Stephan Witetschek, «Artemis and Asiarchs. Some Remarks on Ephesian Local Colour in Acts 19», Vol. 90 (2009) 334-355
Luke’s account about Paul’s stay in Ephesos (Acts 19) is well known for its strong local colour, two elements of which are studied in this contribution: the asiarchs (19,31) and the title newko/roj (temple-warden) for Ephesos (19,35). The appearance of asiarchs in Acts questions the view that the asiarchs were the highpriests of the provincial imperial cult. Acts 19,35 contributes to the discussion about city-titles in the 1st-3rd centuries CE. In both instances, Acts is a source not so much for the narrated time of Paul, but rather for Luke’s own time, and as such of interest for both exegetes and historians.
Artemis and Asiarchs
Some Remarks on Ephesian Local Colour in Acts 19 (*)
It has become quite common in the exegesis of Acts to point to the
particularly strong local colour in chapter 19, where Luke recounts
Paul’s stay in Ephesos, and to acknowledge that Luke is remarkably
well informed about this city (1). Whether this strong local colour
makes Acts 19 a reliable historical source for the narrated period is,
however, a different matter. The objective of this contribution is, after
some general reflections on Acts 19 as a historical source, to illustrate
these with regard to two examples: the asiarchs (Acts 19,31) and
Ephesos as “temple-warden†(newkovro") of Artemis (19,35).
1. Acts 19 as a Source
To put the matter concisely: Does the narrative of Acts 19 report
what really happened in the mid-50s of the 1st century CE, when Paul
was in Ephesos? This seems to be the most natural reading of the
narrative (2). The many local details in this chapter can, then, be seen as
(*) This contribution has a long pre-history. Research on this topic has been a
by-product of my doctoral dissertation, and it has been further informed by my
teaching at the University of Cambridge (Faculty of Divinity). Thanks are due to
my colleague Dr. Simon Gathercole for improving the English.
(1) It may suffice to mention A.N. SHERWIN-WHITE, Roman Society and
Roman Law in the New Testament. The Sarum Lectures 1960-1961 (Oxford 1963)
83-92; P. LAMPE, “Acta 19 im Spiegel der ephesischen Inschriftenâ€, BZ.NF 36
(1992) 59-76; W. THIESSEN, Christen in Ephesus. Die historische und theologische
Situation in vorpaulinischer und paulinischer Zeit und zur Zeit der Apostel-
geschichte und der Pastoralbriefe (TANZ 12; Tübingen – Basel 1995) 107-
108.234-235; R. SELINGER, “Die Demetriosunruhen (Apg. 19,23-40). Eine
Fallstudie aus rechtshistorischer Perspektiveâ€, ZNW 88 (1997) 242-259, esp. 259;
P. TREBILCO, The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius (WUNT 166;
Tübingen 2004) 104-107. Historical work on ancient Ephesos is greatly facilitated
by the handy corpus of inscriptions: Die Inschriften von Ephesos (eds. C. BÖRKER
et al.) (Inschriften griechischer Städte aus Kleinasien 11/1-8; Bonn 1979-1984) I-
VIII, hereafter “IvEâ€.
(2) Most recently: A. WEISS, “Der Aufruhr der Silberschmiede (Apg 19,23-40)
und das Edikt des Paullus Fabius Persicus (I. Ephesos 17-19)â€, BZ.NF 53 (2009)
69-81, esp. 72,81. However, Weiss is aware that his reconstruction of events is
only valid if Acts 19,23-40 is a reliable account of what really happened. He
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