interpretative frameworks available then and now. The question is not so much
whether people believe in the“factual”truth of counterintuitive ideas but what
kind of contexts they mobilize to make sense of them. It has been shown that a
context that makes the appearance of an idea less surprising also makes it less
memorable, whereas a context that justifies or explains the idea after its appear-
ance makes it more memorable (Upal et al., 2007). That is, providing an
explanation or justification for a counterintuitive miracle will support its trans-
mission: it does not really matter whether the context is theological, rationaliz-
ing, or psychological. Whereas such interpretative frameworks were both easily
available and culturally consistent in antiquity, they are often sub-culturally
defined or entirely idiosyncratic in the modern Western world.
6.6 EXAMPLE: PAUL IN EPHESUSMiracle and magic are central themes in the narrative of Paul’stwo-yearstayin
Ephesus, as reported in Acts 19. Immediately after his arrival, Paul meets twelve
disciples of John (the Baptist), whom he baptizes. When he lays his hands on
them, the Holy Spirit descends on them (Acts 19:6; in the Western textual
tradition:“immediately”). He teaches for three months in the synagogue, and
after meeting “stubborn resistance” there, he moves on to the school of
Tyrannus, where he preaches the word of the Lord to“all inhabitants of Asia”
(Acts 19:9–10). The remaining thirty verses of the chapter are about the
“extraordinary miracles”(Acts 19:11) that Paul performed in Ephesus and the
reaction that they elicited. The chapter reports two types of reactions to Paul’s
activity. On the one hand, we can read of people carrying“handkerchiefs and
aprons”that were in contact with Paul’s body to the sick, who are subsequently
healed (Acts 19:12). On the other hand, we learn that Paul’s activity exerted
manifold influence on the religious landscape of the city and the business of
various magical professionals. A group of Jewish exorcists attempts to copy
Paul’s expulsion of demons (Acts 19:13–16). Their spectacular defeat generates
fear in the population, many confess their “deeds”(Acts 19:18, probably
referring to magical practices), and books in the value of 50,000 drachmas are
burnt publicly (Acts 19:17–20). The last part of the chapter is dedicated to the
riot of the silversmiths in Ephesus, whose business is assumedly threatened by
the success of Paul’s mission (Acts 19:23–40). A crowd gathers in the theater
and cries“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians”for two hours, until the town clerk
manages to calm them down.
The use of Paul’s aprons is one of the most remarkable instances of magic in
the New Testament. A closer look at the ancient Ephesian context reveals that
the choice of the pieces of clothing mentioned in the text (by their Latin
names) is not accidental. The “handkerchief” (sudarium) was worn by
138 Cognitive Science and the New Testament