Demetrius the silversmith

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Demetrius the silversmith was an Ephesian artisan mentioned in the New Testament Book of Acts, known for inciting a riot against the Apostle Paul over the perceived threat to the trade in silver shrines of the goddess Artemis.

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Statements (36)

Predicate Object
instanceOf New Testament person
artisan
biblical figure
associatedWithCity Ephesus NERFINISHED
associatedWithDeity Artemis NERFINISHED
businessActivity making silver shrines
providing work for craftsmen
concern decline of Artemis worship due to Christian preaching
loss of income from selling silver shrines
describedAs a certain silversmith named Demetrius (in Acts 19:24) NERFINISHED
ethnicOrCivicIdentity Ephesian
historicityStatus considered a possibly historical figure based on Acts account
incited the Ephesian crowd against Paul
influencedGroup craftsmen of similar trade
the Ephesian populace
knownFor inciting a riot against Paul in Ephesus
making silver shrines of Artemis
mentionedIn Acts 19
Acts of the Apostles
motivatedBy economic interests
religious loyalty to Artemis
occupation silversmith
opposedTo Christian mission in Ephesus
Paul the Apostle NERFINISHED
organized a meeting of craftsmen in Ephesus
relatedEvent Ephesian riot over Artemis and Paul
relatedPlace Temple of Artemis at Ephesus NERFINISHED
religiousAffiliation paganism
religiousContext Greco-Roman religion NERFINISHED
roleInNarrative instigator of the Ephesian riot
sourceTextLanguage Koine Greek NERFINISHED
speechContent claimed Paul was persuading people that gods made with hands are not gods
warned that Artemis’ majesty might be destroyed
warned that the temple of Artemis might be despised
textualStatus known only from the New Testament account
timePeriod 1st century

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Demetrius distinguishedFrom Demetrius the silversmith