Studies in Acts
Towards a Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:18 – 28)
Verses 18-28 Approximately two years passed since Paul left Antioch in Syria with Silas. He then decided to return to his home base, to give a report of what the Lord had accomplished through them. He said goodbye to the believers and travelled to Cenchrea. Priscilla and Aquila would accompany him as far as Ephesus. He first got a haircut because of a vow he had taken, which was not necessarily a Nazirite vow (c.f. Numbers 6:1-8). After crossing the Aegean Sea, they came to Ephesus, a large port on the coast of Asia Minor. Aquila and Priscilla stayed behind here. They lived there for some time and were a great support and blessing to the believers in Ephesus. Later they returned to their home in Rome (Romans 16:3). After his previous travels through the country of Phrygian Galatia, Paul had wanted to go to Ephesus, but the Holy Spirit drove them to Troas in the northwest, and then had led them to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-9). Although he was now travelling through, he took the opportunity to testify about Messiah Jesus in the synagogue in Ephesus. Even though many Jews in Corinth wanted nothing to do with the Lord Jesus, Paul did not avoid the synagogue in Ephesus. The Jewish brothers in Ephesus did not need to miss out on the Good News just because the Corinthian Jews did not heed it.
To Paul's joy, his preaching here was well received. They asked him to stay longer in Ephesus, to hear more about Jesus the Messiah. However, he did not grant this request. According to 16 of the older translations and most New Testament manuscripts, he said: "I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem" (KJV). This explains his need for haste. He took leave with the promise that he would return, adding: "If God wills." He had already learned that it was the Holy Spirit who directed his travel plans. He boarded a ship and departed from Ephesus. About a year later Paul did return to Ephesus and stayed there for two years and three months. Aquila and Priscilla were still there.
The ship moored in Caesarea, 400 km south of Seleucia, the port of Antioch in Syria, from where he had sailed. This seems to prove that Paul had indeed first wanted to visit Jerusalem, some 100 km south since we read: "…he went up …," which was a technical expression for making pilgrimage to the higher elevation of Jerusalem (cf. Psalm 122:4; Luke 18:31; John 11:55). There he greeted the church and would have had conversations with some of the apostles, and with James and the elders. He had much to report about the progress of the apostolic testimony. He wanted to confirm the unity of faith between the churches among the Gentiles and the "mother church" in Jerusalem. Later, on his third journey throughout Macedonia and to Corinth, he organized a large collection for the poor Christians in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1; 2 Corinthians 8-9).
Next, he "went down" to Antioch, the metropolis located at a lower elevation on the Orontes. This was a journey of some 500 km. With this leg of his travel, Paul's second apostolic journey came to an end. In Antioch, just as after Paul's first journey, a congregational meeting had been arranged where he reported about what God had accomplished through his ministry (cf. Acts 14:26). To their great joy, the believers learned from him that the anti-Judaizing letter (Acts 15:23-29) had been well received by the Syrian and Cilician churches. And that the Holy Spirit had driven him to Greece, where he was permitted to establish Christian churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, yes, even in the infamous metropolis of Corinth.
Paul's Third Apostolic Journey: Ephesus
Luke takes us along to an ancient metropolis: Ephesus on the Aegean Sea. It was also the capital city of the province of Asia, and the residence of the Roman governor, under whom the city enjoyed a large degree of self-rule. Next to Alexandria and Antioch, this was the most populous city of the East: about 300,000 people lived there. Because the surroundings could not feed so many mouths, grain had to be imported from Egypt, the largest grain producer in the ancient world. Ephesus had efficient travel routes to Sardis and Smyrna, and via an ancient caravan route, to lands around the Euphrates. In this way, products from the Middle East could be shipped over land to Ephesus, and from there by sea to every part of the then-known world.
It must have been a dazzling city. In the market you could see a beautiful triumphal entrance to the city. Archaeologists have excavated a promenade of shops that was 11 metres wide, paved with marble and—something unique in that time—illuminated by evening and throughout the night. It had an immense water system, which was a luxurious provision in that day, and it featured one of the largest libraries in the world.
A racetrack has been excavated measuring 230 x 30 metres, where contests, boxing matches, and sword fights were held. It is noteworthy that in the letters he wrote in and to Ephesus especially, Paul used many terms derived from sporting and military activities (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Ephesians 6:10-17).
The city also featured an exquisite open-air theatre, built like a giant shell against the bluff of a hill. It could hold at least 24,500 spectators. The 140 metres, semi-circular, gradually rising seating offered a view of the nearby sea beyond the stage.
As protector of the famous temple of Artemis, the fame of Ephesus came especially from the temple of the goddess Artemis (i.e., Diana), one of the seven wonders of the world. The bottom level of this building measured 130 x 67 metres. The 127 marble columns were 16 metres high, with their bases measuring about 2 metres in diameter. These were about 7.5 metres apart. The interior was decorated with the most beautiful artwork. Naturally the image of Artemis stood in the centre. As "Mother Earth" and goddess of fertility, she was portrayed as a woman with many breasts, similar to the Canaanite goddess Astarte. Thousands of women had consecrated their bodies to the goddess as "sacred" temple prostitutes. The feasts held in her honour were remarkably like those of Astarte. Just as in the ancient East, religion and unrestrained sex went hand in hand. The temple also had a flourishing bank, under the official management of the city clerk. The chief priest of the goddess was also the bank director. He governed the monies that were given to the goddess by her worshippers. Various kings, cities, and individuals also had their funds deposited in this bank. The large contributions for paying the prostitutes were put in the temple bank.
In this commercial city, where in addition to a large population Paul could also encounter foreign businessmen, traveling officials, soldiers, and tourists, the apostle proclaimed the gospel for nearly three years and established a church. From here the Good News about the Lord Jesus was made known in the entire province of Asia (Acts 19:10). When he later wrote a letter to the Ephesians, possibly a circular letter to other churches in Asia Minor, he reminds them of their pagan past: "Therefore remember . . . that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:11-13).
The apostle had brought in this rich harvest, however, at the cost of much difficulty. In both of his letters to the Corinthians, he refers to the troubles. In Ephesus he had, so to speak, "fought with beasts" (1 Corinthians 15:32). Indeed, in Asia things became so difficult to endure that he occasionally despaired for his life (2 Corinthians 1:8; 4:9-10). He was assaulted from every side. In addition to all of this, he heard that in the church in Corinth, party fighting had broken out and false teaching had surfaced (1 Corinthians 1:11-12; 16:17). In reaction to this, he wrote at that time, from Ephesus, perhaps four letters to the Corinthians, two of which survive. In short, the years in Ephesus were full of "afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger" (2 Corinthians 6:4-10). In Acts 19 we read a lot about Paul as a weak servant of the mighty Lord Jesus; the main Actor is God's Son, who by his Spirit and Word, defeated the power of Satan in this pagan metropolis as well.
Verses 24-28 Apollos is mentioned as a new believer and teacher. Like Paul, he was learned, but unlike Paul, he did not have accurate knowledge of the way of salvation. Chapter 19 indicates where he may have been lacking. This will be discussed in the next study. In the meantime, Priscilla and Aquila were able to teach him in their home. They did not correct him in front of his listeners. They preserved his authority and were therefore able to send him off to other churches with full confidence.
Questions:
What would it take for us to confront contemporary paganism in an apostolic way?
Is there a link between commerce and godlessness – even though wealth, as such, is not sinful?
- Alida Sewell
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