But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.
This word was spoken at the close of Paul's work in Ephesus after more than three years there, when a flourishing church had been raised and the gospel had spread throughout Asia among both Jews and Gentiles. At that time Paul purposed to pass through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem and afterward to see Rome, and he sent Timothy and Erastus ahead into Macedonia while deciding himself to remain in Ephesus until after Pentecost, until an event hastened his departure. That event came at the yearly special ceremonies held at Ephesus in honor of the goddess Diana, which drew great numbers from all parts of the province and were conducted with the utmost pomp and splendor. That gala season was a trying time for those newly come to the faith, for the company of believers meeting in the school of Tyrannus stood out against the festive chorus and faced ridicule, reproach, and insult freely heaped upon them. Paul's labors had dealt heathen worship a telling blow, producing a perceptible falling off in attendance at the national festival and in the enthusiasm of the worshipers, and his influence extended far beyond actual converts, since many who had not openly accepted the new doctrines became so far enlightened as to lose all confidence in their heathen gods.
It is the ruling of the recorder of Ephesus that ends the tumult in the theater. He gained a hearing by virtue of his office in a moment of silence from sheer exhaustion, met the people on their own ground, and appealed to their reason to show there was no cause for the tumult. In that connection he vindicated Paul's companions as neither robbers of churches nor blasphemers of Diana. He directed Demetrius and the craftsmen with him to the open law and the deputies, where they could implead one another over their specific complaint.
Anything inquired concerning other matters, beyond that specific complaint, must be determined in a lawful assembly and not by mob action. That excludes settlement by a confused and violent crowd, by a disorderly crowd, by a riotous crowd, and by a tumultuous mob. The recorder warned that without cause the city was in danger of being called in question for the day's uproar and concourse, and then he dismissed the assembly. By invoking lawful procedure he calmed the mob and dismissed the gathering, and in that way checked and restrained it.
That lawful handling of the matter established Paul as innocent of unlawful conduct, and it kept the tumult and disturbance from bringing Christianity into disrepute.
This word was spoken at the close of Paul's work in Ephesus after more than three years there, when a flourishing church had been raised and the gospel had spread throughout Asia among both Jews and Gentiles. At that time Paul purposed to pass through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem and afterward to see Rome, and he sent Timothy and Erastus ahead into Macedonia while deciding himself to remain in Ephesus until after Pentecost, until an event hastened his departure. That event came at the yearly special ceremonies held at Ephesus in honor of the goddess Diana, which drew great numbers from all parts of the province and were conducted with the utmost pomp and splendor. That gala season was a trying time for those newly come to the faith, for the company of believers meeting in the school of Tyrannus stood out against the festive chorus and faced ridicule, reproach, and insult freely heaped upon them. Paul's labors had dealt heathen worship a telling blow, producing a perceptible falling off in attendance at the national festival and in the enthusiasm of the worshipers, and his influence extended far beyond actual converts, since many who had not openly accepted the new doctrines became so far enlightened as to lose all confidence in their heathen gods.
It is the ruling of the recorder of Ephesus that ends the tumult in the theater. He gained a hearing by virtue of his office in a moment of silence from sheer exhaustion, met the people on their own ground, and appealed to their reason to show there was no cause for the tumult. In that connection he vindicated Paul's companions as neither robbers of churches nor blasphemers of Diana. He directed Demetrius and the craftsmen with him to the open law and the deputies, where they could implead one another over their specific complaint.
Anything inquired concerning other matters, beyond that specific complaint, must be determined in a lawful assembly and not by mob action. That excludes settlement by a confused and violent crowd, by a disorderly crowd, by a riotous crowd, and by a tumultuous mob. The recorder warned that without cause the city was in danger of being called in question for the day's uproar and concourse, and then he dismissed the assembly. By invoking lawful procedure he calmed the mob and dismissed the gathering, and in that way checked and restrained it.
That lawful handling of the matter established Paul as innocent of unlawful conduct, and it kept the tumult and disturbance from bringing Christianity into disrepute.