The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 19:1-7 comments: Paul teaching at Ephesus

 

Acts 19:1 ¶  And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3  And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 4  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 7  And all the men were about twelve.

 

Ephesus was a great city of Asia at the time devoted to the goddess Diana which was the Roman version of the Greek Artemis as Jupiter was the Roman version of the Greek Zeus. It was founded as a Greek colony a thousand years before this and became under Roman control a little over a century and a half before this. It was famous for its temple to Diana/Artemis which is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Worship of Diana was a great moneymaker and very important to commerce for the city. Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Revelation and some believe John wrote his gospel from there. It was an important center of trade and business as well as religion and culture for the Greek speaking Roman world of Asia.

 

Again, more of those converts to John’s message of the coming Messiah who know only John’s baptism are found. This defines what John’s baptism actually was, not a public declaration of fellowship with the church in the name of Jesus Christ, but of national repentance to believe on the one who was to come. It is important to be able to distinguish what the different baptisms represented. One is like the Old Testament, an incomplete revelation, and one is like the New Testament, the Messiah declared and the Old Testament fulfilled in Him.

 

John’s baptism did result in the believer expectantly prepared and waiting for their Messiah to come but not receiving the Holy Ghost. But the believer’s baptism after Christ arose did result in that indwelling.