Acts 19:35-41 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

And when the town-clerk Greek, ο γραμματευς, the scribe; probably the proconsul's secretary, to whom the direction of the affairs of the city was committed; had appeased the people So far as to produce a degree of silence, the rioters, by their violent outcries so long continued, having spent their rage; he said, What man is there in the world, that has any intelligence of things at all, that knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper Greek, νεωκορον, the temple-keeper, of the great goddess Diana The expression is compounded of words which, taken together, signify to sweep or clean a temple, being used of a priest or priestess, or other person, whose business it was to look after the temple of any god or goddess, and see that it was not only kept in good repair, but also neat and clean, and beautified in a proper manner. This title was given also to those cities which had the care of the games celebrated in honour of any god or goddess. And of the image which fell down from Jupiter They believed that very image of Diana, which stood in their temple, fell down from Jupiter in heaven. Perhaps this town-clerk, or secretary, designed to intimate that this image, as falling down from Jupiter, was not made with hands, and so was not of that sort of idols which Paul had said were no gods. Seeing then these things cannot be denied But are plainly incontestable; ye ought to be quiet Gentle in your proceedings; and to do nothing rashly By which you may run yourselves into vast inconveniences and dangers before you are aware. In this speech, the secretary took hold of the multitude by their prejudices; for without speaking any thing concerning Paul's doctrine, that images made with hands were no gods, he desired the Ephesians to consider that their privileges, as keepers of the temple of Diana, and of her heaven-descended image, were so universally acknowledged, that there was no danger of their losing that honour through any thing Paul had spoken. For ye have brought these men, Gaius and Aristarchus, hither, which are neither robbers of churches Greek, ιεροσυλους, robbers of temples, or sacrilegious persons; nor yet blasphemers of your goddess The apostles had simply preached the one God, and the vanity of idols in general. The secretary further told them, that the men whom they had brought into the theatre were not yet proved to be guilty of those crimes which they appeared to lay to their charge; because, though they might have spoken against the images made by the craftsmen, they had said nothing against the image which Jupiter had given them: and added, that if Demetrius and the craftsmen had these, or any other crimes, to lay to their charge, of which they could prove them guilty, there were deputies. Roman proconsuls, to whom they might apply, as the proper judges in such cases; and the courts of law were open Where the matters might be fairly tried. But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters If ye inquire whether the temple of Diana or her worship be in danger, or what persons or religions should be tolerated in the city, these are public matters, which should be determined in a lawful assembly An assembly regularly appointed, and such as has authority to judge in religious and political affairs. For we are in danger to be called in question by the Romans for this day's uproar Greek, εγκαλεισθαι στασεως, to be accused of sedition; there being no cause No sufficient cause; whereby we may give an account of May justify; this concourse He wisely calls it by an inoffensive name. Fire, inundations, the sudden invasion of enemies, &c., might have excused a sudden concourse of people rushing together with some violence: but the secretary, with great propriety, observes that there was no such cause, nor any other adequate one, to be assigned in this instance. It must be observed, there was a Roman law which made it capital to raise a riot: Qui cœtum et concursum fecerit capite puniatur. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly And set Gaius and Aristarchus at liberty. The secretary's conduct on this occasion shows that he had a good opinion of the Christian preachers. We may therefore believe, that in preaching against the established worship, Paul and his assistants had spoken nothing against Diana in particular, though their doctrine struck at all the heathen deities in the general: and even that in speaking against the established idolatry, they had used a becoming decency of language. The secretary, therefore, observing their prudence, entertained a good opinion of the cause they were engaged in.