Demetrius

Biblical Account

Demetrius (Greek Dēmētrios) is a silversmith of Ephesus who appears in Acts 19:23–41. A silversmith is a craftsman who works in silver. He made silver replicas of the image of Artemis, the goddess worshiped at Ephesus, and this work brought considerable business to the craftsmen.

While Paul was staying in Ephesus and preaching the gospel, Demetrius gathered the workmen of the same trade. He told them that Paul had persuaded many people, saying "that they be no gods, which are made with hands" (Acts 19:26). He then stirred them up by claiming that this endangered their livelihood and that the temple of Artemis would also be despised. The craftsmen cried out, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians" (the KJV renders Artemis as Diana), and the whole city was filled with confusion. The crowd seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions, and rushed into the theater. Paul wanted to go in as well, but the disciples and certain officials of the province of Asia who were his friends restrained him. The Jews put Alexander forward, but the crowd kept shouting the same cry for about two hours.

In the end the town clerk quieted the crowd. He told Demetrius and the craftsmen that if they had a charge to bring, they should pursue it through the courts and the proconsuls and have it settled in a lawful assembly, and he then dismissed the gathering. After the uproar had ceased, Paul departed for Macedonia (Acts 20:1). This episode is understood to have taken place during Paul's third missionary journey.

A Demetrius also appears in 3 John 1:12. This Demetrius is commended as one who "hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself." He is presented in contrast to Diotrephes, who is mentioned in the same letter, and he is generally regarded as a different person from the silversmith Demetrius.

Significance Within Scripture

The account of Demetrius in Acts shows that the gospel had a real impact on idolatry and the economic activity bound up with it. Acts earlier records a similar incident at Philippi, where the masters of a slave girl with a spirit of divination accused Paul after their source of income was cut off (Acts 16). The two incidents are alike in that religious opposition was intertwined with economic interests. The town clerk also states that Paul's companions were "neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess" (Acts 19:37). Many interpreters see this passage as connected to the narrative purpose of Acts in showing that Christians were not lawbreakers who disturbed public order.

Interpretations and Issues

• Identity of the two men: Some have speculated that the silversmith Demetrius was later converted and became the Demetrius of 3 John. However, the biblical text offers no evidence to support this, and most scholars regard the two as separate individuals. Demetrius was a common name at the time.
• Motive: Demetrius's speech reflects both concern for his livelihood and an appeal to devotion to Artemis. Interpreters differ in their emphasis on which of these was the stronger motive.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, Demetrius is treated mainly as a figure illustrating the conflict between the gospel and material gain. He is frequently cited as an illustration in sermons on themes such as "when the gospel costs us" or "livelihood and faith." This passage is also often discussed in introductions to Paul's ministry in Ephesus and to the church at Ephesus.