Sceva

Biblical Account

Sceva appears only in Acts 19:13–16. Although he is named in the text, he does not himself appear in the narrative or take any action. It was his seven sons who were involved in the incident.

The event took place while Paul was staying in Ephesus. God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons he had worn were brought to the sick, and their diseases departed from them and the evil spirits went out of them (Acts 19:11–12). Around this time, certain itinerant Jewish exorcists began commanding evil spirits, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." The seven sons of Sceva were among them.

The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" (Acts 19:15, KJV). The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and overpowered them, and they fled out of that house naked and wounded. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks in Ephesus, fear fell on them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many of those who believed came and confessed their deeds, and those who had practiced magic gathered their books together and burned them. The value of the books is recorded as fifty thousand pieces of silver (Acts 19:17–20).

Significance Within Scripture

This account stands in contrast to the miracles of Paul described immediately before it. The attempt to use "the name of Jesus" as an incantation, in hopes of producing the same results that had occurred through Paul, ended in failure. Acts presents this failure as the very thing that magnified the name of Jesus and led people in Ephesus, where magic was widely practiced, to renounce it.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• The question of his title: The Greek text calls Sceva archiereus, a term usually translated high priest. Korean Bible translations vary, rendering it either "priest" or "high priest." No high priest named Sceva is attested in Jewish sources. Scholars have therefore proposed various explanations, including that he belonged to a high-priestly family or that the title was self-assumed to lend authority to the family's exorcisms. Some hold that the name itself is of Latin origin.
• The question of number: The Greek word in verse 16 can be read as "both." For this reason, interpreters differ over whether all seven sons were actually present or only two of them. Some manuscripts word this passage slightly differently.
• Differences in application: Within Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement, this passage is read on the premise that exorcism (the casting out of demons) continues today. These readers see it as a warning against merely borrowing the name of Jesus without a genuine relationship with him. Those who hold that the spiritual gifts ceased with the apostolic age tend to read it as a record of an extraordinary event of that era. For further discussion, see Cessationism and Continuationism.
• The text says nothing about Sceva's own faith or what became of him afterward.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the words "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" are frequently quoted. The verse is used mainly as an illustration warning against a faith that uses the name of Jesus as a mere formality or a magical formula. It is also treated as a key text in sermons and Bible studies dealing with exorcism and demons.