Miracles of Saint Paul at Ephesus (detail) by Jean Restout (1693)
Ephesus, an ancient city located on the coast of Anatolia, must have been a bustling, cosmopolitan centre when Saint Paul visited on the last of his three missionary journeys. For centuries Ephesus had been the centre of the cult of Artemis, and according to reports in Acts 19 devotees of magic and sorcery exercised their wiles on the desperate and gullible. The French painter Jean Restout depicts Saint Paul standing in the centre of a grand building, perhaps the synagogue. Although we are familiar with Paul’s activities as preacher, in this work Restout chooses to emphasise the Saint’s miraculous intercessory powers. A youth carrying a white cloth approaches Saint Paul. The Book of Acts narrates how the sick were healed by fabrics such as aprons or napkins which Saint Paul had touched. At the lower right, a young man confined to a litter bed implores the Saint to intercede on his behalf. In contrast to the anguished gestures of those around him, Saint Paul remains somewhat detached from the emotions which roil around him. Instead of focussing his attention on those around him, he looks upward, his upturned gaze reminding us how utterly Paul depended on God.
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