Paul having now been a resident in Ephesus for nearly three years,
and having seen such glorious results of his labors, soon began to
think of revisiting some of his former fields of missionary exertion,
more especially those Grecian cities of Europe which had been such
eventful scenes to him, but a few years previous. He designed to
go over Macedonia and Achaia, and then to visit Jerusalem; and when
communicating these plans to his friends at Ephesus, he remarked
to them in conclusion――“And after that, I must also visit Rome.”
He therefore sent before him into Macedonia, as the heralds of his
approach, his former assistant, Timothy, and another helper not before
mentioned, Erastus, who is afterwards mentioned as the treasurer of
the city of Corinth. But Paul himself still waited in Asia for a short
time, until some other preliminaries should be arranged for his removal.
During this incidental delay arose the most terrible commotion that had
ever yet been excited against him, and one which very nearly cost him
his life.
It should be noticed that the conversion of so large a number of the
heathen, through the preaching of Paul, had struck directly at the
foundation of a very thriving business carried on in Ephesus, and
connected with the continued prevalence and general popularity of that
idolatrous worship, for which the city was so famous. Ephesus, as is
well known, was the chief seat of the peculiar worship of that great
Asian deity, who is now known, throughout all the world, where the
apostolic history is read, by the name of “DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS.” It
is perfectly certain, however, that this deity had no real connection,
either in character or in name, with that Roman goddess of the chase
and of chastity, to whom the name Diana properly belongs. The true
classic goddess Diana was a virgin, according to common stories,
considered as the sister of Apollo, and was worshiped as the beautiful
and youthful goddess of the chase, and of that virgin purity of
which she was supposed to be an instance, though some stories present
an exception to this part of her character. Upon her head, in most
representations of her, was pictured a crescent, which was commonly
supposed to show, that she was also the goddess of the moon; but a far
more sagacious and rational supposition refers the first origin of this
sign to a deeper meaning. But when the mythologies of different nations
began to be compared and united, she was identified with the goddess
of the moon, and with that Asian goddess who bore among the Greeks the
name of ARTEMIS, which is in fact the name given by Luke, as the title
of the great goddess of the Ephesians. This ARTEMIS, however, was a
deity as diverse in form, character and attributes, from the classic
Diana, as from any goddess in all the systems of ancient mythology;
and they never need have been confounded, but for the perverse folly of
those who were bent, in spite of all reason, to find in the divinities
of the eastern polytheism, the perfect synonyms to the objects of
western idolatry. The Asian and Ephesian goddess Artemis, had nothing
whatever to do with hunting nor with chastity. She was not represented
as young, nor beautiful, nor nimble, nor as the sister of Apollo,
but as a vast gigantic monster, with a crown of towers, with lions
crouching upon her shoulders, and a great array of pictured or
sculptured eagles and tigers over her whole figure; and her figure was
also strangely marked by a multitude of breasts in front. Under this
monstrous figure, which evidently was no invention of the tasteful
Greeks, but had originated in the debasing and grotesque idolatry of
the orientals, Artemis of the Ephesians was worshiped as the goddess
of the earth, of fertility, of cities, and as the universal principle
of life and wealth. She was known among the Syrians by the name of
Ashtaroth, and was among the early objects of Hebrew idolatry. When
the Romans, in their all-absorbing tolerance of idolatry, began to
introduce into Italy the worship of the eastern deities, this goddess
was also added there, but not under the name of Diana. The classic
scholar is familiar with the allusions to this deity, worshiped under
the name of Cybele, Tellus and other such, and in all the later poets
of Rome, she is a familiar object, as “the tower-crowned Cybele.”
This was the goddess worshiped in many of the Grecian cities of Asia
Minor, which, at their first colonization, had adopted this aboriginal
goddess of those fertile regions, of whose fertility, civilization,
agricultural and commercial wealth, she seemed the fit and appropriate
personification. But in none of these Asian cities was she worshiped
with such peculiar honors and glories as in Ephesus, the greatest city
of Asia Minor. Here was worshiped a much cherished image of her, which
was said to have fallen from heaven, called from that circumstance the
DIOPETOS; which here was kept in that most splendid temple, which is
even now proverbial as having been one of the wonders of the ancient
world. Being thus the most famous seat of her worship, Ephesus also
became the center of a great manufacture and trade in certain curious
little images or shrines, representing this goddess, which were in
great request, wherever her worship was regarded, being considered as
the genuine and legitimate representatives, as well as representations
of the Ephesian deity.
This explanation will account for the circumstances related by Luke, as
ensuing in Ephesus, on the success of Paul’s labors among the heathen,
to whose conversion his exertions had been wholly devoted during the
two last years of his stay in Ephesus. In converting the Ephesians from
heathenism, he was guilty of no ordinary crime. He directly attacked
a great source of profit to a large number of artizans in the city,
who derived their whole support from the manufacture of those little
objects of idolatry, which, of course, became of no value to those who
believed Paul’s doctrine,――that “those were no gods which were made
with hands.” This new doctrine therefore, attracted very invidious
notice from those who thus found their dearest interests very
immediately and unfortunately affected, by the progress made by its
preacher in turning away the hearts of Ephesians from their ancient
reverence for the shrines of Artemis; and they therefore listened with
great readiness to Demetrius, one of their number, when he proposed
to remedy the difficulty. He showed them in a very clear, though brief
address, that “the craft was in danger,”――that warning cry which so
often bestirs the bigoted in defence of the object of their regard;
and after hearing his artful address, they all, full of wrath, with
one accord raised a great outcry, in the usual form of commendation
of the established idolatry of their city,――“Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!” This noise being heard by others, and of course attracting
attention, every one who distinguished the words, by a sort of
patriotic impulse, was driven to join in the cry, and presently the
whole city was in an uproar;――a most desirable condition of things,
of course, for those who wished to derive advantage from a popular
commotion. All bawling this senseless cry, with about as much idea of
the occasion of the disturbance as could be expected from such a mob,
the huddling multitudes learning the general fact, that the grand
object of the tumult was to do some mischief to the Christians, and
looking about for some proper person to be made the subject of public
opinion, fell upon Gaius and Aristarchus of Macedonia, two traveling
companions of Paul, who happened to be in the way, and dragged them to
the theater, whither the whole mob rushed at once, as to a desirable
scene for any act of confusion and folly which they might choose to
commit. Paul, with a lion-like spirit, caring naught for the mob,
proposed to go in and make a speech to them, but his friends, with far
more prudence and cool sense than he,――knowing that an assembly of the
people, roaring some popular outcry, is no more a subject of reason
than so many raging wild beasts,――prevented him from going into the
theater, where he would no doubt have been torn to pieces, before he
could have opened his mouth. Some of the great magistrates of Asia, too,
who were friendly to him, hearing of his rash intentions, sent to him
a very urgent request, that he would not venture himself among the mob.
Meanwhile the outcry continued,――the theater being crowded full,――and
the whole city constantly pouring out to see what was the matter, and
every soul joining in the religious and patriotic shout, “Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians!” And so they went on, every one, of course,
according to the universal and everlasting practice on such occasions,
making all the noise he could, but not one, except the rascally
silversmiths, knowing what upon earth they were all bawling there for.
Still this ignorance of the object of the assembly kept nobody still;
but all, with undiminished fervor, kept plying their lungs to swell the
general roar. As it is described in the very graphic and picturesque
language of Luke,――“Some cried one thing, and some, another; for the
whole assembly was confused;――and the more knew not wherefore they were
come together,”――which last circumstance is a very common difficulty
in such assemblies, in all ages. At last, searching for some other
persons as proper subjects to exercise their religious zeal upon, they
looked about upon the Jews, who were always a suspected class among
the heathen, and seized one Alexander, who seems to have been one of
the Christian converts, for the Jews thrust him forward as a kind of
scapegoat for themselves. Alexander made the usual signs soliciting
their attention to his words; but as soon as the people understood
that he was a Jew, they all drowned his voice with the general cry,
“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” and this they kept up steadily
for two whole hours, as it were with one voice. Matters having come
to this pass, the recorder of the city came forward, and having
hushed the people,――who had some reverence for the lawful authorities,
that fortunately were not responsible to them,――and made them a very
sensible speech, reminding them that since no one doubted the reverence
of the Ephesians for the goddess Artemis, and for the DIOPETOS, there
surely was no occasion for all this disturbance to demonstrate a fact
that every body knew. He told them that the men against whom they
were raising this disturbance had neither robbed their temples nor
blasphemed the goddess; so that if Demetrius and his fellow-craft had
anything justly against these men, as having injured their business,
they had their proper remedy at law. He hinted to them also that they
were all liable to be called to account for this manifest breach of
Roman law, and this defiance of the majesty of the Roman government;――a
hint which brought most of them to their senses; for all who had
anything to lose, dreaded the thought of giving occasion to the awfully
remorseless government of the province, to fine them, as they certainly
would be glad to do on any valid excuse. They all dispersed, therefore,
with no more words.
“‘_Silver shrines_,’ verse 24. The heathens used to carry the
images of their gods in procession from one city to another.
This was done in a chariot which was solemnly consecrated for
that employment, and by the Romans styled _Thensa_, that is,
_the chariot of their gods_. But besides this, it was placed in
a box or shrine, called _Ferculum_. Accordingly, when the Romans
conferred divine honors on their great men, alive or dead, they
had the _Circen games_, and in them the _Thensa_ and _Ferculum_,
the _chariot_ and the _shrine_, bestowed on them; as it is
related of Julius Caesar. This Ferculum among the Romans did
not differ much from the Graecian Ναὸς, _a little chapel_,
representing the form of a temple, with an image in it, which,
being set upon an altar, or any other solemn place, having the
doors opened, the image was seen by the spectators either in
a standing or sitting posture. An old anonymous scholiast upon
Aristotle’s Rhetoric, lib. i. c. 15, has these words: Ναοποιοὶ
οἱ τοὺς ναοὺς ποιοῦσι, ἤτοι εἱκονοστάσια, τινα μικρὰ ξύλινα ἅ
πωλοῦσι, observing the ναοι here to be εικονοστάσια, _chaplets_,
with images in them, of wood, or metal, (as here of _silver_,)
which they made and sold, as in verse 25, they are supposed
to do. Athenaeus speaks of the καδισκος, ‘which,’ says he ‘is a
vessel wherein they place their images of Jupiter.’ The learned
Casaubon states, that ‘these images were put in cases, which
were made like chapels. (Deipnos. lib. ii. p. 500.) So St.
Chrysostom likens them to ‘little cases, or shrines.’ Dion says
of the Roman ensign, that it was a little temple, and in it a
golden eagle, (Ρωμαικ, lib. 40.) And in another place: ‘There
was a little chapel of Juno, set upon a table.’ Ρωμαικ, lib. 39.
This is the meaning of the tabernacle of Moloch, Acts vii. 43,
where by the σκηνη, _tabernacle_, is meant the chaplet, a shrine
of that false god. The same was also the סכות דנות _the tabernacle
of Benoth_, or _Venus_.” Hammond’s Annotations. [Williams on
Pearson, p. 55.]
_Robbers of temples._――Think of the miserable absurdity of the
common English translation in this passage, (Acts xix. 37,)
where the original ἱεροσυλοι is expressed by “robbers of
_churches_!” Now who ever thought of applying the English word
“_church_,” to anything whatever but a “_Christian_ assembly,”
or “_Christian_ place of assembly?” Why then is this phrase put
in the mouth of a heathen officer addressing a heathen assembly
about persons charged with violating the sanctity of _heathen_
places of worship? Such a building as a church, (εκκλησια,
_ecclesia_) devoted to the worship of the true God, was not
known till more than a century after this time; and the Greek
word ἱερον, (_hieron_, ) which enters into the composition of
the word in the sacred text, thus mistranslated, was _never_
applied to a _Christian_ place of worship.