claiming that he meant his conflicts with brutish, bestial men that opposed his preaching work. They say a Roman citizen such as Paul would hardly be thrown into the arena. Also, that if such an outstanding event as deliverance from the arena had occurred Paul would have mentioned it more specifically and Luke would have detailed it in the Acts of Apostles. There is a possibility that Paul spoke figuratively and that the beasts he had in mind were his human opposers.

However, mere silence on Luke’s part does not disprove a literal deliverance, and it can hardly be claimed that Paul did not mention it, in view of his words at 1 Corinthians 4:9, and more especially his later comment at 1 Co 15:32. He may not have given details in this epistle, because other detailed reports may have already reached the Corinthians. Certainly some outstanding ordeal was undergone by Paul at Ephesus and the Corinthians seemed acquainted with it, for Paul referred to this overwhelming experience without detailing it when he soon wrote again to the Corinthians: “We do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, about the tribulation that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were under extreme pressure beyond our strength, so that we were very uncertain even of our lives. In fact, we felt within ourselves that we had received the sentence of death. This was that we might have our trust, not in ourselves, but in the God who raises up the dead. From so likely a death he did rescue us and will rescue us; and our hope is in him that he will also rescue us further.”—2 Cor. 1:8-10, NW.

These words would certainly fit a fight with beasts in the arena and a deliverance therefrom by Jehovah. They seem too strong to describe or refer to the mob raised by Demetrius the silversmith, as some contend. Anyway, instead of on Paul the pressure then was more on his traveling companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and on Alexander. Paul, though willing, did not even go into the theater, his disciples not permitting him so to risk himself. (Acts 19:23-41) Paul was not one to exaggerate the persecution inflicted on him. He mentions many ordeals in passing without even detailing them, among which were “near-deaths often.” One of these near-deaths could have been a fight with wild beasts in the arena at Ephesus.—2 Cor. 11:23-27, NW.

Too Quick to Label Some as “Goats”?

A full-time minister writes from Arizona: “I was given a certain section of territory in which to preach from house to house with the observation that others had found only ‘goats’ in it.

“The first time I covered this territory every door was slammed. The second time I did not take any literature with me nor did I ring any doorbells. I just talked over the fence to those standing in their yards. It was a new housing project and I commented on the things that I noticed that were favorable, anything to get a conversation started. Many had trouble making things grow and this gave me an opportunity to tell about what conditions would be like in the New World. Then with a cheery ‘I’ll be seeing you again,’ I passed on.

“The next time I called I was invited inside most of the homes, where I was able to show from the Bible how close we are to the Kingdom Jesus taught us to pray for, at the same time placing literature. There seemed to be little interest in the territory for individual home Bible studies; so, finding a place where a group study could be held, I invited the housewives to it. Fifteen came the first night. While some dropped out on following nights, others took their place and when I had to turn the study over to another minister after some months because of leaving this city, twenty were attending regularly. This summer one of the witnesses there told me that this study is now being held in her home and that from forty-five to fifty attend it each week.”

And this was supposed to be a neighborhood where only “goats” were to be found!