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Act 19:19. Ἱκανοὶ, many) Even magicians may be converted: ch. Act 8:13 (Simon Magus).-τὰ περίεργα, curious arts) magic arts, in great variety. This appellation has in it a Meiosis [less said than is meant. Append.]-συνενέγκαντες, having brought together) with great unanimity.-τὰς βίβλους, their books) True religion abolishes bad books: and the world had been filled (crammed) with such books. Ephesus burned up all curious and bad books as accursed (anathema when the word of the Lord began to prevail: in turn (by a righteous compensation), Ephesus afterwards enjoyed good books, nay, was made the depository of the sacred books. The Epistle of Paul sent to the Ephesians also is extant: Timothy was at Ephesus when Paul wrote both the Epistles to him. Furthermore, Timothy was desired to carry to Rome from Asia the books for Paul when close to his martyrdom, 2Ti 4:13; books which no doubt were a portion of the books of Holy Scripture: and these not of the Old Testament, of which there was everywhere an abundance, but the writings of Paul himself, or even of other apostles, and these chiefly of parchment, for the sake of durability. Paul desired Timothy, when he came, to bring these with him safely; not, I imagine, with the intention of selling them for the sake of alms-giving, but in order that he might commit these to Timothy face to face, before his martyrdom, for the weightiest reasons, inasmuch as he had designed to make Timothy in some measure his own successor in the Evangelical office. Timothy brought back to Ephesus, or to that region, after the martyrdom of Paul (comp. Heb 13:23), most costly treasures (κειμήλια, deposits), as we may suppose. It was in the same place that the writings of John, after the death of John also, were in especial esteem. As to the autograph Gospel of John, see Appar. Crit. p. 602, with which comp. p. 420. The Epistles of John, and the last verse of the first, are especially appropriate (applicable) to Ephesus. The Apocalypse, sent first from Patmos to Ephesus, was read first at Ephesus. What is the purport of this remark? In the Appar. pp. 770, 884 (Ed. ii. pp. 480, 620), I have written that it is not an unreasonable expectation, that the autographs of the apostles, furnished with appropriate criteria to test them, may at some time be restored to the light. What if some of them lie hid at Ephesus? and also at Thessalonica? See note on 1Th 1:1. It is an opinion, nothing more; one not however to be ridiculed, inasmuch as being harmless, nay, useful in deterring critics from rashness, lest, if they wander too far out of the track, the original manuscripts may hereafter confute them.-κατέκαιον, turned up) [regarding them as anathema, or accursed.-V. g.] This was better than to sell them, even though the money had been spent upon the poor.-ἐνώπιον πάντων, in the presence of all) A remarkable spectacle.-ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε) fifty thousand drachms. The drachm almost corresponds to the denarius; of which I have treated on Cic. Ep. pp. 76, 452, 723. The Argentine money approaches nearest to this, which is equivalent to 12 Kreuzer, 3 heller; so that 5 drachms should be 1 florin and a little more; 50,000 drachms is more than 10,000 florins.[113] This is the price of a large library.
[113] The Greek drachm was properly about 9¾d.: the Roman denarius, 8½d. But subsequently the drachm fell in weight, so as to be equal to the denarius.-E. and T.