Acts Chapter 19
Expository Thoughts and
Considerations
• Verse 1 -- While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul
took the road through the interior and arrived at
Ephesus. There he found some disciples
•To set the timeframe, Luke tells us that while
Apollos is in Corinth, Paul travels to Ephesus.
•He was last in Galatia and Phrygia and now
travels through the highlands to reach Ephesis.
•He had promised to return there when he left
Aquila and Priscilla there a year earlier.
•Now he meets some disciples of the Lord who
are in need of some additional instruction.
Verse 2 -- and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy
Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard
that there is a Holy Spirit.“
•Some will immediately suppose that Paul is asking
about the empowering of the Holy Spirit. That is not
the case.
•Paul is asking the most logical question to
determine if they have received Christian baptism.
Anyone taught Christ by a fully aware Christian
would know that the Holy Spirit is received to indwell
the believer at the point of baptism.
•Whoever taught the disciples was obviously not
fully versed in the facts of Christian baptism.
•These disciples have never even heard of the
Holy Spirit.
•Those taught by John or one of his disciples
prior to the resurrection of Jesus would not have
baptized with any mention of the Holy Spirit,
since the Spirit had not yet been sent until the
glorification of Jesus was completed.
•Is it possible (probable?) that these disciples
were taught by Apollos? Certainly he had taught
in Ephesus prior to the coming of Paul.
•Verse 3 -- So Paul asked, "Then what baptism
did you receive?"
"John's baptism," they replied.
•This clarifies that Paul was concerned with their
baptism and the subsequent indwelling of the
Holy Spirit. If they do not know of the Holy Spirit,
then they have not been baptized into Christ.
•His question is clear: “What baptism did you
receive.” Their conversation has revealed that
they were baptized, but Paul has to be sure into
whom they were baptized.
•We now know for certain that they were
baptized into John’s baptism – which was a
baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
However, since Christ had arisen, it was no longer
a valid baptism.
•This, of course, tells us that to be legitimate,
baptism must now be into Christ and must
include the information of the reception of the
Holy Spirit to indwell.
•It is easy for Paul to ascertain that they have
not, in fact, received Christian baptism, so will
have to be baptized into Christ for salvation.
•Verse 4 -- Paul said, "John's baptism was a
baptism of repentance. He told the people to
believe in the one coming after him, that is, in
Jesus."
•To correct their misconception, Paul reminds
them that John’s baptism always looked beyond
himself to the coming Messiah.
•Jesus is the Messiah, so baptism must now be in
His name to be valid.
Verse 5 -- On hearing this, they were baptized
into the name of the Lord Jesus.
•Having learned of a superior baptism, and that
the baptism they had received was null because
it came after the institution of true Christian
baptism, they are immediately baptized.
•This baptism is “into the name” of the Lord
Jesus. The indication is that Christian baptism
enters the recipient into salvation offered by
Jesus.
Verse 5 , cont.
•There are at least two views on the relationship
of John’s baptism and Christian baptism
concerning those who were baptized by John but
lived to see the coming of the New Covenant and
the day of Pentecost.
•One view (Barnes, Reese, et.al) holds that those
who were baptized first by John had to be
baptized into Christ once the day of Pentecost
arrived. Under that view, the apostles themselves
were baptized with Christian baptism.
•Given as support of that view is the statement in
Acts 2:38 which did not exclude those who had
already been baptized by John. Peter could then
have said, “Repent and be baptized every one of
you not already baptized by John.” Such, of
course, was not the case.
•It is interesting, however, that there is not one
mention of the apostles being baptized except for
their baptism by John. The exception, of course,
is Paul, who came to the Lord after John’s
baptism was no longer valid.
The second view, held by those such as F.F.
Bruce and J.W. McGarvey, is that John’s baptism
was valid right up until the resurrection and
glorification of Jesus. From the day of Pentecost
on, then, only Christian baptism into the name of
Jesus would suffice.
•Under this view, the apostles nor anyone
baptized by John were baptized into Christ,
because they were already of the body of the
saved.
•As for Acts 2:38, it was a general statement
which would have then been interpreted
individually for those already baptized by John.
•In the end, it is a matter only for speculation,
because there no longer remain any persons
baptized legitimately by John. Today, only
Christian baptism is valid.
•Only baptism that reflects the “one baptism” of
Ephesians 4 is valid.
Anything else taught in any other way than for
remission of sins, into Christ, will suffice for New
Testament baptism.
•It is, therefore, curious as to why so many reject
the necessity of baptism when Paul so obviously
insists on its necessity here.
Verse 6, -- When Paul placed his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied.
•Here we can see that the earlier discuss had to
do with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and not
the empowering.
•These men do not receive the empowering until
Paul lays his hands upon them. That happens
after their baptism and not as a result thereof.
•The Holy Spirit manifests Himself by
empowering them to prophesy and speak in
tongues.
Verse 7 – There were about twelve men in all.
•All twelve, apparently, were enabled to perform
the miracles of prophesy and speaking in
tongues.
•Perhaps this is a good place to remind ourselves
that the only time we see Holy Spirit power given
to anyone except the apostles, was at the laying
on of the apostles’ hands.
•And, we never see an example of anyone so
empowered being able to empower someone
else.
Verse 8 – Paul entered the synagogue and spoke
boldly there for three months, arguing
persuasively about the kingdom of God.
•Compared to most places, Paul is allowed a
lengthy stay amongst the Jews at Ephesus. Three
months are allowed before they begin to become
obstinate.
•Kingdom of God is again synonymous with the
gospel message and Jesus as the Christ.
Verse 9– But some of them became obstinate;
they refused to believe and publicly maligned the
Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with
him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall
of Tyrannus.
•These are the Jews becoming obstinate.
•They begin trying to stir up trouble against the
church and against Paul.
•The church is here referred to as The Way.
•Paul leaves the synagogue, but does not leave
Ephesus. He goes to the Hall of Tyrannus.
Verse 9– cont. -- … He took the disciples with
him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall
of Tyrannus.
•Tyrannus was a name often given to freedmen
or former slaves. It is possible this meeting place
belonged to someone in that category who had
come to Christ and let the church meet there.
•Paul taught there daily, even on the Sabbath,
which would have continued the separation of
the church from the synagogue.
Verse 10 -- This went on for two years, so that
all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province
of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
•Paul stayed in Ephesus from the fall of 54 A.D.
to the spring of 57 A.D., not quite three whole
years. The two years comes at the end of the
earlier mentioned three months.
•Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman
province of Asia (minor) – and travelers from all
over the province would come to Ephesus and
would hear the gospel preached.
Verse 11-- God did extraordinary miracles
through Paul, …
•To prove the validity of the preached word, the
Lord worked powerful miracles through Paul.
•The Greek reads, “no common works of power”
which indicates that while all miracles were great
works of power, these miracles topped them all.
•These would have easily bested the magical arts
practiced by the wicked magicians in Ephesus
and proven the power of the gospel.
Verse 12-- so that even handkerchiefs and
aprons that had touched him were taken to the
sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil
spirits left them.
•Handkerchiefs refers to small towels used to
wipe sweat from the brow.
•Aprons were much like today’s variety, used to
protect the clothing of artisans while they
worked.
•These could have been Paul’s own belongings or
some brought by those wishing to heal someone.
Verse 12-- cont. … and their illnesses were cured
and the evil spirits left them.
•It was, of course, not Paul’s power that was
making these things possible. The power was
God’s.
•Part of their healings were for various diseases.
Remember that Luke is a physician.
•Others are demon-possessed. It is common
today to attribute demon possession in the Bible
to unexplained illness. Luke differentiates
between the two.
Verse 13-- Some Jews who went around driving
out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the
Lord Jesus over those who were demonpossessed. They would say, "In the name of
Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to
come out."
•Wherever there is power, there are those who
wish to wield power. So there are those wanting
what Paul has in Ephesus.
•They try to duplicate what Paul does – but
without the Holy Spirit power necessessary.
Verse 13-- …cont.
•Notice these are Jews trying to cast out demons.
•They invoke the name of Jesus (whom they
have rejected) in the hopes of hitting upon the
“magic formula”.
•The invoke the name of “Jesus whom Paul
preaches” and attempt to cast out demons.
Verse 14 – Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief
priest, were doing this.
•These particular men are mentioned because of
the curious results of their attempts at exorcising
demons.
•In what capacity Sceva was a chief priest is a
matter of debate. He is known only here in any
extant history.
Verse 15 – (One day) the evil spirit answered
them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but
who are you?“
•Whether or not they ever actually cast out a
demon is unknown, but we have recorded a time
when the evil spirit did not take kindly to being
trifled with in the name of Jesus.
•The spirit knows Jesus and knows about Paul,
which shows the degree of the knowledge of evil
spirits and the affairs of men.
Verse 16 – Then the man who had the evil spirit
jumped on them and overpowered them all. He
gave them such a beating that they ran out of
the house naked and bleeding.
•The seven sons of Sceva soon give flight, as
they are overpowered by the evil spirit.
•We are reminded of the Gadarenes demoniac
and his superhuman strength, as this demon
overpowers, beats bloody and strips naked his
victims.
Verse 17 – When this became known to the Jews
and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized
with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was
held in high honor.
•Word of things like this spread very quickly.
•The fact that the sons of Sceva could not use
Jesus’ name as a charm has the result of
impressing people all the more as the
contemplate the real power shown by Paul as
illuminated by the false power attempted by the
exorcists and thwarted by the demon.
Verse 18 – Many of those who believed now
came and openly confessed their evil deeds.
•So impressed are they that they come in an
attitude of repentance, hoping to find help and
salvation in Jesus.
•The Greek reads that they “kept coming” which
could indicate that even though they are now
Christians, they continue to struggle with past
things from their pagan backgrounds.
Verse 19– A number who had practiced sorcery
brought their scrolls together and burned them
publicly. When they calculated the value of the
scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand
drachmas.
•Now they’ve seen true power, they realize the
fallacy of their own false power.
•The Greek PERIERGA speaks of such things as
telekinesis, levitation and other smoke and mirror
types of occult practices.
•Drachmas is not in the Greek. The Greek simply
says “pieces of silver” – total value enormous.
Verse 20 -- In this way the word of the Lord
spread widely and grew in power.
•As even the sorcerers and other spirit mediums
come to the Lord, the power of the Lord becomes
more and more apparent.
•It is not only the miracles that are impressive,
however. The word of God is also recognized for
its authority and holiness. In all, Christianity is
making tremendous inroads into Asia Minor as a
result of the reception it receives in Ephesus.
Verse 21 -- After all this had happened, Paul
decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through
Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there,"
he said, "I must visit Rome also.“
•Paul now sets his mind on going to Rome. The
Greek says his “spirit” is set to go to Rome. Some
think the Holy Spirit is in view here. Others that it
is Paul’s personal spirit.
•Either way, Paul is being directed by the Holy
Spirit, so it is obvious that the Holy Spirit is
directing Paul toward Rome.
Verse 21 -- … Paul decided to go to Jerusalem,
passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I
have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome
also.“
•He first intends to go to Jerusalem. In his
epistles, Paul explains his primary purpose in
going at this time to Jerusalem was to take
monetary relief to the church there.
•Passing through Macedonia e.g. is Luke’s way of
saying Paul spent precious time with each of the
earlier established churches in those places.
Verse 21 -- … "After I have been there," he said,
"I must visit Rome also.“
•The remainder of the book of Acts is the record
of Paul’s journey to arrive at Rome.
•So Luke will record in Acts 28:14, “And so we
came to Rome.”
•Much else will happen prior to that arrival, but
the remainder of the epistle will focus on Paul’s
journey to Rome.
Verse 22 -- He sent two of his helpers, Timothy
and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the
province of Asia a little longer.
•The two missionaries go into Macedonia to raise
the necessary money to send to Jerusalem.
•Timothy accompanied Paul during the planting
of many of these churches. We haven’t heard
from him since his taking the letter to the
Thessalonians, but he has since joined Paul in
Ephesus.
Verse 22 -- … Erastus, to Macedonia, while he
stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
•Erastus is possibly the treasurer of the city of
Corinth, mentioned in Romans 16:23 and 2
Timothy 4:20.
•“…who is the city’s director of public works.”
•“…Erastus stayed at Corinth and I left Trophimus
sick in Miletus.”
•However, Erastus was a rather common name
and could be another person.
Verse 22 -- cont.
•It was after these two left for Macedonia that
Paul receives a troubling letter from Corinth.
•Chloe’s people send a letter to Paul of the
disturbing division in the church there. Since
Timothy is on his way to Corinth, Paul forwards
the first epistle to the Corinthians to instruct
them and to prepare them for Timothy’s arrival (1
Corinthians 16:10-11).
•When Timothy returns later to Ephesus, he
apparently reports that things are not going well.
Verse 22 -- cont.
•Paul, then, makes another trip to Corinth, not
recorded in Acts. Evidence for this trip is
recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:14 and 13:1. How
long he stays or exactly when he goes is
uncertain, but all this apparently happens in the
spring of 57 A.D. It all happens before the riot at
Ephesus recorded next.
•Paul fails in his trip to Corinth to bring harmony,
and finally sends Titus, with the second epistle to
the church, to try and accomplish unity.
Verse 23 -- About that time there arose a great
disturbance about the Way.
•Paul is waiting in Ephesus for the coming of
Pentecost. Prior to that time, the yearly festival in
honor of Artemis (Diana) comes to Ephesus.
•This would have been during the timeframe of
our month of April, in the month of Artemision in
the Ephesian calendar.
•A great multitude of pilgrims worshipping
Artemis would come to Ephesus for the event.
Verse 23 -- About that time there arose a great
disturbance about the Way.
•Artemis was supposedly the
daughter of Leto and Zeus.
•Hera, Zeus’ wife was furious
at his infidelity and forbade
anyone to shelter Leto, who
was to deliver twins: Artemis
and Apollo.
Verse 23 -- About that time there arose a great
disturbance about the Way.
•Artemis was usually associated with various
animals, and was deemed the goddess of fertility
and fecundity.
•Reese assumes that Ephesian Artemis was
different from the Greek Artemis or the Roman
Diana. He equates her more with Cybele, the
mother goddess. There is a great deal of
disagreement among scholars on the exact
identification of this goddess.
Verse 23 -- cont.
•Reese records that the worship of Ephesian
Artemis was presided over by a high priest called
MEGABYZOS.
•Additionally there were priests called Essenes
(king bees) and priestesses called Melissai (honey
bees).
•The worship was a huge orgy with frenzied
dancing and ritual prostitution, and even involved
human sacrifice.
Verse 23 -- About that time there arose a great
disturbance about the Way.
•Because of the effectiveness of the church in
winning souls, the church came into conflict with
the worshippers of Ephesian Artemis during the
annual festival.
•Notice the church is here referred to again as
“The Way”.
•Again the Greek is negative: “No small
disturbance”
Verse 24 -- A silversmith named Demetrius, who
made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no
little business for the craftsmen.
•It is possible this is the same Demetrius
mentioned in 3 John 2, but that is not certain.
•He most likely made small silver replicas of the
temple of Artemis, with the goddess inside.
•Worshippers would buy these small figurines
and place them in special places in their houses
or would wear them as amulets or carry them
along when they traveled.
Verse 24 -- … brought in no little business for
the craftsmen.
•It is possible the craftsmen mentioned here
were laborers for Demetrius.
•Or they could be likewise employed in making
various items for the worship of Artemis.
•Either way, it appears this particular event was
poorly attended and didn’t bring in the money
that it was usual to expect during this festival.
Verse 25 -- He called them together, along with
the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men,
you know we receive a good income from this
business.
•In addition to silver, the shrines and statuettes
were cast in gold, bronze, clay and other
materials. Clay models have been unearthed by
archaeologists in Ephesus.
•These craftsmen depended upon the proceeds
of the festival to provide much of their annual
income. Their livelihood is at stake.
Verse 26 -- And you see and hear how this
fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large
numbers of people here in Ephesus and in
practically the whole province of Asia. He says
that man-made gods are no gods at all.
•By “Asia” is meant the Roman province of Asia
(minor).
•Paul is accused of “leading astray” the
worshippers of Artemis.
•the final statement is laughable.
Verse 27 -- There is danger not only that our
trade will lose its good name, but also that the
temple of the great goddess Artemis will be
discredited, and the goddess herself, who is
worshiped throughout the province of Asia and
the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
•Demetrius primarily fears for his trade. It is the
money that he cares most about.
•The temple of Artemis has a rich history worthy
of some mention.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•Demetrius primarily fears for his trade. It is the
money that he cares most about.
•The temple of Artemis has a rich history worthy
of some mention.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•The temple is located in modern day Turkey.
•It has been built and rebuilt several times at the
same site.
•Of import was the building erected in 570 B.C.
during the reign of Servius Tallus.
•A second building was completed around 540
B.C., but was partially burned on the same day
Socrates was poisoned in 400 B.C.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•In 356 B.C. it was more completely destroyed by
a philosopher Herostratus, who admitted under
torture that he had done so to immortalize his
name. (On the birthday of Alexander the Great)
•Historian Pliny tells us that the next structure
took 220 years to complete. It was the building
standing when Paul was at Ephesus.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•The temple was:
•377 feet long
•180 feet wide
•Had 117 marble pillars 60 feet high
•36 pillars were richly carved, the rest smooth
•Each pillar is estimated to have contained 150
tons of marble, including its base.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•In comparison:
• The Lincoln Memorial is 188 ft by 118 feet
with 36 pillars only 44 ft. tall
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•In fame:
•“I have seen the walls and Hanging Gardens
of ancient Babylon, the statue of Olympian
Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the mighty work
of the high Pyramids and the tomb of
Mausolus. But when I saw the temple at
Ephesus rising to the clouds, all these other
wonders were put in the shade.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•The fall of the temple of Artemis
•Nero robbed the temple of many of its art
treasures for his Golden House at Rome
•Trajan stole its doors and gave them in tribute
to the temple at Byzantium.
•The Goths burned it and it was rebuilt in 263
A.D.
•It was finally completely destroyed in 401
A.D. by John Chrysostom.
Verse 27 -- … but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited…
•The fall of the temple of Artemis
•Nero robbed the temple of many of its art
treasures for his Golden House at Rome
•Trajan stole its doors and gave them in tribute
to the temple at Byzantium.
•The Goths burned it and it was rebuilt in 263
A.D.
•It was finally completely destroyed in 401
A.D. by John Chrysostom.
Verse 27 -- … and the goddess herself, who is
worshiped throughout the province of Asia and
the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
•Not so much of an exaggeration. F.F. Bruce
states that there were temples to Artemis in 33
different places in the world, not to mention the
portable shrines carried around the world.
•All that remains today of the temple to Artemis
is a single pillar unearthed and erected amidst
the rubble at the temple site.
Verse 27 -- … will be robbed of her divine
majesty."
•Again, we must laugh at this statement:
•Can the real God be robbed of his majesty?
•If a god cannot defend himself, he is no god.
•The same is true of a goddess.
•A similar statement was made when Gideon
destroyed the temple to Baal in Judges 6:31,
resulting in the name Jerrub-baal given to him.
Verse 28-29 -- When they heard this, they were
furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of
the Ephesians!" Soon the whole city was in an
uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus,
Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and
rushed as one man into the theater.
•It is not hard to create a riot under such
circumstances – exactly the desired result.
•Gaius and Aristarchus – Gaius is a common
name and at least four men are so named in the
Bible. Aristarchus is found again in Philemon.
Verse 28-29 -- … and rushed as one man into
the theater.
•The Greek theater served as a gathering place,
whether for entertainment or community
gatherings.
•This theater, located next to the temple of
Artemis, was the largest theater in the world at
that time.
Verse 30 -- Paul wanted to appear before the
crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
•Undaunted by the situation, Paul intends to
defend the gospel before these pagans.
•He is prevented by the rest of the disciples.
•Paul was also not willing to leave his traveling
companions to the will of the mob.
•As things turn out it is a good thing Paul did not
go to the theater. The crowd likely would have
done drastic things.
Verse 31 -- Even some of the officials of the
province, friends of Paul, sent him a message
begging him not to venture into the theater.
•We see that this event took some time, since
officials have time to send messages imploring
Paul not to go to the theater.
•The word for “officials” here is ASIARCHON –
officials who would have overseen Greek games
and festivals.
Verse 32 -- The assembly was in confusion:
Some were shouting one thing, some another.
Most of the people did not even know why they
were there.
•As with most riots, only a handful of the people
there knew the reason for the beginning of the
riot.
•The rest have come along for the purpose of
rioting – irregardless of the reason.
•Confusion is the result.
Verse 33 -- The Jews pushed Alexander to the
front, and some of the crowd shouted
instructions to him. He motioned for silence in
order to make a defense before the people.
•“Confusion” also marks this passage, which is
difficult to follow.
•Why Alexander is put forward is never clear. It is
hard to tell whether he is considered to be
“friend” or “foe” to the crowd.
•Why the Jews are suddenly involved is also not
clear.
Verse 33 -- The Jews pushed Alexander to the
front, and some of the crowd shouted
instructions to him. He motioned for silence in
order to make a defense before the people.
•Who is Alexander? Some think he is Alexander
the Coppersmith who caused much trouble for
Paul (2 Timothy 4:14).
•Others believe he was a local official somehow
caught up in the middle of the riot.
•He is intending, though, to defend the Jews, not
the Christians – and delineate the two groups.
Verse 34 -- But when they realized he was a
Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two
hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
•When in a mob setting – chant the same thing!
•They chant for two hours. At this point the initial
trouble is not even remembered.
•It has turned into something of a pep rally to
inflame the senses of the people in favor of their
local goddess.
Verse 35-36 -- The city clerk quieted the crowd
and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world
know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of
the temple of the great Artemis and of her
image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since
these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet
and not do anything rash.
•Right or wrong, this clerk knows how to restore
order.
•He appeals to their civic pride and religious
pride as a matter not possible to challenge.
Verse 35-36 -- … and of her image, which fell
from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are
undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do
anything rash.
•The meaning of this phrase is not completely
clear. Some think the idea is that the origins of
Artemis worship were so old that the beginnings
were lost in time.
•Others believe that Artemis worship could have
begun wit a meteorite falling from the sky that
resembled something worthy of worship.
Verse 37 -- You have brought these men here,
though they have neither robbed temples nor
blasphemed our goddess.
•While Paul had opposed pagan worship, he had
not specifically, to our knowledge, used
derogatory or “blasphemous” speech to describe
Artemis.
•No had the Christians taken anything or caused
any direct trouble to those worshipping Artemis.
Verses 38-39 -- If, then, Demetrius and his fellow
craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the
courts are open and there are proconsuls. They
can press charges. If there is anything further
you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal
assembly.
•Wisely, the city clerk directs their attention to
the proper legal system. Let charges be brought
against Paul and the Christians, or else let them
alone.
Verses 40-41 -- As it is, we are in danger of being
charged with rioting because of today's events.
In that case we would not be able to account for
this commotion, since there is no reason for it.“
After he had said this, he dismissed the
assembly.
•A riot was a highly negative thing in the Greek
world. It was a capital crime to incite to riot.
•Freedoms could also be lost by provinces
troubled by frequent rioting. Quartering soldiers
there was a possible punishment.