Nusar (Hb) – Instruction (Eng) – nusar is the Hebrew word for “instruction,” “chastisement,”
and “warning.” In Proverbs 24:32 nusar communicates the lesson to the
wise man before he is tempted and tested. |
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Luke's account of the 56 AD riot (Acts 19:23-41) that broke out in Ephesus when the silversmiths revolted due the decline in the sale of silver shrines of Artemis caused by the success of Paul's teaching about Jesus agrees with archaeology, linguistics and history on several levels:
1. The 525 foot agora had a bronze inscription mentioning Augustus, Tiberius and the goddess Artemis.
2. In the prytaneion, or "town hall" three statues of Artemis were found.
3. The grammateus, or "State Clerk," resided in the prytaneion. In Acts 19:35 the grammateus "city clerk" quieted and spoke to the mob and then dismissed them
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. In Acts 19:31 some of Paul's friends who were "officials of the province, or Asiarchai, begged Paul not to enter the theater. The Asiarchai were political figures with wealth and power. These men were the most powerful men in Asia who were elected by the citizens from the wealthy aristocrats and were expected to personally finance public games and festivals. Strabo refers to them and inscriptions of Asiarch's have been found in over forty Asian cities.
From this information we see that the wealthy and powerful aristocrats tended to befriend and support Paul, while the superstitious labors revolted against him because they lost business when the sale of Artemis idols declined. |
