Riots and Roman Law
Acts 19:21–41
Overview
It is here that we see a change in perspective from Paul. He is turning his attention towards bringing the gospel to Rome. Paul evidently sensed that, having laid a firm foundation in Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea region, he needed to press on to Gentile areas yet unreached (cf. Rom. 15:23). Though he had some short-range goals, he ultimately wanted to go to Rome (Rom. 1:15; cf. Luke 4:43; 9:22, 51). In Romans 15:24, he wrote that he intended to go on from Rome to Spain, the westernmost frontier of the Roman Empire. Luke made no reference to Spain. It was evidently his purpose to end his record of the church’s expansion when the gospel ultimately reached the heart of the empire, from where it then circulated everywhere (Constable).
Luke’s purpose in presenting the riot in Ephesus is clearly apologetic, in line with his argument for the religio licita status of Christianity and in anticipation of the themes stressed in Paul’s speeches of defense. Politically, Luke’s report of the friendliness of the Asiarchs (officials of the province) toward Paul and of the city clerk’s intervention on his behalf is the best defense imaginable against the charge that Paul and Christianity threatened the official life of the empire (Longenecker).
Background
This incident increases understanding about the effects of the gospel on Ephesian society and religion. Christianity, “the Way” had such an influence in Ephesian society that the local pagan worship suffered. The use of the phrase ‘the Way’ ‘identifies the disciples as constituting a socially cohesive movement, a movement arising out of and grounded in their shared faith in Jesus. The antagonism that Luke proceeded to record was not opposition to Paul personally; it was a reaction to the effect of the gospel in Ephesus (Witherington and Cassidy).
Places
The temple of Artemis (Diana)- The Temple of Diana, in Ephesus, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and many historians believe it was one of the most beautiful buildings ever built. It stood on the side of Mount Pion, about a mile northeast of the city, and served as a bank as well as a place of worship and cultic immorality. It could accommodate about 25,000 people, and was probably the largest Greek temple ever built. “It [the temple] was 425 feet in length and 220 in breadth, and the columns were 60 feet high. The number of columns was 127, each of them the gift of a king; and 36 of them were enriched with ornament and color. The folding doors were of cypress-wood; the part which was not open to the sky was roofed over with cedar; and the staircase was formed of wood of one single vine from the island of Cyprus. The value and fame of the Temple were enhanced by its being the treasury, where a large portion of the wealth of Western Asia was stored up. It is probable that there was no religious building in the world in which was concentrated a greater amount of admiration, enthusiasm, and superstition.”
Another matter of considerable importance is that the temple of Artemis was widely recognized as a place of asylum and sanctuary, and part of this involved its being a safe place to deposit one’s money. In such circumstances there was always an economic significance to the temple, not limited to the religious tourist trade.(Constable, Witherington, Glahn, Ladd, Howson).
Ephesus- Ephesus, after Corinth, is undoubtedly the most important city Paul sought to evangelize, for it was the hub of all culture and commerce in western Asia, and from Ephesus the church could and did spread out into the interior, following the Roman roads.
Ephesus is also, after Corinth, the city about which we are best informed on the basis of literary and archaeological data. Ephesus was not a Roman colony, but had rather retained its status as a “free” city, even though it had come under Roman control in 133 b.c. when Attalus III bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. In addition, since Asia was a senatorial province, emperors generally stayed out of its administrative affairs while at the same time promoting the welfare of the province, not least because it was an enormous source of wealth and other resources. This was true from the time of Augustus through the time of Claudius, the period which concerns us. Since it was the seat of provincial government, the proconsul lived here, along with some 200,000 to 250,000 other residents, making this the largest city of Asia Minor and the third-largest city in the Empire after Rome and Alexandria (Witherington).
Its claim to fame was twofold. Its location on the west coast of Asia Minor near the mouth of the Cayster River made it an important commercial center. As commerce declined, due to the silt buildup in the port at Ephesus, its religious influence continued to draw worshippers to the Temple of Artemis (Greek) or Diana (Roman). This magnificent temple was four times the size of the Parthenon at Athens, and was renowned as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Alexander the Great had contributed much money for its construction in the fourth century B.C., and it lasted until A.D. 262 when the Goths destroyed it (Salmond).
Key Ideas
Artemis and Diana Worship- There were two goddesses named Artemis (Greek), or Diana (Latin), that Gentiles worshipped in the Roman Empire at this time. One was the goddess of the hunt, usually pictured as a young woman carrying a hunting bow. However, Diana was the one especially venerated in Ephesus. Some scholars have argued that “Artemis Ephesia” (Artemis [or Diana] of the Ephesians) was not a fertility goddess, but a goddess who aided women in childbirth. There were at least 33 other places of Artemis worship in the ancient world, but the temple in Ephesus was the chief worship center. Pausanias, who wrote in the middle of the second century A.D., claimed that the Artemis cult was the most widely followed one in the ancient world (Constable).
The Threat of Christianity on Pagan Religion- Demetrius’ words establish the extent to which the gospel had penetrated “Asia,” and the effect it had. There is no stronger testimony than the words of a critic who acknowledges the success of his adversary. Obviously his financial loss motivated Demetrius to organize this protest as much as, or perhaps even more than, veneration for the goddess Artemis.
The Idol of Money in Association with Pagan Religion- The “silversmith(s)” in Ephesus took Artemis as their patron saint and, among their other wares, “made” miniature “silver shrines” containing images of the goddess that they sold to devotees. As Christianity spread, interest in Artemis and the market for her statuettes declined. The leader of the guild that made these trinkets was “Demetrius.”
The trouble with Demetrius and the silversmiths was that their pockets were being touched. True, they declared that they were jealous for the honor of Artemis; but they were more worried about their incomes. When pilgrims came to Ephesus, they liked to take souvenirs home, such as the little model shrines which the silversmiths made. Christianity was making such strides that their trade was threatened (Constable).
Roman Law and Rioting- Demetrius used the normal legal channels to air his complaints or charges. These remedies were twofold: (1) the court system, which could handle financial disputes, and (2) the regular meeting of the citizen legislature, which dealt with any attack on the city’s honor or prestige. The plurals “courts” and “proconsuls* used here are probably examples of generalizing plurals (the clerk would be saying, “there are such things as courts and Proconsuls”; see the NEB), and thus the latter is probably not an allusion to the fact that shortly after Nero gained the throne in October A.D. 54 the proconsul of Asia, M. Junius Silanus, was poisoned and died and two local officials (Helius and Celer) were put in charge of the emperor’s affairs until the successor arrived. These two men, however, were not really proconsuls even pro tempore. If they were alluded to here, it might provide another clue about a more precise date of these happenings. Luke knew quite well that a province would not have two proconsuls (cf. Acts 13:7; 18:12). According to John Chrysostom the Ephesian εχχλησια met three times a month, and there is also clear evidence of the holding of a conventus in each of various cities in the province of Asia including Ephesus, as the Proconsul traveled through the region. On these occasions and in these settings the bringing of charges would be appropriate. The implication is that the present time and place is not appropriate for dealing with such matters. The inappropriateness of the present ad hoc assembly is made evident in v. 39 when the clerk says that if there is anything further the crowd wants to know, it must be settled in the legal assembly (εννομω εxxλησια). Rome was not likely to pass a blind eye over an unlawful assembly, and so now the clerk turns the tables on the crowd. If there was an unlawful assembly the City could be charged with “stasis,” that is, with acting seditiously, creating factions in the Empire, rioting. The terminology the clerk uses here at the end of his speech is legal and correct. His point is that if questioned, the Ephesians could give no legal justification for this particular meeting, and so would be suspected of, and, as v. 40 puts it, in danger of being charged with, subversive activities. This might well be used as leverage to take away Ephesus’ freedoms. The clerk is clearly in charge here, even though this is an illegal assembly, and so after his masterful speech v. 41 tells us that having silenced the crowds, having argued them out of any vigilante sort of actions, and having in fact accused them of potentially bringing down the law on their own heads, he dismissed the assembly, and we hear no more about it. That Paul later bypasses Ephesus (20:16) strongly suggests that he realized there would be ongoing danger for him in this locale, once the riot had transpired, for of course Demetrius had not been able to act against Paul in the way he wanted on this occasion (Witherington).
Possible discussion Points
- In what ways do you challenge the status of your community? How can you act in a way that is reaching the broken facets of your called mission field?
- Paul, Gaius, and Aristarchus each act in a way that the law is on their side when a conflict arises. How can you come alongside the current authority in your city and effect a change?
- How do you leverage authority to redeem the culture of your context?
