Acts 19: Paul Teaching in Ephesus

Powerful Preaching to powerless Christians

Two Schools of Thought in Ephesus

The School of Our Master the Lord Jesus Christ is led by the lecturer Paul; known as the Apostle to the Gentiles and formerly known as Saul of Tarsus.

Picture this setting & scene in either the 1st century A.D. where it took place OR in a more Common Era scene in a University of this time:

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‘We haven’t heard from Paul in a while. I heard that he has been teaching in the School of Tyrannus. Is that so?‘

‘Let’s go over to the big lecture hall and see.‘

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Paul has already encountered various schools of thought at several points on his missionary journeys. His Pharisaical School in Jerusalem had taught different doctrines than an exclusive School the Sadducees. So the renounced Jewish scholar comfortably challenged other beliefs and philosophies.

And just like back in Corinth Achaia, Paul must reconcile perceptions of Christ with the Greeks and Yeshua Messiah of the Jews to followers of The Way in Ephesus.

Now that he resides in this key city of Asia Minor where the Holy Spirit initially had prevented Paul from going, Paul will no doubt need to answer many questions about our Lord Jesus Christ.

AND let’s not overlook Paul’s perseverance during several months of Apostolic teaching in Ephesus that took place here which Luke covers in just a few summary verses.

As is his general practice the Apostle first teaches the Good News of the Messiah Jesus to the Jews.

And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

Acts of the Apostles 19:8 ESV – Luke’s account of Paul upon arrival in Ephesus

The first three months

Twelve converted disciples join Paul, listening to the Gospel as the Apostle teaches fellow Jews how Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures as the Promised One. Many Jews believe during this time of Paul’s proclaiming Jesus in the synagogue and consequently follow The Way.

Yet like everywhere else, some remain immovable by truth or any other teaching than that which serves them.

But when some became stubborn

and continued in unbelief,

speaking evil of the Way before the congregation..

[A familiar pattern of stiff-necked men standing firm on their shaky ground of unreasoned truth and false doctrine.]

.. he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.

Acts of the Apostles 19:9

~A.D. 53 – A.D. 54

Let’s look a root problem of unbelievers from the Greek root words Luke chooses translated from the NASB:

But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the [multitude]..

Acts 19:9a NASB20

• ἐσκληρύνοντο – to make hard, harden, metaph. to render obstinate, stubborn
• ἀπειθέω – apeitheō [Does any familiar English term come to mind?] –
  • to refuse or withhold belief
  • to refuse belief and obedience
  • not to comply with

Men APATHETIC to sound doctrine and truth of the Gospel may claim to be religious men. Stubborn and stiffnecked sinners TURNED AGAINST Christ’s Apostle of Good News and they will turn against YOU as well for your witness of JESUS Christ as your Lord.

Apparent apathy to Christ and disobedience to the very word of God go hand in hand.

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life;
but the one who does not G544 [apeitheō] obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Gospel of John 3:36

THREE MONTHS Paul had reasoned with the Ephesian Jews in his manner of quoting Scripture and applying the Old Covenant to their Messiah JESUS. A remnant is saved and follow. The rest will continue in their false faith for refusing to look up to the LORD from the wilderness of their refining.

The heart-hardened enemies of the Gospel murmur to the multitudes against the followers [disciples] of the Way, the Truth and the Life redeemed through Christ our Lord.

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in the hall of Tyrannus

DAILY, from the fifth hour to the tenth (that is, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) according to some manuscripts

The lecture hall of Tyrannus is an important place of teaching Roman cultural context in a Roman community of the empire.

21st century believers may not understand the openness in a university-type forum from the teaching and disciples of Paul OR even the Lord Jesus. So in order to understand this PLACE of Paul’s CLASSROOM better we will examine it from the Greek which Luke records in just one of today’s three verses:

ὡς δέ τινες ἐσκληρύνοντο καὶ ἠπείθουν κακολογοῦντες τὴν ὁδὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ πλήθους ἀποστὰς ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀφώρισεν τοὺς μαθητάς καθ᾽ ἡμέραν διαλεγόμενος ἐν τῇ σχολῇ Τυράννου

Acts 19:9 Morphological Greek New Testament

scholē tyrannos

Τύραννος – tyrannos – A provincial form of the derivative of the base of κύριος (G2962)

Its base word and root Christians may recognize but have never considered in this context of first century A.D. controversy in witness to the Gospel in the Roman Empire.

• Tyrannus = “sovereign“
• kyrios – From kuros (supremacy)

It’s the ‘sovereign school’ OR School of the Sovereign.

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Is Paul now teaching in the highest school, so to speak, in Ephesus, an environment we would understand to be a University?

• scholē – probably feminine of a presumed derivative of the alternate of G2192; properly, loitering (as a withholding of oneself from work) or leisure, i.e. (by implication) a “school” (as vacation from physical employment):—school.

OR

Does the SCHOOL NAME imply a particular Sovereign for whom it is named?

(And, let the hearer understand, Ephesus, like Jerusalem, Corinth or Rome itself has only ONE SOVEREIGN.)

But they cried out,

Away with him, away with him, crucify him.

Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King?

The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

Gospel of John 19:15 King James Version

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κύριος – kyrios – Strong’s G2962 – masculine noun From kuros (supremacy)

Lord, Lordship:

properly an adjective, signifying “having power” (kuros) or “authority,” is used as a noun, variously translated in the NT, “‘Lord,’ ‘master,’ ‘Master,’ ‘owner,’ ‘Sir,’ a title of wide significance, occurring in each book of the NT save Titus and the Epistles of John. It is used

Vine’s Expository Dictionary

WHAT DID THE APOSTLE PAUL PREACH IN EPHESUS?

Luke does not say specifically in these four verses, but we must believe that in one form or other that the Apostle proclaims the Gospel, JESUS IS LORD.

Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord G2962 Jesus.

Acts of the Apostles 19:5 NASB20

This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord G2962, both Jews and Greeks.

Acts 19:10 of the Apostle Paul in Ephesus

NEXT: Paul I know…