Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles — Homily 42

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting

Acts XIX. 21, 23

After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. And the same time there arose no small stir about the Way.

He sends Timothy and Erastus into Macedonia, but himself remains at Ephesus. Having made a long enough stay in that city, he wishes to remove elsewhere again. But how is it, that having from the first chosen to depart into Syria, he turns back to Macedonia? He purposed, it says, in the Spirit, showing that all (that he did) was done not of his own power. Now he prophesies, saying, I must also see Rome: perhaps to comfort them with the consideration of his not remaining at a distance, but coming nearer to them again, and to arouse the minds of the disciples by the prophecy. At this point, I suppose, it was that he wrote his Epistle to the Corinthians from Ephesus, saying, I would not have you ignorant of the trouble which came to us in Asia. [[2 Corinthians 1.8]] For since he had promised to go to Corinth, he excuses himself on the score of having loitered, and mentions the trial relating the affair of Demetrius. There arose no small stir about the Way. Do you see the renown (acquired)? They contradicted, it says: (then) came miracles, twofold: (then) again, danger: such is the way the threads alternate throughout the whole texture (of the history). For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver temples of Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen. [[Acts 19.24]]. Which made, it says, silver temples of Diana. And how is it possible that temples could be made of silver? Perhaps as small boxes ( κιβώρια.) Great was the honor paid to this (Diana) in Ephesus; since, when ( Hom. in Eph. Prol.) their temple was burnt it so grieved them, that they forbade even the name of the incendiary ever to be mentioned. See how, wherever there is idolatry, in every case we find money at the bottom of it. Both in the former instance it was for money, and in the case of this man, for money. [[Acts 19.13]] It was not for their religion, because they thought that in danger; no, it was for their lucrative craft, that it would have nothing to work upon. Observe the maliciousness of the man. He was wealthy himself, and to him indeed it was no such great loss; but to them the loss was great, since they were poor, and subsisted on their daily earnings. Nevertheless, these men say nothing, but only he. And observe: Whom having collected, and the workmen of like occupation, having themselves common cause with him, he said, Sirs, you know that by this craft we have our wealth [[Acts 19.25]]; then he brought the danger home to them, that we are in danger of falling from this our craft into starvation. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost th