Acts 19:38

“Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. Acts 19:38

The words read, “Therefore, if indeed Demetrius and those craftsmen with him have a matter with anyone, judicials are held, and there are proconsuls. Let them accuse one another” (CG).

The previous words of the recorder were directed to the mob that had seized Gaius and Aristarchus, having brought them to the theater. He now says, “Therefore, if indeed Demetrius.”

The recorder is in a position of authority, responsibility, and understanding concerning legal matters. He has carefully described the situation to the crowd. Having done so, he next places the responsibility for any legal issue right back where it belongs, meaning with Demetrius. It was he who began the ruckus in verse 19:25. At that time, he called together “those craftsmen with him.”

Demetrius may have initiated the matter, but he had called these others to stand with him and against Paul and his doctrine. The people now gathered had been led as blind sheep to the theater, not even knowing all the facts concerning the matter. The recorder has carefully replaced the entire situation on Demetrius and those with him, questioning if they “have a matter with anyone.”

Even more literally, it says, “have a word with anyone.” The word logos, or word, carries with it the idea of a cause, matter, word, speech, analogy, and more. It is a very broad word meaning “reasoning expressed by words” (HELPS Word Studies). In this case, Demetrius had expressed his reasoning for exciting the other craftsmen by words.

However, that had almost turned into a riot, a matter of Roman interest and legal prosecution. These people had no valid word against Paul or the disciples with him. Therefore, the recorder is returning the issue back to those who may have a case. If so, he notes that “judicials are held.”

It is a word found only once elsewhere in Acts 17:5, agoraios. It signifies “pertaining to the marketplace.” In Acts 17, it was used of the wicked market-loungers who set the crowd in an uproar. In this case, it is obviously a type of court setting. As it is a plural adjective, the closest word to describe it would be “judicials.” It would be the public setting where such grievances were to be brought forward.

Once such a case was brought forward to the judicials, the recorder notes that at that place, “there are proconsuls.” Of this, Charles Ellicott notes –

“Strictly speaking, there was only one proconsul in each province, and we must therefore assume either that here also the expression is colloquial, or that the assessors (consiliarii) of the proconsul were popularly so described, or that some peculiar combination of circumstances had led to there being two persons at this time at Ephesus clothed with proconsular authority. There are some grounds for adopting the last alternative. Junius Silanus, who was Proconsul of Asia when St. Paul arrived in Ephesus (A.D. 54), had been poisoned by Celer and Helius, the two procurators, at the instigation of Agrippina; and it seems probable that they for a time held a joint proconsular authority.”

Whatever the exact situation, it is obvious from the words of the recorder that the people knew and understood what he was saying. The matter was not in their hands, and they had no right to have it adjudicated in the manner that was currently being conducted. Therefore, it should be directed to the Roman authority that was set forth for it. With that, he concludes, saying, “Let them accuse one another.”

As in a modern court, an accusation was to be filed. From there, the matter would be handled by the court as each side presented its case or counterargument. Witnesses, if available, would be brought forward. The matter would be handled in the proper legal manner set forth by the Roman Empire.

Life application: In this verse, the clerk moved from the concrete to the abstract very smoothly, never mentioning Paul. Instead, he moved the complaint back to where it belonged, which was to Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen.

This showed everyone else that they had nothing to argue against. By using the abstract “anyone” it actually means there was nobody to charge Paul because the very person who was the supposed instigator has been shown in the previous verse to have not done anything meriting a complaint. From there, if legal action needed to be filed, it was to be with them.

We can learn from this type of thinking. If a complaint arises at work, in the church, in a public setting, or so forth, it is very easy for us to get caught up in the matter, not thinking it through. However, if we can remove ourselves from the rising excitement and think, “What would the authority propose concerning this?”, we may be able to quell the rash thinking before it gets out of control.

This assumes that the people are willing to listen. Such is quite often not the case. And even the legal authorities are often so corrupt that a logical presentation means little to them. However, we can at least remove ourselves from the matter and not get caught up in whatever negative arises from it.

Learn to think clearly by learning to think independently. The herd mentality will never come to satisfactory results because it is based on a lack of information and unbridled passions, and it is usually led by someone who already had failed to think through the matter clearly.

Lord God, too often, a herd mentality exists around us, even in the church. Numbers and might do not necessarily mean that what is being considered is correct. May our thoughts and actions be properly directed to You and by Your word. In this, we will not be misdirected in how we conduct our affairs. Amen.