My wife and I recently visited the ancient city of Ephesus. Buried for years due to earthquakes and mudslides, excavations started in the last century revealed a stunning metropolis. Once the third largest city in the Roman empire, Ephesus held vast markets for trade goods, numerous temples and fountains, villas with inlaid mosaic floors, and streets paved with marble. The Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, stood at the harbor and underscored the city’s power to anyone arriving by sea.

The Apostle Paul spent three years in this thriving locale, teaching about Jesus and raising up a church. Large numbers of people converted, so many that a controversy erupted. All these new Christians stopped visiting the temple of Artemis and buying her silver statues. Those who depended on this trade argued that without action their money would dry up and the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence.

The crowd fired up and began roaring, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!

Paul tried to wade into the melee, but his friends held him back. A wise city official eventually calmed the mob and sent them on their way. But the point was made. This new religion threatened the old.

Today no one worships Artemis. One can purchase a statue of her in a gift shop, but they don’t appear to be high revenue items. Deposed from her magnificence, only one single column of her temple remains, uncovered during the excavations.

In contrast, Paul’s message spread from Ephesus. Today billions follow Jesus, while only a few nerds like myself know of Artemis. Challengers to Jesus continually fall away, be they competing gods or philosophies or ways of life. Adversaries may roar, but opposing the ways of the Lord is doomed for failure. How great is Artemis of the Ephesians? Today, not so much.

Acts 19

Photo: The one remaining column of the Temple of Artemis