Acts 19:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It produced fear in them, and was the greatest proof that God knows all things. Before they were exposed by demons, they accused themselves, fearing lest they suffer the same thing. And rightly so. If the demons who patronized them became their accusers, and not their helpers, what hope remained except confession by deeds? See how quickly evil appears after such signs. Such is human nature. It quickly forgets benefits. Do you not remember that the same thing happened in our own time? Tell me, last year did God not strike the whole city with an earthquake? And what then? Did not all receive baptism? Did not fornicators, and men given over to luxury and pleasure, abandon the houses and places where they spent their time? Were they not corrected? Did they not become reverent? Yet hardly three days passed before they returned again to their own vice. Why does this happen? From great negligence. And what is remarkable if this happens after the events have passed, when the same occurs even where images of the events remain constantly? Tell me, does not the event that took place in Sodom remain forever? And what then? Did those living near it become better because of it? Not at all. And what of Noah's son? Was he not such a man? Did he not remain evil, although he had seen such desolation with his own eyes? Let us therefore not marvel that, even amid such events, some did not believe. Often they turn the very doctrine of faith into the opposite, into evil. For example, they even say of the Son of God, "You have a demon" (Jn 8:48). Do you not see the same thing even now? Many men, faithless and ungrateful, become like vipers. After receiving benefits and care from others, they later grieve their benefactors. We have said this so that no one may wonder that not all were converted even by such signs. In our own time there were the events concerning blessed Babylas. There were the events in Jerusalem. There were the events at the destruction of the temples, and yet not all were converted. Why speak of ancient things? I have already said what happened last year. No one paid attention. Little by little they again began to give themselves to dissipation and falls into sin. Heaven continually cries out that there is a Lord, and that all this, I mean the world, is the work of a certain Craftsman. Yet some say there is none. Whom did the incident with Theodore last year not strike with awe? And yet nothing further happened. Having become reverent for a time, they afterward returned to the same condition from which they had passed to reverence. The same once happened with the Jews. Therefore the prophet said: "When He slew them, they sought Him and quickly returned to God" (Ps 77:34). And in general, what should be said? How many, falling into illnesses, have promised that after recovery they would amend themselves completely, and yet remained the same! In this especially our free choice and the freedom of our nature are revealed to us, namely, in sudden change. If evil were natural to us, there would be no such change. In what is natural and necessary, we cannot change. And yet, you will say, we do change. Do we not see that some, having sight by nature, become blind from fear? This happens because it belongs to our nature to contract when another natural action occurs. Thus it is natural for us to lose sight from fear. On the other hand, it is also natural that when a greater fear comes, another lesser fear disappears. What then? If philosophy belongs to nature, you will say, how does fear, when it seizes nature, drive it out? What if I prove to you that some are not philosophical even at such a time? What if, even in the midst of fear itself, they remain bold? This is already unnatural. Shall I speak of ancient things or of new? How many people there were who, even during fear, remained laughing and mocking, and experienced nothing of the kind. Tell me, did not Pharaoh change immediately after the punishment, and then return to his former impiety?

These books contained formulas for incantations, various prayers to the gods, and, in general, instruction for every kind of sorcery and magic.

The sorcerers themselves determined the value of the books they freely burned. It turned out that books worth fifty thousand drachmas were burned, equal to about ten thousand rubles.

With such power the word of the Lord grew and prevailed over the power of darkness.

"For if the demons who had patronized them became their accusers and not their helpers, what hope remained for them except active confession of sins?

"It is not so important to cast out a demon as to be freed from sin. A demon here does not prevent one from attaining the Kingdom of Heaven, but sin removes one from the Kingdom.

"Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, Christ said; Lk 10:20. He knows that all people would especially rejoice in this from vainglory."

"Every believer should tell his sins and, by exposing himself, renounce doing the same again, so as to receive justification according to what is said in Scripture: 'Declare your iniquities, that you may be justified'; Isa 43:26."

The pitiable and partly ridiculous appearance of the exorcists, walking in torn garments, stirred the curiosity of those who met them. In this way it happened that this became known to all.

The many-voiced rumor flew through the whole city. It passed through the Jewish quarter and through the Greek houses, and the failure of the exorcists became, so to speak, the talk of the day.

The event itself testified to the greatest authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His preacher Paul, whose power even the evil spirit recognizes.

It was evident to all that Paul's miracles, performed by him in the name of Jesus Christ, were not products of some natural but unknown force.

They were not a force that could be subjected to human whim and turned into a thing for sale. They were the living divine power, which acts only where the Lord wills.

All reverently bowed before the name of the most mighty Jesus and were filled with religious fear, Christians and pagans alike.

Many of those who had believed came confessing and revealing their deeds, that is, their sins.

These were people who, without bargaining with their conscience, still could not, because of common human weakness, realize the high Christian ideal in due measure in their lives. Thus they sinned.

The event that occurred gave a powerful impulse to the elevation of their religious disposition. It moved them to go quickly to the Apostle and pour out their soul before him.

They revealed the small and great sins by which they had managed to offend the almighty Jesus.

The incident with the Jewish exorcists had an especially strong and fruitful effect on sorcerers. The superstition of Ephesus had created a special class of people devoted exclusively to sorcery, magic, and the like.