The most important aspects of the Artemis cult for the NT are naturally those connected with the life of Nature, but the whole idea of Artemis must be sketched as briefly as possible. Various trees are sacred to her. Moisture as fertilizing them is sacred to her — lakes, marshes, and rivers. She is thus also a goddess of agriculture. Her beneficence causes the crops to grow, and she destroys opposing forces ; whence offerings of crops are made to her. Of all seasons she loves spring best. She is mistress of the Avorld of wild animals, such as bears, lions, wolves, and panthers, and also of birds and fish. Out of this conception the huntress idea would naturally develop. And it seems that it was in con- nexion with this that the idea of the goddess as a virgin arose. She was also the protectress of cattle. Further, she was reverenced as the guardian of young people, and to her maidens made ottering of the toys, etc., of their childhood. Among her other attributes was that of goddess of childbirth, goddess of women in general, especially goddess of death (particularly for women), and as such she demanded human sacrifice. She Avas a goddess of war, of the sea, of roads, of markets and trade, of government, of healing, protectress from danger, guardian of oaths (by her women were accustomed to swear), goddess of maidenhood, of beauty, of dancing and music. Finally she was a moon-goddess.
The Ephesian cult was in its origin non-Greek. The application of the name Artemis to a goddess of the characteristics of the Ephesian divinity shows that this identification must have been made in very early times, before any idea of vir- ginity attached to the goddess among the Greeks. /The cult of the Ephesian goddess remained Oriental, and she was never regarded as virgin. Her temple Avas a vast institution, Avith countless priests, priestesses, and temple-servants. The priests Avere eunuchs, and Avere called /xeyd^v^oi ; there Avas one high priest. The goddess was also served by three grades of priestesses, called fjLeWi^pai, lepaL, and irapUpai ; at the head of these Avas a high priestess. Under the dominion of these priests and priestesses there was a large number of temple-slaves of both sexes. The cult Avas Avild and orgiastic in its char- acter. As a result of partial hellenization tAvo developments took place. First, the Avorship of Apollo Avas sometimes associated Avith that of his Greek sister. Second, games Avere established on the Greek model, called 'AprepLiaia or OlKov/jLevLKo,, and were held annually in the month Artemision ( = April). • The Ephesian cult of Artemis was by no means confined to Ephesus. The statement of Acts (19-'), 'Avhom all Asia and the Roman world worship,' Avas no exaggeration. Evidence of this cult has been found in numerous cities of Asia Minor as Avell as in the folloAving places further afield : Autun, Jklarseilles, Rhone Mouth (France), Em- poria?, Hemeroscopeum, Rhode (Spain), Epidaurus, Megalopolis, Corinth, Scillus (Greece), Neapolis (Samaria), Panticapteum (Crimea), Rome, and Syria. The Ephesians were proud of the goddess not only because she Avas theirs, but because her Avorship brought countless visitors from every part of the Empire. This of course Avas also good for trade, so that religion and self-interest Avent hand in hand. The account in Acts (1925"^-) illustrates most vividly the enthusiasm Avhich can be aroused Avhen religious fanaticism and commercial greed are in tune. The manufacture of offerings to the goddess brought in extensive profit to the makers. St. Paul's preaching, Avhich appealed to the better educated classes, drew many aAvay from the coarse
and barbarous cult of Artemis. The demand for otferings decreased ; hence the meeting and the riot. The air rang with shouts of * Great Ephesian Artemis ! '
Ephesians prized very greatly the honorary title of vecoKopos, temple-keeper {lit. ' temple-sweeper ') of the great Artemis and of her image which fell down from the sky (Ac 19^). Thia image was doubtless a meteoric stone of crude shape like the Palladium preserved at Rome.
It was in EphesusCj.v.) that the Artemis worship was at length Christianized in the middle of the 5th cent, by the substitution of the Mother of God {OeordKos). This was the beginning of Zvlariolatry.
LrrERATURB. — On Anatolian relig-ion, see W. M. Ramsay's art. ' Religion of Greece and Asia Minor ' in HDB, vol. v., and ch. iii. of his Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia, Osfcrd, 1S95 ; on Artemis, see L. R. Famell, Crdts of the Greek States, vol. ii., Oxford, 1896, pp. 425-436 ; Sclireiber, ' Artemis,' in Roscher's Lexikon der Mythclogie ; and Wernicke in Pauly-Wissowa, to the last of which the present writer is particularly indebted.
A. SOUTER.
DIASPORA.— See CisPERSiON.
DIDACHE. — 1. DisooYery. — That at one time a book called the Teaching or Teachings of the Apostles had an extensive circulation in Christian circles had long been evident before the actual discovery of any MS. The nature of this book, so highly esteemed in certain quarters, was a matter of conjecture. It was thought by some to be another name for the Apostolic Constitutions. Others, like Archbishop Ussher, were certain that it must be a much shorter document, omitting much of that later compilation. It came to be recognized that behind the whole development of works like the Apostolic Church Ordinance, and the Apostolic Constitutions and Canons there must be a common original. A brilliant attempt at reconstruction was made by Krawutzscky (Theol. Quartalschrift, iii. [1882] pp. 359-445), who, from the matter common to these two works, framed a document which anticipated Avith wonderful ac- curacy the first part of the Didache, but which he called, after Ruiinus, Ducb Vice vel JudiciuTn Petri.