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Act_19:8-20
Act_19:9-10. a. But when divers were hardened [when some hardened themselves].—Nevertheless, a crisis now arrived. There were some who gradually became less willing to hear, and who more and more positively refused to accept the offers of grace in Christ. (The imperfect tense, ἐóêëçñýíïíôï êáὶ ἠðåßèïõí , indicates that this state of their souls was gradually developed, and was then permanently established). At length they proceeded so far, as to revile Christianity publicly in the synagogue.—( Ἡ ὁäüò is the way of salvation which God has chosen and opened to men; see Act_18:26). This conduct induced the apostle not only to renounce, on his own part, all fellowship with the synagogue ( ἀðïóôÜò ), but also to withdraw the whole number of the Christians from it ( ἀöþñéóå ). He then chose the lecture-room of a man named Tyrannus, who is otherwise unknown to us, as a place suited for the delivery of his discourses. The later Greeks gave the name of ó÷ïëáß to the places in which their philosophers taught. Now as the one which Paul selected, here receives this genuine Greek name, it would seem to be most natural to suppose that the owner himself was a Greek, and, perhaps, a public orator and a teacher of rhetoric. Indeed, Suidas speaks of a sophist who bore the name of Tyrannus, and who wrote a work entitled: ðåñὶ óôÜóåùò êáὶ äéáéñÝóåùò ëüãïé , although he does not mention his abode, or the age in which he lived. The circumstance that Luke neither states in express terms that Paul now went to the Gentiles (as in Act_13:46; Act_18:6-7), nor describes Tyrannus as a proselyte (comp. Act_18:7), is not of itself sufficient to sustain the conjecture (of Meyer) that this man was a Jewish rabbi and the proprietor of a private synagogue, or house of instruction (called áֵéú îִãְøָù by the Jews). That Tyrannus was a Greek, is indicated both by the word ó÷ïëÞ , and by his proper name, which is found, it is true, in Josephus (Ant. xvi. 10. 3; Bell. i. 26. 3, the same person being meant in both passages) and in 2Ma_4:40 (where the reading is doubtful); but even here it does not occur as the name of an Israelite.
b. Disputing daily … dwelt in Asia.—This lecture-room was open to Paul, not only on the sabbath, but also at all other times, and was used by him for two years (A. D. 55–57); this period is undoubtedly to be understood as exclusive of the three months mentioned in Act_19:8. [ Ôïῦôï , Act_19:10, specially refers to the time which succeeded the three months during which Paul preached in the synagogue; probably, too, the time in which the events occurred that are mentioned after Act_19:20, is also to be excluded. Then the expressions ἔôç äýï , Act_19:10, and ôñéåôßáí in Act_20:31 (on which see the Exeg. note) coincide, as general designations of time. (Meyer; de Wette).—Tr.]. Ephesus was an important city, maintained a flourishing trade, and was the seat of the celebrated temple of Diana; Paul labored in it actively and uninterruptedly during a period of more than two years. In view of these facts, it may be easily conceived that this city became a centre for the evangelization of the entire province of Asia, in the narrower sense of the term [i.e., the Roman or proconsular province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital.—Tr.]. Thus the inhabitants of the western coast of Asia, far and wide, heard the word of the Lord. The expression ðÜíôåò ïἱ êáôïéê . obviously involves a hyperbole: still, the words ἀêïῦóáé ôὸí ëüã . ôïῦ êõñßïõ are not to be so understood as if all the people had heard Paul himself; they may also imply that many heard the word in a less direct manner, that is, from others. How many inhabitants of Asia Minor must have visited the temple of Artemis as pilgrims, or have travelled to Ephesus for business purposes during the several years of Paul’s residence in it! Now, while they were in the city, they may have gone to that lecture-room, which was open to all, and have heard Paul, whose preaching had already attracted public attention. On their return to their homes, they naturally related to others all that they had heard.
Act_19:11-16. a. And God wrought special miracles [wrought not inconsiderable works].—In addition to the instructions which Paul imparted, Luke mentions also the acts of the apostle, or the miracles of healing which God wrought through him (by means of the imposition of hands, äéὰ ôῶí ÷åéñῶí ).— ÄõíÜìåéò - - ïὐ ôὰò ôõ÷ïýóáò , i.e., extraordinary works of power; ὁ ôõ÷þí means: the person or thing casually met; hence it also means ordinary, unimportant. Luke relates two facts in Act_19:12, as illustrations and evidences of the general proposition contained in Act_19:11. The first is, that Paul expelled evil spirits, or healed persons who were possessed by them (this fact is mentioned in the second place, as it is connected with the incident of which an account is immediately afterwards inserted by him). The second fact is, that cloths which Paul had used for wiping his face, and which had come in contact with his skin, sweat-cloths and half-girdles [“i.e., going only half round the body, covering the front of the person” (Alex.).—Tr.], had been laid on the sick, after being directly carried from his person, and that the result was, that the sick were healed ( óïõäÜñéïí [translated napkin in Luk_19:20; Joh_11:44; Joh_20:7—Tr.], from the Latin sudor, sudarium; óéìéêßíèéïí , [also from the Latin] semicinctium.). It is here, however, to be carefully observed that Paul himself by no means adopted such a course, but, on the contrary, as Act_19:11 shows, healed by the imposition of hands. Other persons, however, who had confidence in him conceived the idea of employing such means, and yet, even in these cases, the sick were healed. [See the author’s Exeg. note on Act_5:12-16. c.—Tr.]
b. And the evil spirits went out of them. And … seven sons, etc.—The sons of a Jewish chief priest attempted to imitate the apostle, who healed demoniacs in the name of Jesus. Their father, Skeuas, who is not otherwise known to us, may have been related to the family of the highpriest, or he may have been the chief of one of the twenty-four courses of the priests [see 1 Chron. Acts 24]. At that time, many persons of Jewish origin wandered about in the Roman empire as exorcists, workers of miracles, and conjurers or jugglers (Act_19:13, and comp. Act_13:6 ff.). When the seven sons of Skeuas ascertained that the name of Jesus had acquired a certain degree of authority in Ephesus, and that Paul had healed demoniacs when he pronounced that name, they, too, attempted to employ the name of Jesus for the purpose of exorcising and expelling demons. Two of the seven brothers made such an attempt in a particular case, as we learn from the word ἀìöïôÝñùí , Act_19:16, which is the genuine reading [see note 6, appended to the text above.—Tr.]. The result was very unfortunate for themselves. The demon who possessed the man and spoke through him, addressed the exorcists in a contemptuous manner, as persons whom he did not know, and whose authority he did not recognize, as he did that of Jesus and of His apostle Paul; moreover, the possessed man himself, whom they had attempted to heal by means of their conjuration, attacked them with the utmost fury, and so roughly used them, that they fled from the house wounded and with garments torn, and, unquestionably, also covered with ridicule and disgrace. [“Naked, i. e., with their clothes torn partially or wholly off. The Greek word sometimes means imperfectly or badly clothed, e. g., Mat_25:36; Joh_21:7; Jam_2:15.” (Alex.).—Tr.]
Act_19:17-18. And this was [became, ἐãåíåôï ] known.—This occurrence, which became known to the whole city, created a very great sensation, and, indeed, produced an indefinite fear of that mysterious power which was ascribed to the name of Jesus ( öüâïò ); public opinion assigned a new and increased importance to that name ( ἐìåãáëýåôï ). But in the case of those who were already converts, the effect of that occurrence was, that they came ( ἥñ÷ïíôï ) to the apostle, and openly confessed that which they had done ( ðñÜîåéò ). Those to whom the word ðåðéóôåõêüôåò is applied, were certainly not persons who now only were converted, in consequence of the impression which that event had made on them (Meyer), but, as the perfect tense shows, who had been previously converted and had remained believers; see below, Doctr. and Eth. No. 4. The ðñÜîåéò which they set forth, were, unquestionably, not acts of faith which they had performed (Luther), for this interpretation is at variance not only with the New Testament sense of ἐîïìïëïã ., which word regularly denotes the confession of sins [but not in Mat_11:25; Luk_10:21; Rev_3:5, nor in two quotations from the Sept., viz., Rom_14:11; Rom_15:9.—Tr.], but also with the connection of the passage. Still, ðñÜîéò cannot be taken in the restricted sense of sorceries, but must be understood, in a more comprehensive sense, of sinful deeds in general.
Act_19:19-20. Many of them also which used curious arts [superstitious practices].—Many who had practised magical arts or others of a similar nature, now brought their magical books (probably containing directions for soothsaying, and giving instructions in sorcery [or “magical formulæ, written amulets” (Alf.)]). Ôὰ ðåñßåñãá ðñÜîáíôåò , (res curiosæ,) is a mild expression, which, however, is often used in a special sense, to denote magical things. [The Engl. version: curious arts conforms to the Vulgate: qui fuerant curiosa sectati. Kuinoel says: Ðåñßåñãïò proprie dicitur qui præter rem curiosus est et diligens, qui nimis sedulus est et curiosus in rebus sciscitandis et agendis, quæ ad ipsum non pertinent … . Hinc translatum vocabulum ðåñßåñãïò ut Lat. curiosus ad eos qui magicarum artium studio tenentur, etc. See the references ad loc., e. g., Hor. Epod. xviii. 25, or, in some editions, xvii. 77.—Tr.]. It was precisely in Ephesus that magic, strictly so called, held its seat; it had originally been connected with the worship of Artemis. The ἘöÝóéá ãñÜììáôá were especially celebrated; these were magical formulæ written on paper or parchment, which were either recited or carried as amulets for the purpose of protecting the owner from any possible danger, of escaping from any existing evil, or of securing his happiness. [“Eustathius says that the mysterious symbols called ‘Ephesian letters,’ were engraved on the crown, the girdle, and the feet of the goddess.” (Conyb. and H. II. 13).—Tr.].The owners themselves of these books [ âßâëïõò , rolls, scrolls, etc. (Rob. Lex.)—Tr.] burned them publicly, as, at a former period, the work of Protagoras on the gods was burned by order of the government, and as the emperor Augustus directed books on soothsaying to be collected and burned. They then computed the value ( ôὰò ôéìÜò , the original cost), and found ( åὖñïí , found as the sum) that it amounted in money to 50,000. [ Ἀñãõñßïõ is here money, silver-money (Rob. Lex.) and äñá÷ìÞ is omitted (Winer, § 64. 5).—Tr.]. The coin, in reference to which this calculation is made, was, without doubt, the drachma, the most common Greek silver coin, which circulated also among the Jews after the Captivity. Hence, as the drachma was equal to 7 Neugroschen or 24 Kreuzer, the whole amount may have been 11.000 or 12.000 Thaler, or about 20.000 Gulden. [Lechler here estimates the amount in German money only; the Neugroschen is equal to 21½ cents, the Gulden, to 40 cents, the Thaler, to 70 cents, in our money. Assuming the value of the drachma to have been at that time (for it varied considerably at different periods) equal to 15 cents (see Rob. Lex. art. ἀñãýñéïí . 2.), the value of the books was about $7500. Alford estimates the amount in sterling money at 1770 pounds; Howson (Conyb. and H. II. 17) at 2000 pounds. Nothing more than an approximation can be furnished.—Tr.). Grotius and others, and quite recently, Tiele (Stud. u. Krit. 1858, p. 763 f.), suppose that the money was reckoned according to the Hebrew shekel, in which case the amount as stated above [in modern money], would be quadrupled [the shekel being equal to 56–62 cents, according to the estimates of different authorities.—Tr.]. But it is in the highest degree improbable that the owners, who were, without doubt, Greeks, should have estimated the value of the books in reference to a foreign coin, and not to one which circulated in their own country.
Act_19:20. [So mightily, etc., that is, with such power did the doctrine of the Lord grow (referring to its external diffusion), and such power did it exhibit (in producing great results). (Meyer).—Tr.]
2. The healing of sick persons by means of linen cloths which had come in contact with the skin of the apostle, is certainly a circumstance that is in the highest degree surprising. Even if such a course was not advised and favored by him, as the narrative distinctly shows, he must, at least, have been aware of it, and have tolerated it. The circumstance itself cannot, indeed, (with Baur) be assigned to the category of relic-worship, since it is obvious that a healing and miraculous power was not supposed to reside in the cloths themselves, so that they could, on any subsequent occasion, be used as the means for healing the sick; the relief which they afforded, depended, on the contrary, on the living personality of the apostle, and it was a necessary condition of their efficacy as mediums of his miraculous power, that they should have been directly brought away from his person ( ἀðïöÝñåóèáé ἀðὸ ôïῦ ÷ñùôὸò áὑôïῦ ). It cannot be doubted that the faith of those sick persons was not only the condition on which their own susceptibility of being healed depended, but was also the principal motive which led to that course of action, during which it may readily be conceived that the name of Jesus was invoked in devout prayer. The fact, moreover, that a “magnetic rapport” may be established, might, possibly, be regarded as bearing a certain analogy to the use of those mediums of healing. Still, the impression cannot be effaced that this mode of affording relief constituted the extreme limit of the Christian miracles, and could not have been transcended without danger of going astray and actually resorting to magical rites. [“There was a special divine ordering, intended to communicate a healing influence to greater numbers and a greater distance, yet without allowing any doubt as to the source or channel of communication, such as might have arisen if the miracles had been performed by mere word of command, without actual proximity or contact, mediate or immediate, with the object.” (Alexander).—Tr.]
3. It is remarkable that the statement of the circumstances just mentioned, is immediately followed by the narrative of an actual magical abuse of the name of Jesus, apparently as if the latter were intended to serve as a warning. The Jewish conjurers attempted to use the name of Jesus in their superstitious and heathenish practices, but they utterly failed. They not only could not accomplish their design, but, besides, subjected themselves to personal ill treatment and to disgrace. Such a recompense was well deserved, for they had taken the holy name of the Redeemer in vain (Exo_20:7). They hoped, first of all, to gain filthy lucre, and for such a purpose they were willing to employ the name of Jesus; and, in the second place, they expected that the mere utterance of the name of Jesus, without the faith of the heart, and without a personal fellowship with Him, would produce the desired effect on the demoniac. Now this is precisely the magical element in such a transaction, when a lifeless formula usurps the place of a morally determined will and a holy disposition. The conjurers themselves confess that they stand in no personal relation whatever to Jesus, by speaking of him as “the Jesus [ ôὸí Ἰçó . ὅí ] whom Paul preacheth.” But Paul preached Jesus, because he believed on him: “I believed, and therefore have I spoken.” [1Co_4:13; Psa_116:10]. On this account he could perform deeds which were impossible to others. This fact is, indeed, implied in the answer of the evil spirit. The latter knows Jesus as the Master and Conqueror even of the world of fallen spirits. He has a knowledge of Paul, who was endowed with power by Jesus Christ, because he was morally united with Him, in consequence of his genuine repentance and faith. The evil spirit, on the other hand, asks: “But who are ye?” In this case, their “inner man” had acquired no personality; the conjurers possessed neither intrinsic worth, nor that power which can be derived solely from a real and intimate union with the Redeemer.
4. The confession, Act_19:18. Many believers came, and declared that which they had done. It is a question of some importance, whether these persons had previously been converts, or whether they were converted only at this later point of time. It is the opinion of Meyer that they could not possibly have been converts of an earlier period, since a change of mind [or repentance, ìåôÜíïéá ] was the [necessary] condition of faith [and baptism. (Meyer, 3d ed. note, p. 388.—Tr.]. But philological considerations [see the Exeg. note on Act_19:17-18.—Tr.] do not sanction any other interpretation than that converts of an earlier period are meant. They had, to a certain extent, retained their heathenish superstition; their repentance and conversion had not thoroughly influenced all their opinions, feelings, and actions. Even their views of the sinfulness of the superstitious customs of the times, as well as of other practices, may never have been as clear and distinct as they became when this late event occurred. It is well known that long established customs maintain their ground with great tenacity; and even when an improvement has been made, heathenism may secretly resume its influence to a certain extent, and mislead those who are no longer actually out of the pale of Christianity. There can be no doubt that those who confessed, had been believers for a considerable time. But now the power of the Spirit of God was, in consequence of that remarkable event, decisively and triumphantly exercised in the work of renewal and sanctification. The Spirit imparted to these confessing believers the knowledge of sin, and wrought in them a sincere repentance (passiva contritio, genuine sorrow for sin, according to the Smalcald Articles, Part III. art. 3, and not activa, that is, a factitious and mechanical sorrow). [The author here alludes to a decree adopted at the fourteenth session of the Council of Trent, in which (cap. III.) the following statement occurs: “Moreover, the acts of the penitent, namely, Confession, Contrition and Satisfaction, are the matter, as it were, of this sacrament (of Penance).”—Tr.]. These believers, in the next place confess their deeds (confessio); and, lastly, they act in accordance with that confession—they bring their magical books and publicly burn them. The whole procedure, however, was not according to the Law, but strictly according to the Gospel. For, in the first place, they voluntarily adopted this course, moved by the Spirit, who convinced them of sin; they were not constrained by any objective ordinance, any external command, nor even any consideration derived from social life. In the second place, their acts do not in the least degree assume the character of a satisfactio operis, as if they expected to atone for sin in this manner, or acquire a claim to forgiveness and eternal life. Their acts are, on the contrary, voluntarily performed, and are the indispensable result of a genuine and sincere repentance, which impels the offender to free himself completely from sin, and from every allurement and opportunity to commit it.
Act_19:9. But when some were hardened … he departed … and separated the disciples.—The words: “Neither cast ye your pearls before swine” [Mat_7:6], could be applied in the present case. Paul created no schism, for he separated the disciples not from the true, but from the false church. (Gossner).—Like a watchful shepherd, he discovered the mangy sheep, and separated the rest of the flock from them, so that the latter might not be infected. (Ap. Past.).
Act_19:10. And this continued by the space of two years.—How blessed is the country, or city, or village, in which God causes the light of his Gospel to shine! (Starke).—But what a judgment will come on men, for whom the light shineth in their darkness, while they neither comprehend nor keep it! Joh_1:5; Rev_2:5. (Leon, and Sp.).—So that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word.—Men are accountable to God for every opportunity which has been offered to them to hear the Gospel, even if they have not actually heard it. (Starke).—It is not merely by accident that Paul specially treats the subject of fellowship with the church precisely in his Epistle to the Ephesians. The city of Ephesus was the connecting link of the congregations in the East and the West, and the central point of the church in the province of Asia. During those two years of successful labor which Paul spent in Ephesus, four congregations were gathered in that province—the original congregation in Ephesus, and three offshoots, one in Colosse (Col_1:7; Col_4:12), one in Laodicea (Col_4:15-16), and one in Hierapolis (Col_4:13). Thus have we thrice seen four congregations, planted by apostolic hands, which grew up before us—twelve trees, proceeding from the root of Jesse, and flourishing unto the praise of the Lord: four in Lycaonia and Pisidia, four in Macedonia and Greece, and four in the province of Asia. The day’s-work of the apostle was, therefore, completed already at noon, before he turned his face towards Rome, Act_19:21. (Besser).
Act_19:12. So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, etc.—These were, however, not relics of a dead man, but articles used by a living and wonder-working apostle, at whose death, when his work was performed, these miracles ceased. Nor were those articles preserved, so that similar miracles might be wrought by them at a future time; the power did not reside in them, but proceeded from God and Christ, Act_19:11. (Starke).—The handkerchiefs of Paul as little wrought miracles in Ephesus, as the shadow of Peter, at an earlier period, in Jerusalem (Acts 5-15). The healing power which was manifested, proceeded in both cases from the living Christ, whose strength was made perfect in the weakness of his instruments [2Co_12:9], so that rivers of living water flowed [Joh_7:38] alike from the body as from the spirit; and this power operated on the sick not by mere corporeal contact, but by the spiritual “rapport” of faith.—Why is the Romish worship of relics a dead, idolatrous worship? I. Because those who offer it expect salvation from a dead hand: from dry bones, and fragments of clothing and wood, but not from the hand of the living God, or of his servants who are filled with his Spirit; II. Because they receive salvation with a dead hand: depending on the dead works of pilgrimages and ceremonies, and not on a living faith as the internal medium.
Act_19:13. We [I] adjure thee by [the] Jesus, whom Paul preacheth.—It was a righteous judgment of God, that the people to whose care the true word of God had been previously intrusted, should now, when they forsook the truth, addict themselves to the most degrading magic arts.—There were many impostors who attempted to imitate the apostles. But what was their aim? Not to teach the truth, nor to aid in the work of converting men; such a thought never occurred to them. They attempted to imitate the miracles and deeds which had raised the apostles to so high an eminence, and thus acquire similar distinction. False teachers still adopt the same course. It is not their object to impart a knowledge of the truth to others, and lead them in the way of salvation, but, rather, to gain power and influence; hence they adopt the color and the plumes of the true servants of God.—These men had no personal knowledge whatever of Jesus; they knew him only from common fame as “the Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” How wretched is the condition of a teacher, who speaks, indeed, of Jesus, but who has not the least knowledge of him, derived from the experience of the heart! He learns to speak “the language of Canaan” [Isa_19:18], to repeat from memory the most emphatic expressions of the servants of God, and to talk of “the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Is it a wonder that shame and disgrace should overtake him? (Ap. Past.).
Act_19:14. Seven sons of … chief of the priests.—We are here reminded of the many mournful instances in which Satan has acquired an influence specially over the sons of priests. Should not such instances arouse all preachers, and impel them to pray most earnestly to Jesus in behalf of their children, even when these are still mere infants? (Ap. Past.).
Act_19:15. Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?—Even the evil spirit is compelled to admit and confess that Christ and his servants have no concord with Belial; he well understands the difference between the righteous and the ungodly.—He who ventures to commence a contest with Satan, when he has received no authority and possesses no faith, will necessarily be put to shame. (Starke).—Men who boast of the truth, without knowing it, or presume to be teachers, without having themselves any knowledge, or announce the covenant of God, while they detest all wholesome restraint, or pronounce the name of Jesus with their lips, while in their hearts and works they deny Him [Tit_1:16], must expect to encounter Satan in all their ways, and to be dismissed with the words: ‘Jesus I know, but who are ye?” Even if such an answer is not now publicly made, it is internally conveyed, through the accusations of an evil conscience. For he who preaches the truth, which he himself does not believe, and proclaims the name of Jesus, of whom he is still an enemy, must necessarily feel in his own heart the sting of the reproach and the contemptuous language which the evil spirit addresses to these impostors.—“Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”—are words addressed as a stern rebuke to false prophets and hypocritical disciples: for the purpose of, I. Exposing to them the falsehood of their hearts: they cannot deceive even Satan and the world, much less the God of truth, and the children of light; II. Convincing them of the total inefficiency of their arts; they cannot accomplish with these more than Gehazi with the staff of the prophet, 2Ki_4:29-31; III. Directing them to the true source, from which alone the power to do the works of God is derived: the Spirit of Jesus and of his faithful witnesses.
Act_19:16. Leaped on them, and overcame them … so that they fled, etc.—Satan rewards his most faithful servants with ingratitude. The one who serves him with the greatest zeal is at last subjected to his most severe torments. The flatteries of the beginning are ultimately changed into tortures. The only reward which his service affords is a “naked and wounded” soul. (Ap. Past.).
Act_19:17. And fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.—Even demons are compelled to glorify Jesus, when God so wills it. The power of the name of Jesus is manifested alike when apostles expel demons, and when exorcists fail to expel them in that name.—The holy name of Jesus glorified: I. In his servants, by their victories; II. In his enemies, by their defeat.
Act_19:18. And many … confessed, and shewed their deeds.—The power of sin lies in its secrecy; when silence is broken, its prop is likewise broken. (Pastor Blumhardt of Möttlingen, on the awakening of his congregation, caused by the confession of sins, 1844). It is true that a teacher cannot demand or compel such a confession of former abominations. But when it is voluntarily made, in consequence of the constraint of conscience and the impulse of the Spirit, the faithful teacher ought so to avail himself of it, as to conduct the troubled soul to true peace and deliverance. (Ap. Past.).—“We therefore teach what an admirable, precious and comforting privilege confession is, and we exhort men, that, in view of our great need, they should not despise such a rich blessing. Now if thou art a Christian, no compulsion, no command will be required, for thou wilt constrain thyself to confess. Hence when I exhort men to make a confession, I do nothing else than exhort every one to be a Christian.” (Luther: Brief Exhortation to Confession).
Act_19:19. Many … brought their books … and burned them before all men.—The pernicious books which continue to abound in the world, seem to be a judgment that has come upon it. Such a burning of books should more frequently be arranged. (Rieger).—Although many modern Christians of liberal minds, may censure that act as one dictated by excessive scrupulosity, and although antiquarians may lament the loss of those treasures, we will not cast one stone at those Ephesians, in whom the first love (Rev_2:4) was still burning, as little as we would at those earnest Christians of our own age who renounce, for the sake of the Gospel, not only all amusements, but also all gains which may be of a doubtful character. (Williger).—Booksellers and proprietors of circulating libraries should specially ponder this text. (Besser).
Act_19:20. So mightily grew the word of God, and prevailed.—This one word: “So” [ ïὕôù ] is truly a divine Amen, a testimony coming from heaven: ‘This is my beloved congregation in which I am well pleased.’ Lord! Grant thy grace, so that thou mayest bear such testimony in favor of every congregation which confesses thy name; and that the earnest efforts of thy people to free themselves even from the most secret cursed thing (Deu_7:26) may be made manifest, so that the world may have no other reproach to make except this—that they zealously follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord [Heb_12:14]. (Williger).
(On Act_19:8-20). The power of evangelical preaching, as it was demonstrated in Ephesus: I. In the acts of Paul, Act_19:8-12; II. In the disgrace of the false workers of miracles, Act_19:13-17; Acts 18-20. (Lisco).—How victoriously the simple word of God disenchants the enchanted world [probably an allusion to the title of B. Becker’s celebrated work, published in Amsterdam, in 1691, and entitled: The enchanted world.—Tr.]: I. It destroys the influence which the magic arts of unprincipled impostors might attempt to acquire over the hearts of believers, Act_19:9; II. It breaks the magical bonds of Satanic possession by its vital and saving power; III. It exposes with unsparing earnestness the magical delusions of sanctimonious hypocrites, Act_19:13-17; IV. It bursts asunder, by the power of sincere repentance, the magical chains which the previous years spent in the service of sin, had fastened, Act_19:18; V. It consumes the magical books of a deceitful wisdom, in the fire of divine truth, ver; 19.—In what sense did Christ come into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil? [1Jn_3:8]. I. What are these works? II. How does he destroy them? (See above, on Act_19:12; Act_19:15; Act_19:17-18, for other sketches).—What is a right and true confession? That, of which, I. Faith is the root; II. Repentance, the vital power; III. A new obedience, the fruit, (Act_19:18-19).—The evangelical Christian at the confessional: I. What should conduct him to it? Not a mere outward custom, nor the command of a despotic church, but the inward impulse of a penitent heart that seeks salvation; II. What should he find there? Not a burden of penitential acts imposed on the conscience by men, nor a license to commit new sins, but the comfort which grace imparts, when God pardons sin, and a new impulse, derived from the Spirit, to obey with a grateful heart.—Would that pyre at Ephesus be appropriately rekindled in our day? Yes—but only, I. For the appropriate books. The books which it would be proper to burn, are (a) not instructive works on any science, nor those which contain genuine poetry, nor any that refer to human law, but (b) those pernicious leaves which convey only a frivolous and barren knowledge; those seductive, magical books belonging to an impure literature, which seeks only to amuse; and the arrogant decrees of an unchristian tyranny which fetters the conscience (such as Luther burned near the gate of Wittenberg [Dec. 10, 1520]); II. With appropriate fire. This is (a) not the lurid flame of a narrow-minded puritanism, nor the sullen fire of a censorious fanaticism, nor the incendiary torch of revolution, but (b) the holy fire of that repentance which reminds man first of all of his own defects and sins (Act_19:18)—of that love to the Lord, which joyfully sacrifices to him even the most precious objects (Act_19:19)—and of that zeal for the house of God, which has no other desire than that His kingdom may come, alike into congregations, families and hearts, and into the government, into art and science, (Act_19:20).—The burning of the books at Ephesus, or, The word of man, and the word of God, Act_19:19-20 : I. The word of man: (a) it deceives; (b) it perishes, Act_19:19; II. The word of God: (a) it saves; (b) it endures [1Pe_1:25] forever, Act_19:20.—[The burning of the books of magic at Ephesus, (Act_19:19): I. The historical facts; (a) magical and superstitious practices (origin—views of deceivers and deceived); (b) nature and pecuniary value of the “books” in question. II. Motives in burning them; (a) consciousness of the guilt of such practices; (b) enlightened Christian faith. III. Effect on the spectators; (a) to weaken the influence of the prevailing superstition; (b) to lead men to1 repentance. IV. Lessons which the fact teaches; (a) respecting divine Providence, which controls all (Luk_21:18); (b) respecting the duties which we owe to the almighty God.— Tr.]
Footnotes:
Act_19:9. ôéíüò after T õñ . is wanting in several manuscripts, it is true [in A. B.; also Cod. Sin.], but it is quite probable that the word was dropped [by copyists. It is found in D. E. G. H. Vulg. It is omitted by Lach., Tisch., and Alf.—Tr.]
Act_19:10. Ἰçóïῦ after êõñßïõ is supported by only one uncial manuscript [by G., whereas it is omitted in A. B. D. E. H. Cod. Sin. Vulg.; hence it is dropped by recent editors generally.—Tr.]
Act_19:12. a. ἀðïöåñ . is as fully sustained [by A. B. E. Cod. Sin.] as ἑðéöåñ . [which is found in D. G. H.]; the former, moreover, could more easily have been changed into ἐðéö . than the reverse, and is, therefore, to be regarded as the genuine reading. [ ἀðïö . was probably changed to ἐðéö . of text. rec., in order to suit ἐðὶ ô . ἀóèåí . (Meyer and Alf.); Lach. Tisch. and Alf. accordingly read ἀðïö ; but Scholz and Born. retain ἐðéö .—Tr.]
Act_19:12 b. [For ἐîÝñ÷åóèáé of text. rec. which is the “more usual word for the going out of evil spirits” (Alf., from Meyer), and which occurs in G. H., recent editors substitute ἐêðïñåýåóèáé , from A. B. D. E. Cod. Sin.— Ἀð ʼ áὐôῶí , inserted immediately after the verb in text. rec. from G. H., is omitted in A. B. D. E. Cod. Sin. Vulg., and is dropped by recent editors as a supplementary insertion.—Tr.]
Act_19:13. ὁñêßæù is by far better supported [by A. D. E. (B. is doubtful); Cod. Sin. Vulg.] than the plural ὁñêßæïìåí ; the latter was substituted for the singular in order to correspond to ἐðå÷åßñçóáí — ëÝãïíôåò . [The singular is adopted by recent editors generally.—Tr.]
Act_19:16. ἀìöïôÝñùí before ἵó÷õóåí is better sustained [namely, by A. B. D. Cod. Sin.] than áὐôå ͂ í [of text. rec. from G. H. (Vulg. eos.). “The weight of MSS. evidence for this reading ( ἀìöïôÝñùí ) is even surpassed by its internal probability, etc.” (Alford).—Tr.]. Later copyists substituted áὐôῶí for ἀìö ., because the narrative does not elsewhere state that only two of the sons were connected with the transaction. If ἀìö . had not been the original reading, it would undoubtedly never have been inserted. [ ἀìö . adopted by Lach., Tisch., Born., Alf., etc.—Tr.]
Act_19:20. [The text. rec. exhibits êõñßïõ with A. B. Cod. Sin, etc., and this reading is retained by Lach., Tisch., and Alf.—D. E. exhibit èåïῦ in place of it. The Engl. version here deviates from the text. rec., and follows the ordinary text of the Vulg. (Dei); Cod. Amiatinus, however, exhibits Domini.—Tr.]