Goddess Artemis and Paul

The temple of Artemis, which was considered as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was first built in the 6th century. Archaeological researches carried out in the temple grounds revealed that there was an earlier shrine of the mother goddess of Anatolia. When Ionians arrived to Western Anatolia under the leadership of Androclos, they found local people of Anatolia worshipping Cybele, Kubaba, goddess of Fertility of Anatolia. The Archaic Temple of Artemis which was built with the financial help of Lydian King, Croisos, was one of the the greatest temple of the antiquity covering such a vast area.In 356 BC, The archaic temple was destroyed on the night of Alexanders's birth by a mentally sick person priest called Herostrates who wanted to became famous. In realty, the temple was struck by a lightning. People of Ephesus believed that Goddess Artemis, the goddess of the city and the temple, couldn't prevent Herostrates from burning down her temple because she had gone to Macedonia to be present at the birth of Alexander the Great. When Alexander the Great arrived to Ephesus during his campaign, he saw the the temple was still under the construction. He wanted to help for the reconstruction of the temple. But, he also wanted his name written on the walls of the temple. He was kindly refused by the people of Ephesus who uttered these historical words: " It is not proper for a God to build a temple for another God" Ephesians built their temple with their own money. The Hellenistic temple with 117 columns was considered and accepted as one of the Seven Wonders of the world. Its beauty and size overshadowed all the other marvels of the world. The temple of Artemis controlled all the banking affairs of the ancient world. It also served as a great asylum for those wanted to shelter. During the time of Saint Paul and Saint John, the temple of Artemis was one of the greatest and most important shrines of the world and it was also center of great trade related to Artemis. The artisans, silversmith and goldsmith made attractive small statues of Artemis and her temple and sold them to pilgrim and tourist visiting the city. Saint Paul often said during his preaching: "You don't worship to gods made by the human hands" Merchants of Ephesus, quite irritated by the Paul's mission and his sermons, had an urgent meeting and said: "This man is ruining our business, we have to do something about it". So they rioted under the leadership of Demitrus, the leader of Silversmith Guild and they filled the theatre and shouted for hours: "Diana of Ephesians is great" There was a great confusion in the theatre. Eventually, a clerk from the city hall came to calm down the riot. He said that Paul and friend had not done any harm to the city and but city might be punished if the Roman authorities heard about this riot. After a certain period of time, they all left the theatre, thus ending this riot. Paul, who wanted to speak this angry mob at the theatre, was prevented by his friends and Asiarchs and left Ephesus that specific day for Macedonia. Paul never returned to Ephesus during the following years. He only came to nearby Miletos during his third missionary trip after Alexandria Troas and Assos. The power and importance of Artemis continued and her temple attracted millions of pilgrims from all over world.