Acts 19:9
But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
Ephesus was a major commercial center and a promising field for missionary effort, yet a stronghold of heathenism where God worked among the Gentiles to raise up a large church. Providence had prepared the way for apostolic work there, for Jews dispersed across many lands expected the Messiah, and those who had heard John the Baptist proclaim Jesus as the Promised One carried that news widely. Paul's ministry there and in its region was a long, aggressive evangelistic effort lasting three years. During that time he again worked at his trade for support, as he had done in Corinth, and he was cheered by the presence of Aquila and Priscilla, who had accompanied him on his return to Asia at the close of his second missionary journey. Before withdrawing, he spoke boldly for three months in the synagogue at Ephesus, disputing and persuading about the kingdom of God.
Some in Ephesus, identified as Jews, hardened themselves, refused to believe despite sufficient evidence, and publicly spoke evil against the Christian faith, called that way, before the multitude. After they persisted in rejecting the message, Paul stopped preaching in the synagogue, departed from them, and separated the disciples from the opposers into a distinct group. This separation protected the believers, so that continued association with opponents would not endanger their faith. He then continued teaching publicly and daily in the school of Tyrannus, a teacher of some note, meeting with the disciples separately each day apart from the opposers.
This daily work continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord Jesus. The believers who met separately stood apart from the city's festival season, especially the annual festival honoring Diana, and faced ridicule, reproach, and insult. Paul's teaching weakened pagan worship, so that festival attendance and worshipers' enthusiasm declined, and even some who had not openly accepted the faith lost confidence in their gods. Support for the festival and the business of making Diana shrines was reduced, provoking further hostility, and opposition at Ephesus grew as the Christian church succeeded, which helps explain why Jews from Asia later remained hostile toward Paul.