Apparently in the 1st century, Ephesus had 25 to 30 temples to different gods and goddesses, but the biggest temple was for the goddess Artemis. The Temple of Artemis dating from 550 BC was not only big, but it was one of the seven wonders of the world of Classical Antiquity.
The statue of the Lady of Ephesus was adorned with large beads. These beads were found in an excavation showing them to be tear-shaped amber beads that hung on the painted wooden statue.
Artemis was the goddess of hunting as well as being a virgin. In her mythology, Artemis refused to have a romantic relationship with any of the gods, and this meant that she could remain independent and free. The chastity of the goddess Artemis meant that virginity was a theme well-known and valued by the inhabitants of Ephesus.
The people, and especially the craftsmen of Ephesus hung on to the veneration of their goddess jealously against Christians in the first centuries. The Christians threatened to bring down their lucrative commerce in statuettes of the goddess and other merchandise sold to pagan pilgrims. Paul’s visit to Ephesus gives a clear insight into this pagan world:
Acts 19:23-41 The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
There has long been a cult of a virgin in Ephesus. The Cult of Artemis celebrated the virginity of the goddess from 550 BC onwards. During the time of the early church the apostle John who went to live at Ephesus became the well-known virgin of that town.
It is my belief that John lived in the house that locals called ‘Doorway to the Virgin’. This house is now the chapel of ‘House of the Virgin Mary’ on Mount Koressos.
This description of the experience of Paul in Ephesus from Acts of the Apostles was similar to the experience of John in Ephesus as described in Acts of John. This was the background to the early church within the Roman Empire, and how a cult to the virgin could have arisen.
Merry and True 