Paul at Ephesus, Home of the Temple of Artemis, 1 of 7

Wonders of the World

Seven Wonders of the Ancent World

• The Great Pyramid at Giza (still standing)

• The Hanging Garden of Babylon

• The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

• The Tomb of King Mausolus (Mausoleum)

• The Colossus at Rhodes

• The Lighthouse at Alexandria

• The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Brief History of Ephesus

•Augustus (27BC –14 AD) made Ephesus the capital of the province Asia.•Flourished as the greatest commercial center of the province of Asia.•Population estimated to be 200,000 – 300,000•Became a major center of Christianity.•Said to be the abode of Mary, Mother of Mary•One year after the outlaw of Artemis worship by Emperor Theodosius, Council of Ephesus (Ad 431) declared Mary is “theotokos” (mother of God).•Due to silting the the harbor, earth quakes, invaders (Goths) Ephesus suffered a decline.

Blue dots represent the 7 churches in Revelation 2-3

Note Laodicea-Colossae-Hierapolis all mnetioned by Paul in Colossians 3

Ephesians 1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a]]the faithful in Christ Jesus:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[a] Some early manuscripts do not have in Ephesus

Map of Ephesus

State Agora – Governmental Functions

Gate of Augustus leading to the Agora

Agora - Market

Theatre

Theater

Theatre and Agora (open area with trees)

From the Agora to the Theater – Acts 19

• 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. …

• 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.

Act 19

30Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32The assembly was in confusion …

33The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

Artemis Hunting

Artemis figurine

2nd century AD figurine, in Ephesus Museum

Date Palm Tree

Coin of EphesusBee, Stag, Palm Tree

From Letter to the Ephesians – Revelation 2

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Artemis

• Daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. Born out of wedlock.

• Of the first things Artemis asked from her father as a gift, were eternal purity and virginity.

• Dedicated to hunting and nature she showed no interest in the joys of marriage and the pleasures of love..

• Queen of the mountains and forests, goddess of hunting, and protector of young children and animals.

Artemis and Magic1. Ephesia Grammata, Εφέσια Γράμματα, ("Ephesian words“,

“Ephesian Letters”, or “Ephesian Scripts”) the most celebrated words of maigc power in the classical world.

= Ephesian Hocus Pocus

1. askion, kataskion, lix, tetrax, damnameneus, aision

According to Pausanias the Lexicographer (Eust. ad Od. 20, 247, p. 1864), these were inscribed on on the feet, girdle, and crown of the cult statue of Artemis

Paul’s Triumph over Magical Cults and Artemis Worship

• Acts 9:11-12 Healing through aprons and handkerchiefs

• Acts 19:13-17 Sons of Sceva failed to exorcize using name of Paul and Jesus

• Acts 19:18-20 Some magicians burned their magical books

Ephesus, a center of Magic Practice

• Magic amulet bearing Jewish characteristics found at Ephesus

• More such amulets found between smyrna and Ephesus

• A whole set of magical apparatus found at Pergamum (table, dish, amulets, rings, spikes, plates)

• Ignatius Letter to the Ephesians, chap 19

“Hence every kind of magic was destroyed, and every bond of wickedness disappeared; ignorance was removed, and the old kingdom abolished” – only appearance of the word “magic” in Ignatius’s Letters. (Early 2nd centry AD)

See Clinton Arnold. Ephesians: Power and Magic. Cambridge U. Press, 1989.

God saw fit to counter with miracles

Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Imitation by Jewish Exorcists• 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to

invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

• Acts 13: 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus.

• Though magic was forbidden to Jews in the Hebrew Bible …

• It was widely practiced in the late Second Temple period and particularly well documented in the period following the destruction of the Temple into several centuries AD.

• Samaritan magician Simon in Acts 8

• Magicians in Josephus, such as Atomos, a Jewish Magician of Cyprus (Antiquities of the Jews 20:142)

• Spells in Hebrew and Aramiac on amulets, ostraca. Magic amulet bearing Jewish characteristics found at Ephesus

• More such amulets found between Smyrna and Ephesus

Was Luke Mistaken about Jewish Sorcerers? No!

Magic Books Burned

17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Magic Papyrus

PGM – now published in 2 Vol• The Greek Magical Papyri

(Latin Papyri Graecae Magicae, abbreviated PGM)

• (2nd century BC to the 5th century AD)

Paul left Ephesus soon after the Theater Riot.

How did he expect the Ephesians do to fight magic?

Ephesians no doubt would have asked Paul how they can withstand sorcery and the practice of magic. Paul must have told them what he repeated in Ephesians 6.

Ephesians 6• 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on

the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

End of Acts

Since this is the last lecture, we should cover at least Paul’s parting speech in Acts 28.

Did Paul have no hope for Israel? No at all.

Romans 11 –Jews and Gentiles are bound up with each other!

Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather,

because of their transgression,

salvation has come to the Gentiles

to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means

riches for the world,

and their loss means

riches for the Gentiles,

how much greater riches

will their full inclusion (pleroma) bring!

Romans 11

v. 15 For if their rejection brought

reconciliation to the world,

what will their acceptance be

but life from the deadbut life from the dead?

v.25-26

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:

Israel has experienced a hardening in part

until the full number (pleroma)

of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way and in this way all Israel all Israel will be savedwill be saved.

Are you optimistic about Missions?

Do you have these words in your vision and commitment to Missions?

Fullness will come in – (Jews and Gentiles)

Salvation

Riches for the world, even greater riches

Life from the dead

Get these words into your eschatology!

Romans 11:32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.