Paul was away in Syria and Asia (Acts xviii. 22, 23) something further was effected in another way. Apollos came to Ephesus, knowing only of the baptism of John. He had the way of God ex- pounded to him more fully by the two devoted friends whom Paul had left behind him in Ephesus. The result was that, understanding better as he now did the fulfilment of the promised Messianic salva- tion, he ‘mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (Acts xviii. 24-28). After Apollos had passed on to Corinth Paul returned, as he had under- taken to do, to Ephesus (Acts xix. 1). On this occasion his stay was a protracted one, extending over more than two years and three months (Acts xix. 8, 10), or as he expressed it in round numbers in his address to the elders at Miletus “by the space of three years” (Acts xx. 31).
First he devoted himself to the instruction of certain disciples who had been baptised only unto John’s baptism and knew nothing of the Holy Ghost (Acts xix. 1-7). Then for three months he spoke of the things of the Kingdom of God to the Jews in the synagogue. In this he had only partial success, and soon he had to encounter bitter opposition. He gave up his appeal, therefore, to the Jews, and took the school of ‘‘ Tyrannus,” in which he “ dis- puted daily” for the space of two years. He did this with such result that he turned many from the practice of the magical arts which were in great favour in Ephesus, and “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts xix. 10, 20). In other words, the report of the Gospel which Paul preached penetrated through the Province, being carried no doubt to the great cities by travellers who visited Ephesus, and by missionaries or messengers like Epaphras. And for the purpose of disseminating the knowledge of the new faith through the Asiatic Province, Ephesus was not less singularly fitted by its geographical position and com- mercial communications than was Antioch for Syria or Rome for the further West. The tumultuous opposition, however, which was roused by Demetrius against Paul as a destroyer of the silversmith’s craft and a subverter of the worship of Diana, brought his work in Ephesus to a close and compelled him to hasten his departure into Greece (Acts xix. 21—xx. 1). During his last voyage to Syria he did not visit Ephesus itself; but, touching at Miletus, he sent for the elders of the Ephesian Church and took his pathetic farewell of them there (Acts xx. 17-38).
So far as the Book of Acts is concerned, that is the last glimpse we get of Paul in his connection with Ephesus. In the Pastoral