Acts 19:35-36

Acts 19:35-36

[35] And  when the townclerk  had appeased  the people,  he said,  Ye men  of Ephesus,  what  man  that  knoweth  not  how that the city  of the Ephesians  a worshipper  of the great  Diana,  and  of the image which fell down from Jupiter?  [36] then  cannot be spoken against,  ought  to be  quiet,  and  to do  nothing  rashly. 

What does Acts 19:35-36 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The "townclerk" (Gr. ho grammateus) was the equivalent of a modern mayor, the locally elected executive official most responsible for what took place in the city. Consequently he was eager to end this demonstration. He made four points in his address to the assembly. First, there was no danger whatsoever that people would conclude that Artemis was a goddess made with hands since everyone knew the image of her in her famous temple had fallen from heaven. "Do nothing rash" is still good advice. The townclerk was not a Christian, but he was a wise and diplomatic man.
The title "temple keeper" was an honor that Rome bestowed on selected cities that possessed temples of the imperial cult. [1] Ephesus was one of these.