Table Of ContentRick Strelan
Paul, Artemis, and the Jews in Ephesus
W
DE
G
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Herausgegeben von
Erich Gräßer
Band 80
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
1996
Rick Strelan
Paul, Artemis, and the Jews
in Ephesus
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
1996
© Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the ANSI
to ensure permanence and durability.
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[Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die
Kunde der älteren Kirche / Beihefte]
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamendiche Wissenschaft und
die Kunde der älteren Kirche. - Berlin ; New York : de Gruyter.
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Bd. 80. Strelan, Rick: Paul, Artemis, and the Jews in Ephesus. — 1996
Strelan, Rick:
Paul, Artemis, and the Jews in Ephesus / Rick Strelan. — Berlin ;
New York : de Gruyter, 1996
(Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamendiche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche ; Bd. 80)
Zugl.: Queensland, Univ., Diss., 1995
ISBN 3-11-015020-4
ISSN 0171-6441
© Copyright 1996 by Walter de Gruyter & Co., D-10785 Berlin
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permis-
sion in writing from the publisher.
Printed in Germany
Prindng: Werner Hildebrand, Berlin
Binding: Lüderitz & Bauer-GmbH, Berlin
Dedicated with gratitude to
MICHAEL LATTKE
teacher and scholar
Preface
This book is a revision of my dissertation accepted by the University of
Queensland in 1995 for the award of Doctor of Philosophy. The revision has
been shaped partly by the comments on the thesis by its examiners, Professor
Greg Horsley of the University of New England, Annidale, and Dr. Paul
Trebilco of Knox Theological Hall, University of Otago, Dunedin. For their
pertinent and helpful criticisms I am very grateful, but they have not seen this
revised work and this book still reflects very much the standard of my own
scholarship rather than theirs.
I am indebted to Professor Michael Lattke of the Studies in Religion
Department of the University of Queensland, Brisbane, for his patient
encouragement and advice beginning in my undergraduate studies and
continuing over many years through to the publication of this book. Thanks are
also due to my brother, Dr. John Strelan of Luther Seminary, North Adelaide,
for the hours spent discussing with me some of the difficult biblical passages,
and for his reading of the original thesis. This is also an opportune moment for
me to thank Dr. Victor Pfitzner of Luther Seminary, North Adelaide, for
instilling in me a love of the New Testament and an awareness of relevant
Jewish literature. Thanks also go to Dr. Ian Gillman for reading my initial
proposal and for helpful comments which set me on the path to this book.
Unfortunately, Werner Thiessen's Christen in Ephesos: Die historische und
theologische Situation in vorpaulinischer und paulinischer Zeit und zur Zeit der
Apostelgeschichte und der Pastoralbriefe (FrankeVerlag, Tübingen 1995)
arrived too late for me to consider.
I acknowledge the generous assistance of the staff of the libraries in the
University of Queensland; and I thank Ms Annelies Aurich of de Gruyters for
her patience and direction which eventually shaped my material into this
published form.
Finally, I pay tribute to three women: Joy, Charla, and Chellie, who have
been patient and loving towards their husband and father for the many times he
was so often "away in Ephesus".
Rick Strelan Brisbane 1995
Table of Contents
Preface vii
Table of Contents ix
Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
1. Ephesus 1
1.1. The aim 1
1.2. The need to study the cultic environment of Ephesus 3
1.3. Ephesus in the history of biblical scholarship 6
1.4. Paul among Ephesian Gentiles and Jews 11
2. Some Methodological Problems 13
2.1. The use of data 13
2.2. The use of language 14
2.3. Jewish Christianity and Christian Jews 17
2.4. The historical value of Acts 20
3. Summary 23
Section One
Artemis and other Cults in Ephesus
1. Aspects of the Artemis Cult in Ephesus 24
1. Introduction 24
χ Table of Contents
1.1.1. The significance of eusebeia 25
1.1.2. Citizenship in Ephesus 31
1.1.3. Political and social groupings in Ephesus 34
1.1.4. Civic disorder 36
1.1.5. The strength of local cults in Ephesus 37
1.2. Artemis 41
1.2.1. Background and history 41
1.2.2. The attributes of Artemis 48
1.2.3. Ephesian myths of Artemis 53
1.2.4. Ephesian cultic festivals 57
1.2.5. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus 68
1.2.6. The wealth of Artemis 76
1.2.7. The survival and decline of Artemis 79
1.3. The Thesis of Arnold 83
1.3.1. Artemis as evil and demonic 83
1.3.2. Artemis, Ephesus, and magic 86
1.3.3. Artemis in other recent biblical scholarship 89
2. Aspects of some other cults in Ephesus 94
2.1. The Imperial Cült 94
2.1.1. A brief history of Rome-Ephesus relations 95
2.1.2. The imperial cult in Ephesus 98
2.1.3. Christians and the imperial cult in Asia Minor 105
2.1.4. Revelation 108
2.1.5. The Letter to the Ephesians 110
2.1.6. The significance of statues and images 110
2.1.7. Jews, Christians, and statues 112
2.2. The variety of cults in Ephesus 114
2.3. Women in Ephesian cults 118
2.3.1. The status of women 119
2.3.2. The participation of women in the cults 120
2.3.3. Women in the cults of demeter and Dionysos 121
2.4. Summary 125
