Fire and Sword (29 page)

“You know me, Paul,” he began. “I am bringing these to you because I know that yours is the one true God. I wish to repent of these crimes against God and man.” He dropped an armload of scrolls and other occultic items at Paul’s feet. “Here! Bring your magic. Your amulets. Your scrolls!” he shouted.

Within an hour Paul had amassed a fortune in magical artifacts. A huge crowd stood around as Silas and Timothy put a torch to the pile. Smoke went up over Ephesus as the instruments of diviners, fortune tellers, sorcerers, conjurers, and others were destroyed by Paul.

“Great is our Lord,” Paul said to Silas as the fire roared. “He has brought life to these people. Light has come to darkness!”

“If only Rome could see such power,” Silas said. “All the legions of the empire are nothing in comparison.”

Paul smiled at Silas.

“Rome will see the power one day,” he said. “One day I must go to Rome. The Lord has told me. But for now Ephesus is our work; to God be the glory!”

Unseen by Paul, Kara stood with several of his highest ranking angels. They too watched the flames. Ashes, bits of scroll, strange smoke from some of the bizarre chemicals, and acrid fragrances filled the air around them. The smoke even obscured the view of the temple of Artemis. One of the angels turned to Kara.

“Lord Kara. What are you going to do? This Paul is undoing everything we have built here in Ephesus.”

“He must be stopped,” added another.

“Not every human is enamored with Paul,” said Kara. “And I have already seen to it that one man in particular will have a hand in this. The Greeks love drama. This is only the first act.”

He indicated one man in the crowd who was visibly disturbed by what was happening in the city. He looked at his fellow citizens in disbelief that so much money was literally going up in smoke.

“Act two is about to begin!” Kara declared.

Demetrius carefully placed the silver idol on its display setting. The likeness to Artemis was astonishing—the goddess must be pleased. Yet, as he looked down the wall, he could see rows and rows of the little statues. He had created a tidy business of selling temple images for the many pilgrims who made their way to pay homage to the greatest goddess in that region.

But times had changed. He hadn’t made a sale in a week—not since an Egyptian merchant had come into the shop and bought one of the idols to take back with him to Alexandria. He touched the statue. “Artemis,” he whispered. “Make your greatness known once more. Please overcome this God of Paul.”

“Demetrius? Praying?” came a voice from the front of his shop. “I thought you were more interested in drachmas than devotion!”

Demetrius turned to see his friend Clesus, a fellow merchant whose shop was next door. Clesus dealt in eastern rugs. He smiled at him. “Maybe praying is what’s needed,” Demetrius said. “Ever since Paul arrived, my business has fallen. Every dealer in Artemis merchandise is suffering. That man is a menace.”

“True,” Clesus conceded. “Even some of the taverns have shut down. But what can you do? People are easily led.”

“Too easily,” Demetrius growled. “If this keeps up, Clesus, I’ll leave Ephesus and go to a place where the gods are truly appreciated.”

“More devotion?” Clesus asked slyly.

“More drachmas,” Demetrius answered, smiling.

“More drachmas,” Kara said to Berenius. “That’s the easy part. But he’s right about one thing: Paul is a menace.”

Kara stood with Berenius outside of Demetrius’ shop. They watched Clesus leave and enter his own little shop. Demetrius remained in the doorway. He scanned the horizon, looking at the temple in the distance. Shaking his head, he turned and went back into his store.

“Poor Demetrius,” Kara said. “I’d say he needs some encouraging.”

Berenius nodded in agreement. “And maybe a little guidance,” he added.

“Paul is a menace,”
Berenius spoke into Demetrius’ mind.

Demetrius thought about Paul and found himself getting angry. “That man is a threat to all of us. Not just me,” he thought to himself.

“Craftsmen of your skill shouldn’t be ruined by a foreign fanatic…”

“I know the other craftsmen in Ephesus are in the same situation,” he thought.

“Perhaps it’s time to fight this Paul…”

Demetrius slammed his hand down. “It’s time to act!” he said aloud. He stormed out of his shop and hurried down the empty street.

Berenius walked over to where Kara was standing. Kara smiled at him.

“Well done, Berenius,” Kara said. “You planted the seed deeply.”

“It was easy,” he answered. “Greed is fertile soil.”

The men standing before Demetrius had all fallen on hard times. Their businesses and standing in the community had been diminished by Paul’s successful introduction of the Gospel to Ephesus. Demetrius stood to speak: “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. You see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people not only here in Ephesus but also in nearly the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.”

Several men grumbled.

“You there, Sevin. Your business has fallen off so much that you had to sell your horses. I heard of one fellow whose wife has left him.”

“See, there is some good come from this fellow!”

Everyone laughed.

“In all seriousness, there is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty. And yes, Clesus, I am speaking as one who is devout—not just driven by drachmas.”

One of the men stood up.

“Demetrius is right,” he said. “We must restore the honor of our goddess. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Let that be our cry!”

“So be it!” Demetrius agreed. “May her greatness finally drive Paul and his band out of Ephesus forever!”

Gaius, a Macedonian who had been with Paul for some time, turned to Aristarchus, another Macedonian. They had been part of Paul’s mission ever since meeting him when Paul first arrived in their region. Gaius cocked his head as if listening to something. “What is that sound?” he asked.

Aristarchus heard it now too. It sounded like a dull roar. No, it was a shout. A crowd shouting. And getting louder and louder. Other people stood around watching and waiting as well, wondering what was coming their way. Finally they could make it out.

“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

“Is it another feast day?” Gaius asked.

“I don’t think so,” said Aristarchus, pointing to an angry-looking mob headed their way. “Unless we are the ones being feasted upon.”

Demetrius led the contingent of merchants to Gaius and Aristarchus. The men stood their ground and asked Demetrius what was the matter.

“Where is Paul?” he demanded.

Gaius shrugged. “He isn’t here.”

“They’ll do!” someone shouted, and before they even knew what was happening to them, the two men found themselves in the custody of this mob of merchants who were still shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

The crowd took the two men to the city theater and continued their mindless chanting.

**********

From a distance, Kara and Berenius enjoyed the spectacle. More and more people gathered at the Ephesian theater, wondering about the commotion. Some came out of curiosity; others came because they, too, were angry at Paul. Still others came out of true devotion to Artemis.

“Humans are so easily roused,” Kara noted. “Your suggestion was quite effective, Berenius. Well done.”

The angel laughed.

“It was already in his heart to oppose Paul,” said Berenius. “A willing heart is always easy to guide.”

“Now let us hope that more than noise is occurring in this theater,” Kara said. “I’m tired of human chatter. It’s time for blood.”