The Disciples Who Knew Only John’s Baptism
1 Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.
2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one coming after him — that is, in Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
This episode is the companion piece to the Apollos story at the end of chapter 18. Apollos knew only John’s baptism but taught accurately about Jesus; these disciples know only John’s baptism and apparently don’t know much beyond that. Together, the two stories illustrate how unevenly and incompletely the Christian message was spreading across the Mediterranean world in its earliest decades.
εἰ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἔστιν (ei pneuma hagion estin) — v.2: Their answer is sometimes translated “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit,” which makes them sound ignorant of basic Old Testament theology. More likely the sense is “We have not heard whether the Holy Spirit has been given” — i.e., they didn’t know about the Pentecost event. They knew the Spirit existed; they didn’t know the Spirit had arrived. The same construction appears in John 7:39.
v.5: This is the only clear instance of rebaptism in the New Testament. These disciples’ baptism under John is treated as incomplete rather than invalid — they had the preliminary step (John’s repentance baptism) but not the full reality (baptism in Jesus’s name). The number “about twelve” may be a deliberate echo — a new twelve, symbolizing a fresh start for the community in Ephesus, just as the original twelve apostles symbolized the reconstitution of Israel.
Paul’s Ministry in Ephesus
8 And going into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some became hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the assembly, he withdrew from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that all the residents of the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Ephesus was the de facto capital of the Roman province of Asia (western Turkey today) and the fourth-largest city in the Roman Empire, with a population of perhaps 250,000. It was a major port, a center of banking and commerce, and above all the home of the Temple of Artemis — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Paul’s Ephesian ministry is the longest and arguably most strategic of his career.
τὴν ὁδόν (tēn hodon) — v.9: “The Way” — this is one of the earliest self-designations of the Christian movement (also in Acts 9:2, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22). Before they were called “Christians” (a term that originated in Antioch, Acts 11:26), believers referred to themselves as followers of “the Way.” The term probably comes from Jesus’s declaration “I am the way” (John 14:6) or from Isaiah’s “prepare the way of the Lord.”
σχολὴ Τυράννου (scholē Tyrannou) — v.9: The “lecture hall of Tyrannus” — the word σχολή (scholē, from which we get “school”) originally meant “leisure” and by extension a place where leisure was spent in intellectual discussion. This was likely a rented hall belonging to a teacher or philosopher named Tyrannus. One Western manuscript tradition adds the detail that Paul taught “from the fifth hour to the tenth” (roughly 11 AM to 4 PM) — the hottest part of the day, when the hall would have been available because normal business and lectures had paused for the midday break. If accurate, Paul worked at his trade in the morning and taught during siesta hours.
v.10: “All the residents of Asia heard the word” is likely hyperbolic, but the point stands: Paul’s Ephesus ministry was a hub from which the gospel radiated outward across the entire province. The churches of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13) were probably founded during this period by Paul’s coworkers and converts, not by Paul personally. The seven churches addressed in Revelation 2–3 are all in cities of the province of Asia.
Extraordinary Miracles
11 And God was performing extraordinary miracles through Paul’s hands,
12 so that even handkerchiefs and work aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.
δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας (dynameis ou tas tychousas) — v.11: Literally “miracles not of the ordinary kind” — a Greek rhetorical understatement (litotes) meaning “quite extraordinary.” The construction is actually a double negative for emphasis: “not the kind you just happen upon.” Even by the standards of Acts, Luke is flagging these as unusual.
σουδάρια ἢ σιμικίνθια (soudaria ē simikinthia) — v.12: These are specific terms. σουδάρια (soudaria) are sweat cloths or handkerchiefs — literally “sweat rags” (from Latin sudarium). σιμικίνθια (simikinthia) are work aprons, the kind worn by artisans and laborers. Both are Latin loanwords, reflecting Ephesus’s cosmopolitan environment. These aren’t sacred objects — they’re Paul’s actual work clothes from his tentmaking or leatherworking shop.
The Sons of Sceva
13 But some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims!”
14 Now there were seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva doing this.
15 But the evil spirit answered and said to them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with — but who are you?”
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped on them and overpowered them all, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
18 Many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.
19 And a considerable number of those who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them in front of everyone. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.
v.13: Itinerant Jewish exorcists were a well-known phenomenon in the ancient world. Jewish exorcism had a strong reputation — even pagan sources acknowledged Jewish skill in the practice. The technique of invoking powerful names was standard: the idea was that using the right name gave you authority over a spirit. These exorcists see Paul getting results with the name of Jesus and try to add it to their repertoire — treating it as a magical formula rather than a relationship.
ἀρχιερέως (archiereōs) — v.14: “Chief priest” — no Jewish chief priest named Sceva is known from any other source. Some scholars suspect the title is self-conferred or inflated for professional credibility, which was common among traveling practitioners. Claiming priestly lineage would have boosted their authority in the magical marketplace. The name “Sceva” itself is Latin, which is unusual for a Jewish priest.
τὸν Ἰησοῦν γινώσκω καὶ τὸν Παῦλον ἐπίσταμαι (ton Iēsoun ginōskō kai ton Paulon epistamai) — v.15: The spirit uses two different words for “know.” γινώσκω (ginōskō) for Jesus implies deep, personal recognition. ἐπίσταμαι (epistamai) for Paul implies awareness, being acquainted with his reputation. The third implied category — “but who are you?” — is devastating: you are nobody, unknown, without authority. The scene would be darkly comic if it weren’t so violent.
v.16: The detail that they fled “naked and wounded” (γυμνοὺς καὶ τετραυματισμένους) is vivid and almost certainly eyewitness-sourced. The word “naked” could mean completely unclothed or stripped down to an undergarment — either way, it signifies total humiliation. Seven men overpowered by one demonized man. The event became a cautionary tale that spread through the entire city.
τὰ περίεργα (ta perierga) — v.19: “Sorcery” or more literally “curious arts” — the word covers magical practices broadly: spells, incantations, divination, curse tablets. Ephesus was famous throughout the ancient world for magic. The phrase “Ephesian letters” (Ἐφέσια γράμματα) was a standard term for magical formulas and spell books. Paul’s ministry was striking at the heart of one of the city’s signature industries.
v.19: Fifty thousand pieces of silver (αργυρίου μυριάδες πέντε) is an enormous sum. If these are drachmas (roughly a day’s wage for a laborer), this represents approximately 137 years of daily wages. The public burning of the scrolls is both an economic sacrifice and a dramatic repudiation — these weren’t cheap pamphlets but handwritten spell books that represented significant investment. Luke records the price tag to drive home the scale of what people were willing to give up.
Paul’s Future Plans
21 Now after these things were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
22 And having sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, he himself stayed in the province of Asia for a while longer.
ἔθετο ἐν τῷ πνεύματι (etheto en tō pneumati) — v.21: “Resolved in the Spirit” — as with the similar phrase in 18:25, this could mean Paul’s own spirit (he made up his mind) or the Holy Spirit (he was directed). The ambiguity may be intentional: for Luke, the two are not always separable. Paul’s determined plans and divine guidance converge.
v.21: “I must also see Rome” — the word “must” (δεῖ) carries a sense of divine necessity throughout Luke-Acts. Paul will indeed see Rome, but not in the way he imagines here: he will arrive as a prisoner. This verse is one of several foreshadowing hints that drive the narrative of Acts toward its conclusion in Rome.
v.22: Erastus is an interesting name to encounter. An inscription discovered in Corinth reads: “Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense.” If this is the same Erastus (and many scholars think it plausible), then one of Paul’s assistants was a man wealthy and prominent enough to hold civic office and fund public works in Corinth. The early church included people from across the social spectrum.
The Riot of the Silversmiths
23 Now about that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.
24 For a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing considerable business to the craftsmen.
25 He gathered these together along with the workers in related trades, and said: “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.
26 And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of the province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made by human hands are not really gods.
27 And not only is there a danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and that she whom all of Asia and the whole world worships will be stripped of her majesty.”
τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος (tarachos ouk oligos) — v.23: Another litotes (understatement): “no small disturbance” — meaning an enormous one. Luke has a fondness for this rhetorical figure. It adds a wry, ironic tone.
ναοὺς ἀργυροῦς Ἀρτέμιδος (naous argourous Artemidos) — v.24: “Silver shrines of Artemis” — these were miniature replicas of the temple or of the goddess’s image, sold as votives, souvenirs, and household objects of devotion. Archaeology has uncovered terracotta versions of these; the silver ones that Demetrius made would have been the luxury product. The Artemis-related industry in Ephesus was a major economic engine: souvenirs, pilgrim housing, sacrificial animals, temple banking, and associated trades.
v.27: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — roughly four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. The Artemis worshipped at Ephesus was not the slim huntress of classical Greek mythology but a distinctive Anatolian fertility deity, typically depicted with multiple breast-like protrusions (scholars debate whether these represent breasts, eggs, or bull testicles from sacrificial offerings). Her cult was ancient, pre-Greek, and enormously popular. The temple also functioned as a bank — one of the largest financial institutions in the ancient world.
v.25–27: Demetrius’s speech is a masterclass in persuasion and also unintentionally revealing. Notice the order of his concerns: first comes money (“our prosperity comes from this business”), then professional reputation (“this trade will fall into disrepute”), and only third — almost as an afterthought — comes the honor of the goddess. Luke is letting the reader see what really drives the opposition. The religious outrage is real but secondary to the economic threat.
28 When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29 And the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one impulse into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.
30 And when Paul wanted to go in before the popular assembly, the disciples would not let him.
31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent word to him urging him not to venture into the theater.
32 So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not even know why they had come together.
33 And some from the crowd put forward Alexander, since the Jews were pushing him to the front. Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make a defense before the people.
34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single cry arose from them all, and for about two hours they kept shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Μεγάλη ἡ Ἄρτεμις Ἐφεσίων (Megalē hē Artemis Ephesiōn) — v.28: This acclamation is not an improvised chant but a well-known cultic formula. Inscriptions from Ephesus confirm that “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” was a standard liturgical and civic cry. What begins as a guild meeting becomes a religious rally becomes a riot — and the chant is the fuel.
v.29: The theater at Ephesus has been excavated and is one of the most impressive ancient structures in Turkey. It seated approximately 25,000 people, built into the slope of Mount Pion (Panayır Dağı) with a stunning view down the harbor road to the sea. In addition to dramatic performances, it served as the venue for civic assemblies. A crowd of thousands packed into this space, chanting, would have been terrifying.
Ἀσιάρχαι (Asiarchai) — v.31: The Asiarchs were the highest-ranking provincial officials — wealthy aristocrats who served as patrons of the imperial cult and presidents of the provincial assembly. That some of them were “friends” of Paul is a remarkable detail. Paul had social connections reaching into the upper echelons of Roman provincial society. Their warning to stay out of the theater is both personal concern and political calculation — Paul’s appearance would have escalated the situation dangerously.
v.32: “Most of them did not even know why they had come together” — this is one of the driest, most observant lines in all of Acts. Luke has a keen eye for mob psychology: a crowd swept up in collective emotion, shouting slogans, with most participants not even understanding the cause. It’s a scene that feels remarkably modern.
vv.33–34: The Alexander episode is puzzling but revealing. The Jewish community apparently sends forward a spokesman to distance themselves from Paul — to make clear that mainstream Judaism is not responsible for the economic disruption. But the crowd doesn’t care about the distinction. The moment they recognize Alexander as a Jew, they drown him out with two solid hours of chanting. For the pagan mob, Jew and Christian are the same thing: people who deny the gods. The incident shows how the growth of Christianity could create dangerous collateral consequences for Jewish communities.
v.34: Two hours of continuous chanting. Let that sit for a moment. Twenty-five thousand people, in an enclosed stone theater, shouting the same six words for two hours. Luke is describing a collective frenzy, something almost trance-like. The scene has the quality of eyewitness reporting — someone was there, watching the clock.
The Town Clerk Restores Order
35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who among humanity does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great Artemis and of the image that fell from the sky?
36 Since these things are beyond dispute, you ought to calm down and do nothing reckless.
37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.
38 So if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and there are proconsuls — let them bring charges against one another.
39 But if you are seeking anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.
40 For we are actually in danger of being charged with rioting over today’s events, since there is no cause we could give to justify this disorderly gathering.”
41 And after saying these things, he dismissed the assembly.
γραμματεύς (grammateus) — v.35: The “town clerk” was the most important local official in Ephesus — the chief executive officer of the city, responsible for drafting decrees, managing the assembly, and serving as the primary liaison between the city and the Roman provincial government. This was not a minor bureaucrat but the man who ran Ephesus.
νεωκόρον (neōkoron) — v.35: “Temple guardian” — literally “temple sweeper,” but by this period it had become an honorific title of the highest prestige, officially granted by Rome to cities that housed major temples. Ephesus held this title and was intensely proud of it. Coins from Ephesus bear the inscription “neōkoros.” The clerk appeals to civic pride: your status is secure, so why panic?
τοῦ διοπετοῦς (tou diopetous) — v.35: “The image that fell from the sky” — literally “fallen from Zeus.” This refers to a sacred object (possibly a meteorite or an ancient wooden image) housed in the Artemis temple that was believed to have fallen from heaven. Many ancient cult centers claimed such heavenly objects. The clerk invokes it as unshakable proof of divine favor.
v.37: The clerk’s defense of Paul’s companions is legally precise: they are “neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.” The word ἱεροσύλους (hierosylous, “temple robbers”) referred to a specific crime under both Greek and Roman law. The clerk is saying: no crime has been committed. If you have a civil complaint, use the courts.
v.38: “There are proconsuls” (plural) is curious since only one proconsul served at a time. This might be a generalizing plural (“there are such officials as proconsuls”), or it might reflect a brief period when the province was administered by legates after the assassination of the proconsul Junius Silanus in AD 54. If the latter, it’s another example of Luke’s precise historical awareness.
v.40: The clerk’s real concern emerges here. Roman authorities took civic unrest extremely seriously. An unsanctioned assembly (στάσις, stasis, the word for “rioting” or “sedition”) could result in severe consequences for the city — including loss of its cherished self-governing privileges. The clerk is essentially telling the crowd: you’re not protecting Artemis; you’re endangering Ephesus. Rome has crushed cities for less. This is what actually ends the riot — not theological argument, but political pragmatism and fear of Roman reprisal.
General Notes on the Chapter
Acts 19 is structured around a theme of power and its sources. The chapter opens with the question of spiritual power (the coming of the Holy Spirit, vv.1–7), moves through demonstrations of genuine power (the miracles, vv.11–12), exposes the failure of counterfeit power (the sons of Sceva, vv.13–16), shows the surrender of occult power (the book burning, vv.18–19), and climaxes with a collision between spiritual power and economic power (the riot, vv.23–41). Throughout, the question is: where does real authority come from?
The Ephesus riot is one of the most cinematically vivid scenes in the New Testament. Luke’s account is full of eyewitness-quality details: the specific trade involved, the name of the ringleader, the venue (the theater), the failed intervention of Alexander, the duration of the chanting (two hours), and the precise legal reasoning of the town clerk. Many scholars consider this one of the strongest arguments for Luke having access to firsthand testimony from participants.
The economic dimension of the conflict deserves emphasis. At Thessalonica (ch.17), the opposition was religious jealousy. At Athens, it was intellectual contempt. At Corinth (ch.18), it was religious-legal maneuvering. At Ephesus, it’s money. The gospel has grown powerful enough to threaten a major industry. Demetrius’s complaint is essentially the first recorded instance of a business lobby opposing the church because Christianity is bad for business. The pattern — religious opposition masking economic interests — will recur throughout Christian history.
The role of the town clerk is theologically understated but historically crucial. Just as Gallio’s ruling in Corinth informally protected Christianity under Roman law, the town clerk’s intervention in Ephesus established another practical precedent: Christian preaching, however disruptive to local economies, does not constitute a crime. Twice now, Roman officials have declined to act against the church. Luke seems to be building a case — perhaps for his Roman readers — that Christianity is not a threat to public order.