But the demons, who were subject to Jesus, and by His will subject to those who preached His Gospel, treated with scorn those who used His Name without being converted to His truth. The demons told the brothers, "Jesus I know, and Paul I have knowledge of; but you, who are you?
This fearful result of the profane use of that Holy Name which was proclaimed by Paul soon became well known both among the Greeks and the Jews. Consternation and alarm took possession of the minds of many.
Even among those who had given their faith to Apostle Paul's preaching, some appear to have retained their attachment to the practice of magical arts. Their conscience was moved by what had recently occurred and they publicly forsook their deeds of darkness. The fear and conviction at Ephesus seems to have extended beyond those who made a profession of Christianity. A large number of the sorcerers themselves openly renounced the practice which had been so signally condemned by a higher power.
They brought together the books that contained their mystic formularies and burnt them before Paul and all the people Acts This scene must have been long remembered at Ephesus. It was a strong proof of honest conviction on the part of the sorcerers, and a striking attestation of the triumph of Jesus Christ over the powers of darkness.
With this narrative of the burning of the books, we have nearly reached the end of Apostle Paul's three plus year residence at Ephesus. Before his departure, however, he will experience an uproar in the Ephesian theater related to the worship of Diana. Previous - Next. List of all Chapters. Chapter List - Our Newsletter. Apostle Paul's third missionary journey begins in the summer of 53 A.
By autumn of 54 he finally arrives in Ephesus. Like his extended stays in Syrian Antioch and Corinth, he lives in the city for a significant period a little more than three years.
Can black magic be used for good? The news of this episode spread around Ephesus, making the name and power of Jesus very well known among all the community. So convicted were those who became believers that they brought their books of magic, valued at 50, silver coins, and burned them publicly verses 17— It is reasonable to suggest that at this point Paul made a second visit to Corinth, and that after returning to Ephesus he wrote a now lost letter see 1 Corinthians as well as the one we know as 1 Corinthians see 1 Corinthians , He refers to this intended visit in 1 Corinthians , proposing to make yet a third visit to Corinth.
From there Timothy was to go on to Corinth 1 Corinthians ; — Meanwhile Paul stayed in Ephesus see also 1 Corinthians —9 , but only until events overtook him and he was forced to leave. Ephesus was known throughout the Roman world as the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the much-visited Temple of Artemis. Paul would have seen the temple as his ship entered the estuary of the River Cayster and approached its harbor, which had been specially dredged to accommodate sea traffic.
Just to the north beyond the dock stood the massive edifice—more than feet long by feet wide meters by 60 meters —with its marble columns, each nearly 60 feet, or 18 meters, tall. Inside stood a statue of the fertility goddess, Artemis of the Ephesians, possibly carved from a black meteorite significant to the inhabitants because it had fallen from the sky and was presumed to be a gift of the gods.
Ephesus had all the problems of a wealthy port community. He declares that hand-made gods are not gods at all! The other major structure visible from the harbor was the amphitheater, still intact today and seating 24, Local craftsmen had been making a living from the manufacture of small silver shrines to Artemis. One of them, the silversmith Demetrius, accused Paul and his colleagues of subverting their business by teaching the people that gods made by human hands were worthless idols.
In the confusion that ensued, Paul wanted to follow them in and address the crowd. Thus there could be no danger from men who had not in fact blasphemed the goddess. And after all, there were courts where any such accusation could be lodged. He advised all to go home lest the Roman authorities call them into question for the uproar. This was the opportune moment for Paul to depart the city. What followed was about a year of visiting the Macedonian churches during which time he wrote 2 Corinthians and referred to his previous difficult visit to the city; see 2 Corinthians and , a possible stop in Illyricum a Roman province on the eastern shore of the Adriatic; see Romans , and a three-month stay with the followers in Greece.
Paul visited and preached early Christianity to the people. History, information and pictures of Ephesus Ancient city. Artemis Asklepios Hermes Amazons.
St Paul in Ephesus. Ephesus Information. What Makes Ephesus So Special. Many idols, large and small, of this ancient Mother figure have been found all over the Near and Middle East over the centuries. Ephesus was the city whose pride was her magnificent temple. A first temple in honor of the goddess goes back to the Bronze Age c. It was destroyed by a flood. A second temple was destroyed by arson.
The third and final temple, the one known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built in c. Christianity had by that time supplanted idol worship in much of the Roman world.
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