SAVED FROM THE MOB

"Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?"
Acts 19:35b

The angry chanting of the silver craftsman thrown all of Ephesus into confusion, In the uproar, crowds converge on the city's open air theater, perhaps thinking they will be told what is going on. But in the sudden antipathy toward Paul, two Macedonians who are with him, Gaius and Aristarchus, are seized by the mob and taken; he is evidently nearby and even wants to go into the theater to address the mob. But the gravity of the situation is revealed by the disciples'  steadfast refusal to let him proceed. Furthermore, some provincial official who are, as Luke says, "friends" of Paul also advise him nit to go in.
    Meanwhile, the scene in the theater is one of mass confusion. Luke notes that "most of them did not know why they had come together," and "Some therefore cried one thing and some another." Finally, the Jews put forward a man named Alexander to make a defense. The Jew "wanted to clear themselves of any charge of opposing the worship of Artemis At the same time they want to place Paul and his followers in a bad light." However, the crowd does not listen to Alexander's statement; making no distinction between the Jew and the Christians, they shout him down.
    Finally, the city clerk stands up in the theater. This man's position is equivalent to that of a modern mayor. He has real authority, and the people recognize it and grow quiet. He begins by agreeing with their point, stating as undeniable fact that Ephesians is the home of the temple of Diana and "the image which fell down from Zeus" most like a meteorite with the appearance of an icon. But he continues, the very undeniability of these facts means there is no cause for alarm. Then with wells chosen words, he warns the crowd that they have wronged two innocent men who have not robbed the temple or blasphemed the goddess. If they have grievances, he says, they should proceed through proper legal channel. He then closes with a final warning. If the Roman authorities should find the citizen guilty of rioting, the city could lose privileges. Just as Demetrius warned that Paul's work could cost the city prestige, the clerk now warns that Demetrius' action may have the same result. And so he demetrius action may have the same result. And so he dismiss the crowd.