ACC ~ Acts 19 v14

THE SEVEN SONS OF SCEVA. BEDE: Therefore, since “Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light,”[Satan] has no fear of covering his ministers as well with the same false appearance. It is customary to represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit by the number seven. As a figure of this, the Lord after his resurrection took food with seven disciples, and seven of the brothers came to preach the gospel to Cornelius, who was to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Hence the sons of Sceva, as men who would drive out evil spirits, are reckoned as seven in number. Because they called upon the name of Christ and the apostles not out of belief in them but to put them to the test, they were rightly condemned for the cunning deceitfulness, not only by God but also by the demons themselves. Thus they were called sons of Sceva, which means “a yelping little fox.” This animal, which is very shrewd with respect to deceit and craftiness, represents one, whether Jew, Gentile or heretic, who is always plotting against the church of God, and, as it were, continuously making a racket with their babbling voices. Concerning them the command is given to the guardians of the church, “Catch for us the tiny foxes that are wrecking the vineyards.”COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 19.14.

Acts