Practice of demonism. Ephesus was the center of all kinds of demonism. In fact, the city was known around the world for its many forms of magic. The demons, then, were especially active at Ephesus, and no doubt to offset the influence of magic and sorcery and to help righthearted Ephesians break free from these demonic practices, Paul performed miracles by God’s spirit; these even included the expelling of wicked spirits.​—Ac 19:11, 12.

Indicating how saturated Ephesus was with magic and how fitting Paul’s counsel was about fighting wicked spirits are the following points:

“The Ephesian letters” were famous the world over. “They seem to have consisted of certain combinations of letters or words, which, by being pronounced with certain intonations of voice, were believed to be effectual in expelling diseases, or evil spirits; or which, by being written on parchment and worn, were supposed to operate as amulets, or charms, to guard from evil spirits, or from danger. Thus Plutarch (Sympos. 7) says, ‘the magicians compel those who are possessed with a demon to recite and pronounce the Ephesian letters, in a certain order, by themselves.’”​—Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Acts of the Apostles, by A. Barnes, 1858, p. 264.

Inscriptions uncovered at the ruins of Ephesus indicate the gross darkness in which the Ephesians lived mentally and why the apostle Paul wrote Christians in that city to “no longer go on walking just as the nations also walk in the unprofitableness of their minds, while they are in darkness mentally.” (Eph 4:17, 18) The inscriptions on walls and buildings indicate that the populace would govern their lives by superstitions, divination, and the searching for omens.

Because of Paul’s preaching, the miraculous works he performed, and the defeat of the exorcising Jews, quite a number of Ephesians became Christians. No doubt many of these persons had indulged in some form of magical practices, for the Bible account says: “Quite a number of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them up before everybody. And they calculated together the prices of them and found them worth fifty thousand pieces of silver [if denarii, $37,200].” (Ac 19:19) In view of such prevalence of magic at Ephesus and the practice of many forms of demonism, it was most appropriate that Paul gave the Ephesian Christians fine counsel about fighting against wicked spirit forces by putting on “the complete suit of armor from God.” No doubt some of those who broke free from the practice of magic would be harassed by demons, and Paul’s counsel would help them to resist the wicked spirits. It is to be noted that the destruction of these books relating to demonism was one of the first things that those early Christians did, setting a pattern for those today who wish to break free from demon influence or harassment.​—Eph 6:11, 12.

Paul’s preaching, attended by miraculous healings and the expelling of demons, caused many Ephesians to become believers. Also, the unsuccessful attempt at exorcising by the seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva stirred up much interest. Former practitioners of magical arts publicly burned their books, which had a combined value of 50,000 silver pieces (if denarii, $37,200). (Ac 19:11-20) Ephesus was so renowned for magical arts that Greek and Roman writers referred to books, or rolls, of magical formulas and incantations as “Ephesian writings.”