100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
35. Sorcery in Ephesus
In Acts 19, we read of Paul’s preaching in Ephesus. According to Luke, a significant portion of the population was involved in occult activity upon Paul’s arrival there. In verse 13 we read:
“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 by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.”
As the story goes, these evil spirits were well acquainted with both Jesus and Paul, but were thoroughly unimpressed with the exorcists, which they promptly attacked and injured. This incident is entirely in accord with what is known of that time and place. Such Jewish exorcists did exist then and several of their magic papyri are still extant. In these Papyri the name of God appears as Iao, Iae, Iaoue, etc., and along with other expressions, was used in casting magic spells A.
Due to Paul’s preaching, however, many Ephesians renounced their involvement in the magic arts:
“And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their 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 thousand pieces of silver.” Acts 19:18-19
The word “deeds” is used in a technical sense here and most likely refers to magic spells. Likewise, the phrase “curious arts” also had a technical meaning, which referred to magical formulae. This description of Ephesus is entirely accurate based on what we know from archaeology. Such magical texts from Ephesus have been discovered and are today on display in the British Museum B. So synonymous was Ephesus with the occult that all magical texts in that area of the world were referred to as “Ephesia Grammata”C.
35. Sorcery in Ephesus - Notes and references
A. J.A. Thompson, “The Bible and Archaeology”, Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1962, pp. 396-397
B. Thompson, p. 397
C. F.F. Bruce, “Commentary on the Book of Acts”, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, 1979, pp. 391-392
Merill F. Unger, “Archaeology and the New Testament”, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, 1962, p. 260.