G2417 Sacrilege the Temple 1c1
Hierosylos (G2417) robber of the churches
Acts 19:37
37 For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.
Robber of the churches comes from the Greek word hierosylos (G2417). It is in the Bible one time. Hierosylos (G2417) refers to a temple-despoiler. It is a combination of two Greek words, hieron (G2411) and sylaō (G4813).
Hieron (G2411) refers to a sacred place or temple. It is in the Bible 71 times and is always translated temple. The word church did not come into use until the 16th Century. These people were referring to a temple rather than a church.
Sylaō (G4813) from a derivative of sullō (to strip). Sylaō (G4813) is comparable to skylon (H4661). Skylon (H4661) refers to something stripped (as a hide), i.e. booty: to spoil. Sylaō (G4813) itself means to despoil. It is translated rob in 2 Corinthians 11:8:
8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
However, this may be one’s interpretation, rather than Paul’s intent. See G4813 for discussion of this variant.
In Acts 19:37, Paul did not physically rob the Temple of Diana. It is also doubtful that Paul would have spoke a word contrary to the Temple. It would be out of character for Paul to speak openly against another institution, this is based on his writings. It is more than likely that Paul taught from scripture. This resulted in fewer attending the temple or spending money for related services or merchandise. This directly effected the merchants and craftsmen of the temple.
When the town clerk made this statement whether because it was literally true, figuratively or both cannot be determined. This does not change the overall intent of the passage. A better translation for Hierosylos (G2417) would be sacrilege the temple. Although “are” is not in italics, it appears as if the translator added “are” for clarity. As such, Acts 19:37 should have been translated:
37 For ye have brought hither these men, which neither sacrilege the temple, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.
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