We meet with this Roman goddess of fertility in the Bible only in the account of Paul's Third Missionary Journey, when he came to Ephesus and the success of his ministry brought so many to Christ that the silver smiths who made idols of Artemis decided to raise a public and raucous protest (Acts 19:23-20:1). The name Artemis (following the Greek text) is used in most modern English translations, while the KJV and NKJ use Diana, the Latin name for Artemis (though Diana was also the name of another Greek goddess).
The highly syncretistic habits of the ancient Greeks and Romans make it very difficult to be certain what it was exactly that Artemis represents, and as Encylopedia Britiannica puts it, her "character and funtion varied greatly from place to place" though "apparently, behind all forms lay the goddess of wild nature, who . . . embodied the sportman's ideal, so besides killing game she also protected it, especially the young; this was the Homeric significance of the title Mistress of Animals." Among the Romans, she was understood as the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. But the "virginal sister of Apollo is very different from the many-breasted Artemis of Ephesus, for example."
Artemis, also known as Cybele, was worshipped in the ancient world as the mother goddess of the earth and, therefore, of fertility. A goddess of the earth was found in many cultures across the ancient world in biblical times, and though there are often claims made that "she was also worshipped in (such and such a place/culture)" as this and that, it is difficult if impossible to verify such claims. According to traditions meaningful to the Ephesian context, Artemis was born in or around (but preceeded the founding of) Ephesus, where the most important temple devoted to her was to be found. The founding of the temple (referred to as the Artemisium) was also associated with the tradition that her image had fallen from heaven (cf., Acts 19:35). On firmer historical evidence, the famous temple, known as the Artemisium, seemed to have been founded sometime in the 6th Cent BC; it was destroyed by fire in the middle of the 4th Cent BC but was soon rebuilt, becoming eventually one of "Seven Wonders of the World." The Artemisium, however, was never understood as her sanctuary, her place of residence, for she was a nature goddess and she was to be found wherever nature, and life and fertility, was to be found. That perhaps explains the popularity of her idols and the ease with which the silver smiths who crafted idols of her could so easily stirred up a tempest against Paul and his preaching in the city. Ironically, the city became so clearly Christianized that a Christian mop destroyed the temple in 401 AD.
Concordance
Artemis appears 5x in the NT, all of them in the context of the uproat in Ephesus.
Acts 19:24 — A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.
Acts 19:27 — 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."
Acts 19:28 — When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
Acts 19:34 — But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
Acts 19:35 — 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?
Resources:
M. Cartwright, "Temple of Artemis at Ephesus," World History Encyclopedia.
©ALBERITH
190421lch