The "believed," or (2) with "helped,"-"helped through grace them that had believed." former is preferable. Acts xix. 1-7. PAUL AND THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN :: And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to 2 Ephesus and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard 3 whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, 4 Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should 5 come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord 6 Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with 7 tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. Upon arriving at Ephesus, Paul found some disciples who had not been fully instructed in the main principles of the Christian Faith. Very possibly they were the converts or followers of Apollos. Their exact position is not quite easy to make out. On the one hand they are described as "disciples" and men who had "believed; the other, Paul baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus as if they had not previously been Christians. It is not possible to say exactly wherein on their defect lay. (1) They may have been merely disciples of John the Baptist, and never have advanced beyond his standpoint. (2) Their defect may have consisted in their ignorance of the Baptism of the Spirit. Like Apollos, they may have been living on the pre-Pentecostal plane of Christianity. On the whole, the second view seems the more probable. 1. through the upper coasts. R.V., "through the upper region,"-i.e., the high-lying inland regions. The journey from Phrygo-Galatia (see xviii. 23) crossed the mountainous region in the eastern district of Asia Minor. 2. R.V., "Did ye receive the Holy Ghost when ye believed?" Paul's question may have been prompted either by the fact that he had heard the story of Apollos and knew of the connection between these men and him, or because he saw some deficiency in their lives and characters which could only be explained by some corresponding deficiency in their religious experience. whether there be any Holy Ghost. The R.V., "whether the Holy Ghost was given," is a better translation. They could not have been familiar with the teaching of John the Baptist and yet have remained in ignorance of the existence of the Holy Spirit (Matt. iii. 11, 12). 4. that they should believe... on Jesus. This and the following verse imply that the men were not yet Christians, but see ver. 2. 6. they spake with tongues. There is no indication that speaking in foreign languages is implied in this phrase (see n. on ii. 1 foll. ; cp. x. 46). Observe that the work at Ephesuswhich commences a new and very important chapter in Paul's life—begins with a new Pentecost (see notes on viii. 15 and x. 44). Acts xix. 8-22. PAUL'S WORK AT EPHESUS. 8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things 9 concerning the kingdom of God. 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 10 Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the II Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought 12 special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits 13 went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you 14 by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did 15 so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, 16 and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house 17 naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them 18 all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their 19 deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty 20 thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God 21 and prevailed. After these things were ended, Paul pur posed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been 22 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. Though Paul laboured at Ephesus for more than two years, Luke gives a most meagre account of his work. The narrative, in barest outline, summarises (1) his work among the Jews, which lasted for three months (vers. 8, 9;) (2) his mission in the school of Tyrannus to the Gentiles, which occupied two years (vers. 10, 11); (3) the effect of his miracles (ver. 12). Then follows the incident of the Jewish exorciststhe only piece of detail in the narrative. 8. disputing and persuading. R.V., "reasoning and persuading." 9. spake evil of that way. A misleading translation. R.V., " of the Way." "The Way" was one of the terms by which the new religion was designated; see n. on ix. 2. in the school of Tyrannus. The only instance in the New Testament of the use of a public building other than the Temple at Jerusalem or a Jewish synagogue for Christian preaching or meetings of the Church. Private houses were used as a rule. 10. two years. Paul in his speech at Miletus (xx. 31) mentions three years as the duration of his stay in Ephesus. This, however, is an inclusive mode of reckoning, such as was common amongst Greeks and Romans. The actual duration was, as we see from this chapter, two years and three months. they which dwelt in Asia. Paul's influence reached out far beyond the limits of Ephesus, and it was probably during this period that churches were founded at Colossæ, Hierapolis, Laodicea, and other towns in the province. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, which he wrote at Ephesus, contains a Salutation from "the churches of Asia" (1 Cor. xvi. 19; see also Acts xix. 26). 11. special miracles. In the light of the emphatic claims which Paul makes in Rom. xv. 18; 2 Cor. xii. 12 (both Epistles written soon after he left Ephesus), we cannot reasonably question the fact that Paul did work miracles. We may, however, question whether the statements in the latter part of verse 12 are to be taken quite literally (see v. 15). They illustrate the credulity and superstition of the Ephesian populace, but it is impossible to believe that such magical methods and principles could have received the sanction of the Apostle Paul. 13. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists. R. V.," But certain of the strolling Jews, exorcists. These Jews wandered about from place to place claiming the power to expel evil spirits. Josephus tells us that exorcism was practised largely amongst Jews: "God gave Solomon skill against demons for the help and cure of men. And he arranged certain incantations whereby diseases are assuaged, and left behind him forms of exorcism whereby they so overpower and put to flight the evil spirits that they never return. And this method of curing is very prevalent amongst us at the present time.' the name of the Lord Jesus. The use of this phrase by the exorcists proves that the power of |