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Thus they did everything for the sake of business. See; they were not willing to believe, but they wanted to cast out demons by the name. Wow! how great was the name of Paul! And there were certain ones, seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this. But the evil spirit answered and said to them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaping on them, and mastering them, prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus. Therefore they were doing it secretly, then their weakness is paraded. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified, and many of those who had believed came 60.289 confessing and declaring their deeds. For since they had so much power as to do such things through demons, these things reasonably happen. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all, and they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. Seeing that there was no longer any benefit from them, they burn the books; when the demons themselves also do these things. Therefore the name does nothing, if it is not spoken with faith. Well therefore did he say, "He who believes in me will do greater things," alluding to this of the shadows. See how they used the weapons against themselves And he reasoned, it says, in the school of a certain Tyrannus for two years. Where they were faithful, and exceedingly faithful. Thus they did not consider Jesus anything great, because they also added Paul, as though thinking him to be something great in this way. It is worthy of wonder here, how that demon did not cooperate with the deceit of the exorcists, but rebuked them, and made their pretense manifest. It seems to me he was exceedingly angry, as if someone in extreme danger were to be rebuked by some pitiful and wretched person, and wishes to release all his anger on that one. For so that the name of Jesus might not seem to be despised, having first confessed, he received this authority. For that the weakness was not of the name, but the whole thing was of their deceit, why did these things not happen in the case of Paul? And leaping, it says, the man upon them. Perhaps he tore their clothes, and dashed their heads; for he indicated this by saying, "Leaping;" that is, jumping on them with force, so that this was sufficient to accomplish it. What is, "Departing from them, he separated the disciples"? He cut short, it says, their evil-speaking. And he does this and departs, since he did not wish to kindle their envy, nor to cast them into greater strife. But the phrase, "He spoke boldly," he says, indicating that he was also arrayed against dangers, and he discoursed more openly, not obscuring the doctrines. From this we learn not to go to close quarters with those who speak evil, but to withdraw from them. He did not speak evil when he himself heard evil things, but rather he discoursed daily, and in this way especially won over the many by not jumping away nor separating himself although he heard evil things. And observe, when the temptation from without ceased, it began from the demons. Do you see the Jewish hardness of heart? Seeing his garments working, they did not pay attention. What could be greater than this? But for them it turned out rather to the contrary. If any of the Greeks disbelieves, let him believe seeing the shadow working these things. Thus by departing from them, those who speak evil and slander the doctrine are defeated (for this he called the way); but he himself departs, so as neither to make the disciples withdraw, nor to stir those men up to anger, showing that they everywhere thrust away salvation. And for the rest, he does not even defend himself to them here, since the Gentiles everywhere have believed. And he discourses, not having sought the place simply, but where there was a school, as being more suitable because they gathered there. 60.290 b. Wow! how great is the power of those who have believed, that also to others the same things

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Οὕτω πάντα ἐποίουν πραγματείας ἕνεκεν. Ὅρα· πιστεῦσαι μὲν οὐκ ἤθελον, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἤθελον ἐκβάλλειν τοὺς δαίμονας. Βαβαί! τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Παύλου πόσον ἦν! Ἦσαν δέ τινες υἱοὶ Σκευᾶ Ἰουδαίου ἀρχιερέως ἑπτὰ οἱ τοῦτο ποιοῦντες. Ἀποκριθὲν δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρὸν, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τὸν Ἰησοῦν γινώσκω, καὶ τὸν Παῦλον ἐπίσταμαι, ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνες ἐστέ; Καὶ ἐφαλλόμενος ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἐν ᾧ ἦν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρὸν, καὶ κατακυριεῦσαν αὐτῶν, ἴσχυσε κατ' αὐτῶν, ὥστε γυμνοὺς καὶ τετραυματισμένους ἐκφυγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου ἐκείνου. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο γνωστὸν πᾶσιν Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησι τοῖς κατοικοῦσι τὴν Ἔφεσον. Οὐκοῦν λανθανόντως ἐποίουν, εἶτα ἐκπομπεύεται αὐτῶν ἡ ἀσθένεια. Καὶ ἐπέπεσε φόβος ἐπὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐμεγαλύνετο τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, πολλοί τε τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἤρ 60.289 χοντο ἐξομολογούμενοι καὶ ἀναγγέλλοντες τὰς πράξεις αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοσαύτην ἰσχὺν ἔσχον, ὥστε διὰ τῶν δαιμονίων τοιαῦτα ποιεῖν, εἰκότως ταῦτα γίνεται. Ἱκανοί τε τῶν τὰ περίεργα πραξάντων συνενέγκαντες τὰς βίβλους, κατέκαιον ἐνώπιον πάντων, καὶ συνεψήφισαν τὰς τιμὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ εὗρον ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε. Οὕτω κατὰ κράτος ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου ηὔξανε καὶ ἴσχυεν. Ἰδόντες, ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτῶν ὄφελος λοιπὸν ἦν, κατακαίουσι τὰς βίβλους· ὅτε καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ δαίμονες ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν. Οὐκ ἄρα τὸ ὄνομά τι ποιεῖ, ἂν μὴ μετὰ πίστεως λέγηται. Καλῶς ἄρα ἔλεγεν, Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, μείζονα ποιήσει, τοῦτο τὸ τῶν σκιῶν αἰνιττόμενος. Ὅρα πῶς τοῖς ὅπλοις καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐχρήσαντο Καὶ διελέγετο, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ σχολῇ Τυράννου τινὸς ἐπὶ ἔτη δύο. Ἔνθα πιστοὶ ἦσαν, καὶ σφόδρα πιστοί. Οὕτως οὐδὲν μέγα ἐνόμιζον τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὅτι καὶ τὸν Παῦλον προσετίθεσαν, ὡς αὐτὸν ταύτῃ μέγα τι νομίζοντες εἶναι. Ἄξιον ἐνταῦθα θαυμάσαι, πῶς ὁ δαίμων οὐ συνέπραξεν ἐκεῖνος τῇ τῶν ἐξορκιστῶν πλάνῃ, ἀλλὰ διήλεγξεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτῶν φανερὰν ἐποίησεν. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ σφόδρα θυμωθεὶς, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων κινδυνεύων, ὑπό τινος οἰκτροῦ καὶ ταλαιπώρου διελέγχοιτο, καὶ πάντα εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀφεῖναι βούλεται τὸν θυμόν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξῃ καταφρονεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, πρότερον ὁμολογήσας, τοῦτο ἔλαβεν ἐξουσίαν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἦν ἀσθένεια, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀπάτης τὸ πᾶν, ἐπὶ Παύλου διὰ τί μὴ ταῦτα γεγένηται; Καὶ ἐφαλλόμενος, φησὶν, ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ' αὐτούς. Ἴσως διέῤῥηξεν αὐτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ προσήραξεν αὐτῶν τὰς κεφαλάς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσε τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ἐφαλλόμενος· τουτέστι μετὰ ῥύμης ἐπιπηδήσας, ὥστε ἱκανὸν ἦν τοῦτο ἐργάσασθαι. Τί ἐστιν, Ἀποστὰς ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀφώρισε τοὺς μαθητάς; Ἐνέκοψεν αὐτῶν, φησὶ, τὴν κακολογίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ ἀφίσταται, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἠβούλετο ἐκκαῦσαι αὐτῶν τὸν φθόνον, οὐδὲ εἰς ἔριν ἐμβαλεῖν πλείονα. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐπαῤῥησιάζετο, λέγει, δηλῶν ὅτι καὶ πρὸς κινδύνους ἦν παρατεταγμένος, καὶ φανερώτερον διελέγετο, οὐ συσκιάζων τὰ δόγματα. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, μὴ ὁμόσε χωρεῖν τοῖς κακολογοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἀφίστασθαι αὐτῶν. Οὐκ ἐκακολόγησε κακῶς ἀκούων καὶ αὐτὸς, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον διελέγετο καθ' ἡμέραν, καὶ ταύτῃ μάλιστα οἰκειούμενος τοὺς πολλοὺς τῷ κακῶς καίτοι ἀκούσας μὴ ἀποπηδῆσαι μηδὲ χωρισθῆναι. Καὶ σκόπει, ἐπειδὴ ὁ τῶν ἔξω πειρασμὸς ἐπαύσατο, ἀπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων ἤρξατο. Ὁρᾷς πώρωσιν Ἰουδαϊκήν; Τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἰδόντες ἐνεργοῦντα, οὐ προσεῖχον. Τί τούτου μεῖζον ἂν γένοιτο; Τοῖς δὲ μᾶλλον εἰς τοὐναντίον περιέστη. Εἴ τις Ἑλλήνων ἀπιστεῖ, τὴν σκιὰν ὁρῶν ταῦτα ἐργαζομένην πιστευέτω. Οὕτω τῷ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποστῆναι οἱ μὲν κακολογοῦντες καὶ διαβάλλοντες τὸ δόγμα ἡττῶνται (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ὁδόν)· αὐτὸς δὲ ἀφίσταται, ὡς μήτε τοὺς μαθητὰς ἀναχωρῆσαι, μήτε ἐκείνους εἰς θυμὸν ἐγεῖραι, δεικνὺς πανταχοῦ διωθουμένους τὴν σωτηρίαν. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲ ἀπολογεῖται αὐτοῖς, ἅτε πανταχοῦ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστευσάντων. Καὶ διαλέγεται, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸν τόπον ζητήσας, ἀλλ' ἔνθα σχολὴ ἦν, ὡς ἐπιτηδειότερον διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ συνάγεσθαι. 60.290 βʹ. Βαβαί! πόση τῶν πιστευσάντων ἡ δύναμις, ὅτι καὶ ἑτέροις τοῦ τὰ αὐτὰ