A method of detecting and quantifying various enzymatic activities using a constructed artificial genetic circuit GESS (genetic enzyme screening system) for sensing phenolic compounds and a method of screening a trace of activities of target enzymes from a metagenome using the artificial genetic circuit, thereby securing target enzyme genes. When the method for screening and quantifying target enzymatic activity is used, useful genes can be screened from various genetic communities, including environmental or metagenomic libraries, at a single cell level in high throughput (million/day). Further, the sensitivity of the genetic circuit to phenol derivatives and the expression thereof can be controlled, and thus the genetic circuit can rapidly sense and quantify various enzymatic activities. Thus, the method can be advantageously used in the protein engineering technology for enzyme modification. Particularly, it can quantitatively investigate enzymatic activity, and thus can be applied to molecular evolution technology.