THE LAST TEMPTATION OF DIANA
                               or
            PAUL MEETS THE CITIZENS AGAINST THEOLOGY

     The compositor presenting this True-to-Life Bible Study is 
not smart enough to have come up with this rendering.  Many 
thanks to many who have come before me; but do not blame them for 
my errors.

   ACT 19:1  And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at 
Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to 
Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 

     Our story begins in the city which to this day stands in 
what is now Turkey.  (The same area was in those days called, 
"Asia" or "Asia Minor.")

   ACT 19:8  And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for 
the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things 
concerning the kingdom of God. 
   ACT 19:9  But when (they) 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. 

     Well, our hero (Paul) got kicked out of the local syanagogue 
for speaking heresy.  That proved to be no problem; he went to a 
local lecture-hall (the "school of Tyrannus") and rented out an 
auditorium.  

   ACT 19:10  And this continued by the space of two years; so 
that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord 
Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 

     Paul must have made the day for the Tyrannus Hall.  In those 
days, there were of course no television sets or newspapers, and 
books were hard to come by.  People went to lecture-halls where 
they would hear debates (or, occasionally, one of the classical 
plays.)  

   ACT 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also 
dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of 
the Lord Jesus was magnified. 
   ACT 19:18  And many that believed came, and confessed, and 
shewed their deeds. 
   ACT 19:23  And the same time there arose no small stir about 
that way. 

     There are other things that happened in Acts 19.  But we 
will dwell here on the accusation against Paul of blasphemy 
against a pagan goddess.

   ACT 19:24  For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, 
which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto 
the craftsmen; 

     A look in an ordinary almanac will show that one of the 
Seven Wonders of the [Classical] World was the Temple of Diana, 
the pagan goddes of the hunt.  (She was known as Artemis to the 
Greeks.)  Enter Demetrius, the leader of the Ephesian Family 
Association, and crusader against wrong as he sees it.  Ephesus 
was in those days, even more so than now, a tourist trap.  
Wealthy people came from all the known world to visit the Temple 
of Diana-- and carry home trinkets.  

   ACT 19:25  Whom he called together with the workmen of like 
occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have 
our wealth. 
   ACT 19:26  Moreover 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 be no gods, which 
are made with hands: 
   ACT 19:27  So that not only this our craft is in danger to be 
set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess 
Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be 
destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. 

     So Demetrius starts to crusade for truth and justice as he 
sees it-- namely, to crusade against any threat to his 
pocketbook.  Needless to say, he had many followers who were in 
the same trade.

   ACT 19:28  And when they heard these sayings, they were full 
of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 
   ACT 19:29  And the whole city was filled with confusion: and 
having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's 
companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the 
theatre. 

     Shades of Operation Resuce!  The Ephesians Against Theology 
proceed to rush the Tyrannus Hall.  One could see the picket 
signs now:  "That God Won't Hunt"  "Don't Mess With Diana"

   ACT 19:30  And when Paul would have entered in unto the 
people, the disciples suffered him not. 
   ACT 19:31  And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his 
friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure 
himself into the theatre. 
   ACT 19:32  Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: 
for the assembly was confused: and the more part knew not 
wherefore they were come together. 

     So most of the demonstrators had no idea what they were 
demonstrating for or against.  Sounds familiar?

   ACT 19:33  And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the 
Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, 
and would have made his defence unto the people. 
   ACT 19:34  But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one 
voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of 
the Ephesians. 

     Apparently, someone had thought that a certain Jew named 
Alexander could bridge the gap between the Christians (then a 
Jewish sect) and the pagans.  But, no luck.

   ACT 19:35  And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he 
said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how 
that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great 
goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? 
   ACT 19:36  Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken 
against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. 
   ACT 19:37  For ye have brought hither these men, which are 
neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. 
   ACT 19:38  Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are 
with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and 
there are deputies: let them implead one another. 
   ACT 19:39  But if ye enquire any thing concerning other 
matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. 
   ACT 19:40  For we are in danger to be called in question for 
this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an 
account of this concourse. 
   ACT 19:41  And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the 
assembly.

     The town clerk, who was the Roman civil authority, took the 
stage.  This town clerk made some very important points:  One, 
that Paul and his crew did not defile churches or any such thing; 
Two, that the protestors could always sue Paul in court;  Three, 
that this kind of conduct could give the town a bad name.  A 
reader could easily imagine how this would look on "Sixty 
Chariots."  The town clerk also showed the typical attitude of 
civil authority.  This story speaks in favor of separation of 
church and state.

     So there you have it.  A True-to-Life Bible Study.  Not the 
kind that you would easily attribute to Christianity.  But it's 
real.  How little things have changed in almost 2000 years!