Ancient reprpsenttitinu " Diana of tlie Kphesiiiii.s
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Plan of tlie Temple of Diana at Ephesus.
EPHESUS
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EPHESUS
ntecl a splendid picture of Alexander the Great. The rights of sanctuary, to the extent of a stadium in all directions round the temple, were also conceded, which, in consequence of abuse, the emperor Tiberius abolish- ed. Tlie temple was built of cedar, cj'press, white marble, and even gold, with which it glittered (Spanh. Ohservat. in Hymn, in Dian. 353). Costly and mag- nificent offerings of various kinds were made to the goddess and treasured in the temple, such as paintings, statues, etc., the value of which almost exceeded com- putation. The fiime of the temple, of tlie goddess, and of the citjr itself, was spread not only through Asia, but the world, a celebrity which was enhanced and diffused the more readily because sacred games were practised there, which called competitors and spectators from ev- ery country. In style, too, this famous structure con- stituted an epoch in Greek art (Vitruv. iv, 1), since it was here first that the graceful Ionic order was perfect- ed. The magnilicence of this sanctuary was a prov- erb throughout the civilized world (Philo Byz. S2Kct. Mund. 7). All tliese circumstances give increased force to the architectural allegory in the great epistle which Paul wrote in this place (1 Cor. iii, 9-17), to the passages where imagery of this kind is used in the epistles addressed to Ephesus (Ephes. ii, 19-22 ; 1 Tim. iii, 15 ; vi, 19 ; 2 Tim. ii, 19, 20), and to the words spoken to the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Acts xx, 32). The temple was frequentlj' used for the safe custody of treasure. Of more questionable character was the privilege which, in common witli some other Greek temples, it enjoyed of an asylum, within the limits of which criminals were safe from arrest (Stra- bo, xiv, CAl ; Plutarch, De rr?e al. c. 3; Apollon. iy?A. epist. fi5). Bj' Alexander this asylum was extended to a stiidium, and by Mithridates somewhat further ; Mark Antony nearly doubled the distance; but the abuses hence arising became so mischievous, that Au- gustus was compelled to abolish the privilege, or at least restrict it to its ancient boundary. Among his other enormities, Nero is said to liave despoiled the temple of Diana of much of its treasure. It continued to conciliate no small portion of respect till it was finally burnt bj' the Goths in the reign of Gallienus. (See Hirt, Der Tempel der Diana zu Ephesus, Berlin, 1809.)
The chief points connected with the uproar at Ephe- sus in the case of Paul (Acts xix, 23-41) are mention- ed in the articles Diana and Paul ; but the following details must be added. In consequence of this devo- tion, the city of Ephesus was called vtMKopo<: (ver. 35) or " warden" of Diana (see Van Dale, Dissert, p. 309 ; Wolf and Kuinol, in loc). This ^vas a recognised ti- tle applied in such cases, not only to individuals, but to communities. In the instance of Ephesus, the term is abundantly found both on coins and on inscriptions. Its neocoride was, in fiict, as the "town-clerk" said, proverbial. Another consequence of tlie celebritj'^ of Diana's worship at Ephesus was that a large manu- factory grew up there of portable shrines {vaol, ver. 24, the (KpidpvjiaTa of Dionys. Halicarn. ii, 2, and oth- er writers), which strangers purchased, and devotees carried with them on journeys or set up in their houses. Of the manufacturers engaged in this busi- ness, perhaps Alexander the "coppersmith" (o y«X- Kivc. 2 Tim. iv, 14) was one. The case of Demetrius the "silversmith" {apyvpoTrdlnQ in the Acts) is ex- plicit. He was alarmed for his trade when he saw the Gospel, under the preaching of Paul, gaining ground upon idolatry and superstition, and he spread a panic among the craftsmen of various grades, the j-f \'i'(rr?( (ver. 24) or designers, and the ipyuTai (v. 25) or common workmen, if this is the distinction between them. (See Schmid, Templn Demetrii arffentei, Jena, 1695; Wilisch, NaWia vctt. Lips. 171G.) See Deme- trius.
C. Magical Arfs. — Among the distinguished natives of Ephesus in the ancient world may be mentioned
Apelles and Parrhasius, rivals in the art of painting, Heraclitus, the man-hating philosopher, Ilipponax, a satirical poet, Artemidorus, wlio wrote a history and description of the earth. The claims of Ephesus, how- ever, to the praise of originality in the prosecution of the liberal arts arc but inconsiderable, and it must be content with the dubious reputation of having excelled in the refinements of a voluptuous and artificial civil- ization. Witli culture of this kind, a practical belief in and a constant use of those arts which pretend to lay open the secrets of nature, and arm the hand of man with supernatural powers, have generalh' been found conjoined. Accordingly, the Ejjhesian multi- tude were addicted to sorcery ; indeed, in the age of Jesus and his apostles, adepts in the occult sciences were numerous : they travelled from country to coun- try, and were found in great numbers in Asia, deceiv- ing the credulous multitude and profiting b^' their ex- pectations. The}' were sometimes Jews, who referred their skill and even their forms of proceeding to Sol- omon, Avho is still regarded in the East as head or prince of magicians (Josephus, A nt. viii, 2, 5 ; Acts viii, 9; xiii, G, 8). In Asia Minor P.phesus had a high rep- utation for jnagical arts (Ortlob, De Ephes. Lihris com- buslis, Lips. 1708). This also comes conspicuoush' into view in Luke's narrative (Acts xix, 11-20). The pe- culiar character of Paul's miracles ((foi'djiifie ov ras TvxovcFuc, ver. 11) would seem to have been intended as antagonistic to the prevalent superstition. The books mentioned as being burned by their possessors in consequence of his teaching were doubtless books of magic. How extensiveh' they were in use may be learned from the fact that "the price of them" was " fifty thousand pieces of silver" (more than !f 30,000). Very celebrated were the Ephesian letters {'Eipima Ypaj.ipara'), which appear to have been a sort of mag- ical formuliB written on paper or parchment, designed to be fixed as amulets on different parts of the bodj-, such as the hands and the head (Plut. S?/m. vii ; Lake- macher, Obs. Philol. ii, 12G; Deyling, Ohserv. iii, 355). Erasmus (Addff. Cent, ii, 578) says that they were cer- tain signs or marks which rendered their possessor vic- torious in everything. Eustathius (ncZ Horn. Odi/s. x, G94) states an opinion that Croesus, when on his funer- al pile, was very much benefited by the use of them; and that when a Milesian and an Ephesian we: e wrest- ling in the Olympic games, the former could gain no advantage, as the latter had Ephesian letters bound round his heel ; but, these being discovered and re- moved, he lost his superiority, and was thrown thirty times. The fjiitli in these mystic syllables continued, more or less, till the sixth century (see the Life of Al- exander of Tralles, in Smith's Diet, of Class. Biog. s. v.). We should enter on doubtful ground if we were to speculate on the Gnostic and other errors which grew up at Ephesus in tlie later apostolic age, and which are foretold in the address at Miletus, and indica- ted in the epistle to the Ephesians, and more distinct- ly in the epistles to Timothy. Sec Curious Arts.