DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4615#0086
84 MODERN DISCOVERIES AT ANCIENT EPHESUS.
during a sojourn of nearly three years; he taught
Christianity in the synagogue of the Jews, and in the
school of one Tyrannus; his teaching convinced many,
and even they who practised as magicians, and so
obtained their livelihood, brought their books together
and burnt them publicly; this took place probably in the
forum, on one side of which is the great theatre, where
the disturbance took place, which arose from the fears
of Demetrius, the maker of silver shrines for the temple
of Diana. So great was the tumult, and such were the
fears for St. Paul's safety, that he was persuaded by his
friends, as well as by some of the chief men of the city,
not to enter into the theatre, and he was obliged to
leave Ephesus immediately after. On the departure of
St. Paul, Christianity probably received a severe check
by a reaction in favour of the worship of Diana; great
indeed must have been the enthusiasm of her worshippers
who cried out, for the space of two hours, ' Great is
Diana of the Ephesians !' for they were not even inspired
by the sight of the temple itself, as it was not visible
from the theatre.
The long Salutarian inscription found on one of the
walls of the southern passage into the theatre, and which
was inscribed in the time of Trajan, about A.D. 104,
describes in detail a number of these shrines, probably
similar to those made by Demetrius and his fellow-
craftsmen. The shrines described in this inscription,
and numbering more than thirty, were of gold and silver,
weighing from three to seven pounds each, and repre-
sented figures of Artemis with two stags, and a variety
of emblematical figures; these were voted to Artemis,
and were ordered to be placed in her temple. This
during a sojourn of nearly three years; he taught
Christianity in the synagogue of the Jews, and in the
school of one Tyrannus; his teaching convinced many,
and even they who practised as magicians, and so
obtained their livelihood, brought their books together
and burnt them publicly; this took place probably in the
forum, on one side of which is the great theatre, where
the disturbance took place, which arose from the fears
of Demetrius, the maker of silver shrines for the temple
of Diana. So great was the tumult, and such were the
fears for St. Paul's safety, that he was persuaded by his
friends, as well as by some of the chief men of the city,
not to enter into the theatre, and he was obliged to
leave Ephesus immediately after. On the departure of
St. Paul, Christianity probably received a severe check
by a reaction in favour of the worship of Diana; great
indeed must have been the enthusiasm of her worshippers
who cried out, for the space of two hours, ' Great is
Diana of the Ephesians !' for they were not even inspired
by the sight of the temple itself, as it was not visible
from the theatre.
The long Salutarian inscription found on one of the
walls of the southern passage into the theatre, and which
was inscribed in the time of Trajan, about A.D. 104,
describes in detail a number of these shrines, probably
similar to those made by Demetrius and his fellow-
craftsmen. The shrines described in this inscription,
and numbering more than thirty, were of gold and silver,
weighing from three to seven pounds each, and repre-
sented figures of Artemis with two stags, and a variety
of emblematical figures; these were voted to Artemis,
and were ordered to be placed in her temple. This