Acts 19:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet he mentions whose children the exorcists were, their name and their number. By this he gives a mark of reliability to what is written.

And since Satan himself takes the form of an angel of light; 2 Cor 11:14, he does not fear to make his servants like himself.

Therefore the grace of the Holy Spirit is commonly defined by the number seven. For there were seven disciples with whom the Lord ate after the Resurrection; cf. Jn 21:2.

Seven brethren also came with Peter to Cornelius, who was to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, in order to preach the Gospel; cf. Acts 11:12.

But there were also seven sons of Sceva, who claimed that they cast out evil spirits.

Those who invoke the name of Christ and of the Apostles, not believing, but for scandal, are deservedly condemned for cunning and falsehood, not only by God, but by the demons themselves.

Although the Jewish seeking of signs could reduce all Christianity to these visible manifestations performed by the power of God, and consider it only a higher magic, as Simon the sorcerer thought, the very essence of Christianity contained something different.

Wherever it found true access to the heart, there it aroused the strongest revulsion against every such attempt.

At that time many Jewish exorcists roamed through this region. By various charms and incantations, and by the power of certain herbs, they claimed to cast evil spirits out of those possessed by them.

They acted according to rules whose origin they traced back to Solomon. These people could produce effects very striking at first sight.

The behavior of certain wandering Jewish exorcists and deceivers showed how strong an impression the miracles performed by the hands of Paul made on the inhabitants of Asia.

There were many such men then among both Jews and pagans; see 8:9 and following; 13:6 and following.

They were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest. Who this high priest was, and in what sense he is called a high priest here, is unknown.

Perhaps he was a relative of a high-priestly family. Perhaps he was chief of one of the twenty-four priestly courses; Lk 1:5.

They began to use the name of the Lord Jesus in exorcisms over the demon-possessed. They superstitiously supposed that wonderworking power lay in the very sounds of this name.

One of them, Sceva, attempted to imitate him. He hoped that, by using the name of Jesus, which he understood little, he would perform miracles as successfully as the Apostle Paul did.

But two of his sons, who practiced exorcisms, suffered a complete failure. This led to the complete uprooting of such charlatanry in Ephesus.

They were called to perform an exorcism over a man who was clearly suffering from violent demonic possession.

Addressing the evil spirits, they cried out, "We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches."

This time, however, the exorcism had no power. The demon-possessed man answered them with an evil sneer: "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"

Then, rushing upon them with incredible strength, he tore their clothing and beat them so badly that they barely escaped from the house, wounded and naked.

"Seven sons of Sceva." Who this Sceva was, and in what sense he is called a Jewish chief priest, is unknown. Perhaps he was one of the heads of the priestly courses. His sons had emigrated from Judea and made their living by exorcism.

The writer of Acts designates the exorcists cautiously, since at that time there were many charlatans of this kind. Most of them wandered under various invented names, as modern magicians and conjurers do.

Therefore one may think that these exorcists called themselves sons of Sceva. He may have been one of the first priests in his course; Mt 2:4.

They exaggerated his dignity by calling him a high priest. Therefore Saint Luke said, "some seven sons."

Yet Saint John Chrysostom observes that although our writer is concise, he mentions whose children the exorcists were, their name, and their number. By this he gives credibility to what is written.