Paul In Ephesus; Acts 19:1 – 22 Part 7

Church History: Date: A.D. 53–57

When Paul left the synagogue he set up a meeting place of his own, he preached daily in the school of one Tyrannus. He left the synagogue of the Jews so that he might have more freedom in his work; still he proclaimed Christ and Christianity, and was ready to answer all opponents, and he had by this separation a double advantage. His opportunities were more frequent. In the synagogue he could only preach on their Sabbath day (Acts 13:42), but now he preached daily. He set up a lecture every day, and thus made better use of his time: those whose business would not permit them to come one day might come another day; and those who watched daily at these gates of wisdom, and waited daily at the posts of her doors were welcomed. The doors were now open to everyone. To the synagogue of the Jews no one could come except Jews or proselytes; Gentiles were excluded; but, when he set up a meeting in the school of Tyrannus, both Jews and Greeks attended his ministry. Thus, as he describes this gate of opportunity at Ephesus (1Corinthians 16:8-9), a wide door and an effectual was opened to him, though there were many adversaries. Some think that this school of Tyrannus was a divinity-school of the Jews, and such a one they commonly had in their great cities besides their synagogue; they called it Bethmidrash, the house of enquiry, or of repetition; and they went to that on the Sabbath day, after they had been in the synagogue. They go from strength to strength, from the house of the sanctuary to the house of doctrine. If this was such a school, it shows that though Paul left the synagogue he left it gradually, and still kept as near it as he could, as he had done, (Acts 18:7). But others think it was a philosophy-school of the Gentiles, belonging to one Tyrannus, or a retiring place belonging to a principal man or governor of the city; some convenient place it was, which Paul and the disciples had the use of, either for love or money.