John Chrysostom

"There arose no small stir about the Way." Do you see the renown acquired? They contradicted, it says: then came miracles, twofold: then again, danger: such is the way the threads alternate throughout the whole texture of the history.

Homily on Acts 42 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

By silver temples are perhaps meant small shrines. Notice: everywhere idol-worship was defended on account of money. And this Demetrius was agitating on account of money. He was agitating not because their impious religion was in danger, but because he was being deprived of the means of gain; because he knew that he was deceiving people by making them silver gods and silver shrines, and he was afraid that his craft might be exposed by the true teaching of Paul; he was also afraid that the temple of Artemis, which was in Ephesus, …

Commentary on Acts ↗

Cassiodorus

"Now at that time there had arisen no small disturbance about the way of the Lord," etc. An uproar about the Christian religion arose likewise in Ephesus. There was a certain Demetrius who made silver shrines in Diana's temple. He used to bring no small wages to the craftsmen. This man, seeing that the observance of rites risked complete extinction because of Paul's preachings, he violently stirred up the above-mentioned craftsmen against the apostles and his disciples. …

Complexiones on the Acts of the Apostles ↗