It pleased the Almighty to work miraculous cures by means of St. Paul, as we read: "God wrought by the hand of Paul more than common miracles. So that even there were brought from his body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the wicked spirits went out of them."
Then some of the people who had witnessed the wonders which St. Paul could do in the name of Jesus, thought they also could do the same. There was a Jew who had seven sons, and these men wanted to drive out an evil spirit with which a person was possessed. But when they bade it come from him, the devil spoke from within the man, and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" and the possessed leaped upon and overcame them, so that they had to escape.
When this was told in Ephesus, the people were awed, for they could not but see that God would not permit His Name to be taken in vain, and they began to be so much afraid of practising their magic arts that they brought out the wicked books, which treated of hidden things, and publicly burned them.
During St. Paul's stay at Ephesus he went over for a short time to visit the Christians in Corinth, and to his great sorrow he found that among them were some who had brought disgrace upon their faith by relapsing into many of their heathenish customs.
After he had again returned to Ephesus, such bad news came about the Corinthian Church that St. Paul wrote them a letter, in which he reproved their sins and entreated them to lead holy lives. This letter is the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
About this time a disturbance arose in Ephesus because the men who had formerly sold models of the pagan goddess Diana could not now find an easy sale for these things, and were therefore enraged with St. Paul for preaching against idolatry.
A silversmith of the city, whose name was Demetrius, called together all who followed his own trade, and represented to them how much they had lost through this man who preached the new faith and persuaded the people to renounce the gods they had formerly worshipped.
Ephesus was soon in a tumult, and the angry people resolved to seize upon St. Paul, whom they considered had done them great injury; but on going to find him in the house of Aquila, he was not there. Instead of the Apostle, therefore, two other Christians were captured and brought to the place where all public meetings were held.