Alexander

Alexander was a Jew whom the crowd put forward during the riot in Ephesus, but they shouted him down when they realized he was a Jew.

Alexander is mentioned during the account of the riot in Ephesus, which was instigated by Demetrius, a silversmith who crafted shrines of Artemis. Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen felt threatened by Paul's preaching, which led many people to turn away from worshipping Artemis. (Act 19:23-27)

The riot escalated, and the crowd rushed into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions. Paul wanted to address the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. (Act 19:28-31).

In the midst of the confusion, some of the crowd put Alexander forward, possibly to speak on behalf of the Jews and dissociate themselves from Paul and the Christians. The Jews may have been concerned that they would be blamed for the disturbance caused by Paul's preaching. (Act 19:33)

However, when the crowd realized that Alexander was a Jew, they shouted him down, chanting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours. (Act 19:34)

The city clerk eventually managed to calm the crowd, dismissing the assembly and stating that any grievances should be settled through the proper legal channels. (Act 19:35-41)

Alexander's brief appearance in this narrative highlights the complex social and religious dynamics in Ephesus, where the spread of Christianity was perceived as a threat to the established religious and economic order.

A Jew of Ephesus who took a prominent part in the uproar raised there by the preaching of Paul (Acts 19:33). The Jews put him forward to plead their cause before the mob. It was probably intended that he should show that he and the other Jews had no sympathy with Paul any more than the Ephesians had. It is possible that this man was the same as the following.