Alexander

Alexander is mentioned during the account of the riot in Ephesus, which was instigated by Demetrius, a silversmith who crafted shrines of Artemis. Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen felt threatened by Paul's preaching, which led many people to turn away from worshipping Artemis. (Act.19.23-27)

The riot escalated, and the crowd rushed into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions. Paul wanted to address the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. (Act.19.28-31).

In the midst of the confusion, some of the crowd put Alexander forward, possibly to speak on behalf of the Jews and dissociate themselves from Paul and the Christians. The Jews may have been concerned that they would be blamed for the disturbance caused by Paul's preaching. (Act.19.33)

However, when the crowd realized that Alexander was a Jew, they shouted him down, chanting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours. (Act.19.34)

The city clerk eventually managed to calm the crowd, dismissing the assembly and stating that any grievances should be settled through the proper legal channels. (Act.19.35-41)

Alexander's brief appearance in this narrative highlights the complex social and religious dynamics in Ephesus, where the spread of Christianity was perceived as a threat to the established religious and economic order.