NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 61
A cts 2 0 : 5
2017
19:26
Ps 115:4
Isa 44:1020
Jer 10:35
Acts 17:29
1 Cor 8:4
19:28
Acts 18:19
19:29
Acts 20:4
Rom 16:23
1 Cor 1:14
Col 4:10
Phlm 1:24
19:32
Acts 21:34
19:33
1 Tim 1:20
d apologeomai (0626)
Acts
22:1
19:37
Rom 2:22
20:1
Acts 16:910
20:3
Acts 9:2324; 23:12
2 Cor 11:26
20:4
Acts 16:1; 19:29;
21:29
Eph 6:21
2 Tim 4:20
Titus 3:12
“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth
comes from this business. 26 But as you have
seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded
many people that handmade gods aren’t
really gods at all. And he’s done this not only
here in Ephesus but throughout the entire
province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking
about the loss of public respect for our busi
ness. I’m also concerned that the temple of
the great goddess Artemis will lose its influ
ence and that Artemis—this magnificent
goddess worshiped throughout the prov
ince of Asia and all around the world—will
be robbed of her great prestige!”
28 At this their anger boiled, and they
began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was filled
with confusion. Everyone rushed to the am
phitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristar
chus, who were Paul’s traveling companions
from Maced
onia. 30 Paul wanted to go in, too,
but the believers wouldn’t let him. 31 Some of
the officials of the province, friends of Paul,
also sent a message to him, begging him not
to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.
32 Inside, the people were all shouting,
some one thing and some another. Every
thing was in confusion. In fact, most of
them didn’t even know why they were there.
33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander
forward and told him to explain the situa
tion. He motioned for silence and tried to
d speak. 34 But when the crowd realized he
was a Jew, they started shouting again and
kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Ar
temis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of
the Ephesians!”
35 At last the mayor was able to quiet them
down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephes us,”
he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the
official guardian of the temple of the great
Artemis, whose image fell down to us from
heaven. 36 Since this is an undeniable fact,
you should stay calm and not do anything
rash. 37 You have brought these men here,
but they have stolen nothing from the temple
and have not spoken against our goddess.
38 “If Demetrius and the craftsmen have
a case against them, the courts are in ses
sion and the officials can hear the case at
once. Let them make formal charges. 39 And
if there are complaints about other matters,
they can be settled in a legal assembly. 40 I
am afraid we are in danger of being charged
with rioting by the Roman government,
since there is no cause for all this commo
tion. And if Rome demands an explanation,
we won’t know what to say.” 41*Then he dis
missed them, and they dispersed.
Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece
When the uproar was over, Paul sent
for the believers* and encouraged
them. Then he said good-bye and left for
Macedonia. 2 While there, he encouraged the
believers in all the towns he passed through.
Then he traveled down to Greece, 3 where he
stayed for three months. He was preparing to
sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot
by some Jews against his life, so he decided
to return through Macedonia.
4 Several men were traveling with him.
They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from
Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thes
salonica; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and
Tychicus and Trophimus from the province
of Asia. 5 They went on ahead and waited for
20
19:41 Some translations include verse 41 as part of verse 40. 20:1 Greek disciples.
19:27 all around the world: The ancient
geographer Strabo reports that temples
dedicated to Artemis existed in cities
from Asia Minor (now Turkey) to what is
now France and Spain (Strabo, Geography 3.4.8; 4.1.4).
19:29 Archaeologists have excavated
the amphitheater where the whole city
assembled; it held 24,000 people.
19:31 Some of the officials of the province (Greek Asiarchai, “rulers of Asia”):
The “Asiarchs” were the appointed lead
ers in the Roman province of Asia. They
served as civic benefactors and usually
championed the emperor cult. Some
of these officials in high places were
friends of Paul—Luke highlights that
Christianity was attractive to people of
high standing in society.
19:3541 The demonstration was
finally quelled only when the mayor
PROPHETS OF ISRAEL
intervened and dismissed the assembly
to prevent the city from being charged
by the Roman government with rioting.
This story demonstrates that Christians
in the Roman world were entitled to
legal due process.
19:35 The tradition that the image
(statue) of Artemis had fallen from
heaven might point to its having been
carved from a meteor.
20:12 Paul traveled to Macedonia,
where he encouraged the believers in
all the towns, including Thessalonica,
Philippi, and Berea. He also continued
to gather the offering for the needy
in Jerusalem (see Rom 15:2528; 2 Cor
8:1–9:15). Titus met Paul in Macedo
nia with a report from Corinth, which
prompted Paul to write 2 Corinthians
and send Titus back carrying it (2 Cor
7:57; 8:6).
GOSPELS & ACTS
20:23 From Macedonia, Paul traveled
down to Greece—i.e., Corinth in the
province of Achaia (see note on 18:1)—
where he stayed for three months (cp.
2 Cor 13:1). Paul probably wrote his
letter to the Romans during this time
(see Romans Introduction, “Date, Place,
and Occasion of Writing”). • a plot . . .
against his life: Cp. Acts 9:2325, 2830;
23:1235; 25:3.
20:4 Paul’s traveling companions were
disciples from Berea, Thessalonica,
Derbe, and Asia, whom he was mentor
ing and equipping to lead (cp. 2 Tim
2:2).
20:515 This is another of the “we” pas
sages in Acts (see note on 16:10). Luke
apparently rejoined Paul at Philippi,
where Luke had remained several years
earlier, and journeyed with Paul to Jeru
salem (21:118).
L E T T E R S O F PAU L
OTHER LET TERS
