The Bible Story Part 271

And about that time there arose no small stir concerning the new faith.

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen;

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RUINS OF GREAT GREEK THEATER AT MILETUS.

Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.

Miletus once was one of the leading centers of Greek civilization, which began to decay in Paul's day.

"Even in Homer, the 'Carian Miletus' appears as a place of renown.

Eighty colonies went forth from the banks of the Maeander, and some of them were spread even to the eastern sh.o.r.es of the Black Sea and beyond the Pillars of Hercules to the west. It received its first blow in the Persian war, when its inhabitants, like the Jews, had experience of a Babylonian captivity. It suffered once more in Alexander's great campaign; and after his time it gradually began to sink towards its present condition of ruin and decay, from the influence, as it would seem, of mere natural causes,--the increase of alluvial soil in the delta having the effect of removing the city gradually farther and farther from the sea. Even in the Apostle's time, there was between the city and the sh.o.r.e a considerable s.p.a.ce of level ground, through which the ancient river meandered in new windings, like the Forth at Stirling. Few events connect the history of Miletus with the transactions of the Roman Empire. When St. Paul was there, it was simply one of the second-rate seaports on this populous coast, ranking, perhaps, with Adramyttium or Patara, but hardly with Ephesus or Smyrna."

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whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth. And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no G.o.ds, which are made with hands: and not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute; but also that the temple of the great G.o.ddess Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her magnificence, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth."

And when they heard this, they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying,

"GREAT IS DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS!"

And the city was filled with the confusion: and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel. And when Paul was minded to enter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And certain also of the chief officers of Asia, being his friends, sent unto him, and besought him not to venture into the theater. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the a.s.sembly was in confusion; and the larger part knew not wherefore they were come together.

And they brought Alexander out of the mult.i.tude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defense unto the people. But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the s.p.a.ce of two hours cried out,--

"GREAT IS DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS!"

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And when the town clerk had quieted the mult.i.tude, he saith, "Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there who knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our G.o.ddess. If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen that are with him, have a matter against any man, the courts are open, and here are judges: let them accuse one another. But if ye seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular a.s.sembly. For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning this day's riot, there being no cause for it: and we shall not be able to give account of this concourse."

And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the a.s.sembly.

III

FAREWELLS TO THE CHURCHES.

_Paul Starts on a Fateful Journey_.

And after the uproar was ceased, Paul having sent for the disciples and exhorted them, took leave of them, and departed to go into Macedonia.

And when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece. And when he had spent three months there, and a plot was laid against him by the Jews, as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.

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HARBOR OF a.s.sOS Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.

"Of the city of a.s.sos itself, we must conclude, if we compare the description of the ancients with present appearances, that its aspect as seen from the sea was sumptuous and grand. A terrace with a long portico was raised by a wall of rock above the water line. Above this was a magnificent gate, approached by a flight of steps. Higher still was the theater, which commanded a glorious view of Lesbos and the sea, and those various buildings which are now a wilderness of broken columns, triglyphs, and friezes. The whole was crowned by a citadel of Greek masonry on a cliff of granite. Such was the view which gradually faded into indistinctness as the vessel retired from the sh.o.r.e, and the summits of Ida rose in the evening sky."

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And there accompanied him as far as Asia a company of men from the various churches. But these had gone before, and were waiting for us at Troas. And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we tarried seven days.

And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where we were gathered together. And there sat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus, overpowered with deep sleep; and as Paul discoursed yet longer, he fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, "Make ye no ado; for his life is in him."

And when he was gone up, and had broken the bread, and eaten, and had talked with them a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

And they brought the lad alive, and were not a little comforted.

But we, going before to the ship, set sail for a.s.sos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, intending himself to go by land.

And when he met us at a.s.sos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And sailing from thence, we came the following day over against Chios; and the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after we came to Miletus.

For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for {426} he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, "Ye yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time, serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews: how I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward G.o.d, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Spirit testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of G.o.d. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of G.o.d.

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DISTANT VIEWS OF OLYMPUS

Photographs taken by Prof. George Norlin. Owned by Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D., and used by his kind permission

It was near the foot of Olympus, the most famous mountain in Greece, "the home of the G.o.ds," that Paul embarked on his voyage to Athens, and it was often in sight as he sailed from point to point in the Aegean Sea. The whole of Paul's route in Macedonia was over historical ground. He traveled over the route taken by Xerxes' army when it swept down to overwhelm Greece. He pa.s.sed near the Pa.s.s of Thermopylae, where one of the most famous defenses of history was made; at Philippi he was close to the confines of Thracian barbarism, and on the spot where the last battle was fought in defense of the republic; at Berea he was near the famous battleground of Pydna, which reduced Macedonia to a Roman province.

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"Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of G.o.d, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the s.p.a.ce of three years I ceased not to admonish everyone night and day with tears. And now I commend you to G.o.d, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified. I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken, that they should behold his face no more. And they brought him on his way unto the ship.

And when it came to pa.s.s that we were parted from them, and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day unto Rhodes, and from thence to Patara: and having found a ship crossing over unto Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail. And when we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unload her cargo. And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem. And when it came to pa.s.s that we had accomplished the days, {430} we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us on our way, till we were out of the city: and kneeling down on the beach, we prayed, and bade each other farewell; and we went on board the ship, but they returned home again.

And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais; and we saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. And on the morrow we departed, and came to Caesarea: and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, we abode with him. Now this man had four daughters, who prophesied. And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And coming to us, and taking Paul's girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, "Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul answered, "What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."

And after these days we went up to Jerusalem. And there went with us also certain of the disciples from Caesarea, bringing with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

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CAPE SUNION.

Photograph taken by Dr. C. W. Bill. Owned by Arthur S. Cooley, Ph.D., and used by his kind permission.

The ship on which Paul sailed rounded this point on her way to Athens.