Elymas

Saint Paul stands on the left, pointing an accusing finger at the sorcerer Elymas, who has been struck blind and stumbles forward with outstretched hands. The Roman Proconsul sits enthroned in the center, flanked by attendants holding lictor's fasces, as the gathered crowd reacts with visible astonishment to the miracle. The scene is set in a grand classical hall, characterized by massive columns and a central inscription identifying the Proconsul.

This work depicts the conflict between divine miracle and 'false' magic (sorcery), a central theme in Renaissance debates regarding the legitimacy of the occult. Neoplatonists like Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino used such biblical precedents to distinguish between condemned 'goetia' (demonic sorcery) and 'natural magic,' which they viewed as a legitimate study of the hidden powers of creation.