Pauls Trials And Victories At E

After spending some time at Antioch Paul went off on a trip to Galatia

and Phrygia to strengthen the faith of all the disciples; then he

returned to Ephesus. There Paul entered the synagogue, and spoke out

fearlessly for three months, arguing and trying to convince people

about the Kingdom of God. But as some were stubborn and refused to be

convinced and publicly slandered the Christian way of thinking and

living, Paul taking the disciples with him, left the synagogue and

continued his teaching every day in the lecture-room of Tyrannus. This

continued for two years, so that all the people who lived in the

province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message of the Lord.



And God did wonderful miracles through Paul, and the name of the Lord

Jesus was held in high honor. Many who believed in him came to confess

and to tell all the wicked things they had done.



About that time a great disturbance arose over the Christian way of

teaching and living. A silversmith, by the name of Demetrius, made

silver models of the temple of Artemis which brought much profit to his

workmen. He gathered the workmen together, and others who were in the

same kind of business, and said to them, "Men, you know that we get our

wealth from this business of ours. You also see and hear that, not only

at Ephesus but throughout the whole province of Asia, this Paul has

drawn away many people by telling them that gods made by human hands are

not gods at all. There is danger not only that this business will be

hurt, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be

neglected, and that she will even lose her importance in all the

province of Asia and throughout the world."



When they heard this they were greatly enraged, and shouted, "Great is

Artemis of the Ephesians!" The uproar spread throughout the whole city

until the people all rushed into the theatre, dragging along Gaius and

Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, who were Paul's travelling companions.

Paul wanted to enter the assembly, but the disciples would not let him.

Some of the leading religious officers of the province of Asia, who were

friends of his, also sent messages begging him not to risk going into

the theatre.



Some of the people shouted one thing and some another, for the assembly

was all in confusion, and most of those present did not know why they

had come together. For about two hours they shouted, "Great is Artemis

of the Ephesians!" When the city recorder had quieted the mob, he said:

"Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that this city is

the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the statue that

fell from heaven? As these facts cannot be denied, you should keep calm

and do nothing reckless. You have brought these men here who are

neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. If Demetrius

and his fellow workers have a complaint against anybody, there are the

courts and the Roman officials; let both sides state their charges. But

if there is anything else you want, it must be settled in the regular

assembly. We are indeed in danger of being charged with riot because of

what we have done to-day, for there is no good reason that we can give

for this gathering." With these words he dismissed the assembly.



When the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and encouraged

them. Then, after bidding them good-by, he started for Macedonia.