Artemis, otherwise Diana

(chastity) (Acts 19:28 [as given]) — a well-known pagan goddess among the Greeks, according to mythology daughter of Jupiter and Latona, usually depicted with a tower on her head and a bow in one hand, the other holding a stag by the horns. Worship of her was conducted with special magnificence and splendor, especially in Ephesus. The temple dedicated to her in this city was so vast and beautiful that it was reckoned among the seven wonders of the world. Pliny says it was 425 feet long and 220 feet wide, and was supported by a hundred richly ornamented columns.

In 356 B.C. the temple of Artemis, whose construction had occupied 220 years, employing, among others, the most celebrated artists — Praxiteles and Apelles — was burned by the madman Herostratus, and rebuilt with even greater magnificence by the Greeks of Asia Minor. Small silver models of the temple, with an image of the pagan goddess in the middle, were made for sale, and sold in such quantity that they formed a very profitable occupation for many hands, such as, for instance, the well-known Demetrius the silversmith and others.

The Apostle Paul became hateful to the idolaters of Ephesus for his preaching that “they be no gods, which are made with hands” (Acts 19:26). As a result, the silversmiths, fearing that their craft would lose its worth, rose up themselves and stirred up the people against the Apostle Paul, crying: “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” This popular uprising was, however, quelled by the prudent explanation given to the people by the “town clerk” (Acts 19:35, 40). From his words it appears that the cause of the uprising was simply the greed of the craftsmen, and that the preachers of the Gospel, though showing the pagans the worthlessness of their idols, did not, however, revile their gods or mock them. The temple of Diana, burned under Nero, was afterward destroyed by the Goths under Gallienus.