When Alexander, the Jew, gained the attention of the assembly of
rioters and
began to speak to make the point that Paul and his associates
were not
followers of Judaism, he was shouted down because he was
recognized as a
Jew, who were also known for their opposition to idolatry. But
the commonly
perceived evil of idolatry did nothing to make relationships
between Paul and
the Jews of Ephesus any closer. Why do you think Alexander was
anxious to
differentiate Judaism from Christianity ?
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