Acts 19:26Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Demetrius could have disposed their souls to this by the words: "Things made by human hands are not gods." Notice what grieves the Greeks: that it was said, "Things made by human hands are not gods." He constantly bends the speech toward his craft. "Meanwhile you see and hear," so widely known was this, "that this Paul has persuaded and turned away no small number of people." It was not by violence, if it was "by persuasion." This is how a city ought to be persuaded. Then he speaks of what concerns them: "that things made by human hands are not gods." What does this mean? He is destroying, he says, our craft. Do you see how he bears witness to the superiority of Paul's power? Do you see how weak and worthless all the others are, if a man who was persecuted and worked as a tentmaker could do so much? Thus the enemies themselves bore witness in favor of the apostles. There they said, "You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching" (Acts 5:28). Here they say, "The magnificence of Artemis will be destroyed." Earlier they said, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also" (Acts 17:6). Now they say, "Our craft will come into disrepute." So also the Jews said of Christ, "The world has gone after Him" (Jn 12:19), and, "The Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation" (Jn 11:48).

All hurried to the public square, where they usually gathered. Many shouted, not knowing themselves what the matter was. Two of Paul's companions were seized. The Greek people, who made up the chief population of the city, generally hated the Jews who lived there as enemies of the gods. Popular hatred could easily flare into riot over a slight offense, from which the Jews might suffer greatly. In the present case, many still did not know what exactly caused the people's indignation. The Jews heard only that the people were stirred up because of an insult inflicted by enemies of the gods. They at once attributed the cause of this indignation to themselves. A certain man named Alexander appeared, in order to give the people an explanation and, if necessary, to place the blame on the Christians. But the appearance of such a man, who himself belonged among the enemies of the popular religion, only produced stronger irritation. The shouting increased still more. Yet these hostile dispositions toward the apostle seem to have been cherished only by the mob. The city officials knew Paul's manner of life and action during almost three years in Ephesus. This could not fail to give them a favorable judgment of Paul. Some of the city rulers who in that year managed religious affairs in Asia Minor, the Άσιάρχαι, and supervised the public games, even showed concern for his fate. They begged him not to appear before the people during this disturbance. Finally the city clerk succeeded in calming the riotous crowd. He explained that satisfaction should be sought by lawful procedure. He said it was impossible that anyone would rise against the great goddess of Ephesus, and that responsibility for the disturbance had to be feared.

Since this temple possessed the right of asylum, everything criminal and filthy usually gathered around it. This, together with the corrupting influence of the cult itself, made Ephesus one of the most depraved cities in the world. The greatest losses from the decline of reverence toward the goddess and her sanctuary were suffered by a certain silversmith named Demetrius. He sold worshippers small silver models of the temple and images as souvenirs of their visit to Ephesus and its temple. Not only in Ephesus, but in every famous center of pagan worship, demand for such things produced a great supply from manufacturers. Demetrius found that his industry was beginning to be undermined. Covering himself with zeal for the temple and the goddess, he resolved, as far as possible, to take measures to stop the ruin threatening him. He called together all the artisans and ordinary workers engaged in this craft. He addressed them in a speech in which he first stirred their passions by warning them of the ruin threatening them. Then he appealed to their dormant fanaticism for revenge over the insulted majesty of their temple and the declining splendor of the goddess, whom, as he said, all Asia and the whole world worshipped.

According to Bishop Michael's thought, Demetrius probably had something like a factory. Under his direction were both artisans and craftsmen, who worked for him in their homes. Such persons at that time were not marked by friendship toward poor workers, as was generally true of all wealthy people. "When monetary interests were touched in Philippi, the previously peaceful Gentiles rose up; see Acts 16:16-24. Something similar happened here, in Ephesus."