Ephesians and Artemis: The Cult of the Great Goddess of Ephesus as the Epistle's Context

488 Pages·2017·8.622 MB·English

by  Michael Immendörfer

Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen
zum Neuen Testament · 2.Reihe
Herausgeber / Editor
Jörg Frey (Zürich)
Mitherausgeber / Associate Editors
Markus Bockmuehl (Oxford)· James A. Kelhoffer (Uppsala)
Hans-Josef Klauck (Chicago, IL)· Tobias Nicklas (Regensburg)
J.Ross Wagner (Durham, NC)
436

Michael Immendörfer
Ephesians and Artemis
The Cult of the Great Goddess of Ephesus
as the Epistle’s Context
Mohr Siebeck
Michael Immendörfer, born 1969; 2016 PhD, University of Wales: Trinity Saint David in
Lampeter.
e-ISBN 978-3-16-155443-8
ISBN 978-3-16-155264-9
ISSN 0340-9570 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2.Reihe)
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie;
detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2017 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. www.mohr.de
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Printed in Germany.
Preface
This book is a slightly revised version of my dissertation, which I completed
at the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David, Lampeter in 2016. It exam-
ines the relationship between the New Testament letter to the Ephesians and
the ancient city of Ephesus, which had the great Artemis as its goddess. The
study seeks to make a contribution to the discussion surrounding the extent to
which conclusions can be drawn concerning the local-historical explanation
of New Testament epistles by viewing the latter through the lens of cultic
practices of the Greco-Roman world. Thus, the contents of Ephesians shall be
compared with the abundance of available archaeological and epigraphical
sources of the Asia Minor metropolis. This endeavour reveals that the letter
contains numerous explicit references to the cult of Artemis, without naming
the goddess. This nexus suggests that the author was very familiar with the his-
torical background of ancient Ephesus and contextualised his letter accordingly
for the intended readers, those living in this particular cultic environment.
Drawing on the sources concerning ancient Ephesus, especially inscriptions,
provides a plausible local-historical explanation of Ephesians, an epistle that
has been an enigma to New Testament scholarship for decades in this regard.
It is a great privilege to have my work published by the Mohr Siebeck Ver-
lag in the highly regarded series (cid:179)(cid:58)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:73)(cid:87)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:56)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:93)(cid:88)(cid:80)(cid:3)
(cid:49)(cid:72)(cid:88)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:55)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:44)(cid:180)(cid:17)(cid:3)First, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Jörg Frey and
Prof. Dr. Hans-Josef Klauck, editors of the series, for recommending my work
for publication. Furthermore, I would like to emphasise the fruitful collabora-
tion with Dr. Henning Ziebritzki, Klaus Hermannstädter and Jana Trispel who
supported me professionally and kindly in the process of publication.
I am indebted to my supervisors, Prof. Dr. Kathy Ehrensperger and Dr.
Jügen Kuberski, who provided invaluable assistance to me in successfully
writing my dissertation. They showed admirable staying power in accom-
panying this project over a period of many years, and persistently challenged
me with their sharp-witted questions, impetuses, corrections and meticulous
comments. Their permanent, warm encouragement was an enormous help.
I am very grateful to the members of the examining board, the internal ex-
aminer Dr. Catrin Williams and the external examiner Dr. Michael Thompson,
for their insightful comments and suggestions. In particular, their advice to
accentuate and articulate the methodological approach more comprehensively
VI Preface
led to a thorough revision of my work, which resulted in a distinctly en-
hanced clarity and conclusiveness of the argumentation.
My heartfelt appreciation goes to the people who supported my disserta-
tion in terms of language. Here, Dr. Jörg Strate and Dr. Sarah Harding de-
serve special mention. I have greatly benefited from the countless hours they
devoted to lending me a helping hand in getting along with the English lan-
guage, which is not my mother tongue. I received generous support from Dr.
Rudolf Fichtner and Nikolaus Frey when it came to questions concerning
intricate and tricky parts of the Greek texts.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Andreas Franz, director of
the Theologisch-Missionswissenschaftliche Akademie (TheMA) in Barleben,
and study provider of ACROSS, where I initiated my doctoral studies before
adoption by the University of Wales.
I want to thank the staff of the Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, the
Landeskirchliche Zentralbibliothek Stuttgart and the Württembergische
Landesbibliothek Stuttgart for their reliability and commitment. Their tireless
work behind the scenes has been indispensable.
Having been in contact with many friends, students and colleagues over
the years was extremely important to me. To mention all of them by name
would go beyond the scope of this preface, but in place of them I thank my
long-standing friends, Tobias Krämer and Christian Breuers. The many pro-
found conversations about theological matters I was privileged to have with
them not only honed my personal theological thinking and work, but also
influenced the development of my dissertation.
I am particularly humbled, however, by the patience, goodwill and support
with which my wife, Angelika, and our four children have stood by my side
throughout this endeavour. Thank you for allowing me to be (cid:179)(cid:76)n Ephesus(cid:180) (a
periphrasis for my study desk) for such a long time. Words cannot begin to
describe what you mean to me.

Stuttgart, February 2017 Michael Immendörfer
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface .......................................................................................................... V
List of Tables ............................................................................................ XIII
Abbreviations ............................................................................................ XIV
Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................... 1
1.1. Preliminary Remarks .............................................................................. 1
1.2. Scope and Aims ...................................................................................... 2
1.2.1. An Integrated View of Three Topic Areas ........................................... 4
1.2.1.1. The Letter to the Ephesians ..................................................... 4
1.2.1.2. Ancient Ephesus...................................................................... 6
1.2.1.3. The Church in Ephesus ........................................................... 9
1.2.2. Objective ............................................................................................. 9
1.3. Methodology .......................................................................................... 10
1.3.1. Text Comparison ................................................................................ 11
1.3.1.1. New Testament References to Jewish Scriptures .................... 12
1.3.1.2. New Testament References to Non-Jewish Texts ................... 15
1.3.2. Definitions and Terminology .............................................................. 25
1.3.2.1. Direct Reference .................................................................... 25
1.3.2.2. Indirect Reference .................................................................. 27
1.3.3. Criteria for Determining Analogies ..................................................... 28
1.3.4. Outline ................................................................................................ 34
Chapter 2: The Recipients of Ephesians ........................................... 37
2.1. Ephesus and Ephesians: The Present Discussion ................................... 38
2.1.1. Monographs on Ephesus: Overview and Comparison ......................... 38
2.1.1.1. Studies that Consult Ephesians ............................................... 41
2.1.1.2. Studies that Refer to Ephesians .............................................. 43
VIII Table of Contents
2.1.1.3. Studies for which Ephesians is not Relevant .......................... 44
(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:48)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:83)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:182)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:40)(cid:83)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:86)............ 49
2.1.2. Commentaries on Ephesians ............................................................... 51
2.1.2.1. The Designation of the Letter ................................................. 52
2.1.2.2. The Context of Ephesus and Artemis ..................................... 53
2.1.2.3. The Reception of the Monographs in the Commentaries ........ 55
2.1.3. Summary ............................................................................................ 58
2.2. Introductory Questions Regarding the Recipients of Ephesians ............. 59
2.2.1. Reception in the Early Church ............................................................ 59
2.2.2. Statements of Ephesians Regarding its Recipients .............................. 63
2.2.3. Reasons for and against Ephesian Addressees..................................... 66
2.2.3.1. The Absence of (cid:1068)(cid:716)(cid:3)(cid:1074)(cid:725)(cid:700)(cid:722)(cid:1274) in some Manuscripts ................... 66
2.2.3.2. The Impersonal Nature of the Letter....................................... 71
2.3. Summary ................................................................................................ 74
Chapter 3: The City of Ephesus .......................................................... 77
3.1. Sources .................................................................................................. 78
3.1.1. The Inscriptions of Ephesus ................................................................ 78
3.1.2. Numismatic Sources ........................................................................... 79
3.1.3. Texts of Ancient Writers ..................................................................... 80
3.1.4. Material in Non-Written Form ............................................................ 81
3.1.5. The Approach of this Research to the Sources .................................... 82
3.2. Geography ............................................................................................. 83
3.3. History................................................................................................... 86
3.3.1. The Ionian City ................................................................................... 87
3.3.2. The Hellenistic City ............................................................................ 89
3.3.3. The City of Lysimachus ...................................................................... 90
3.3.3.1. Rise ........................................................................................ 90
3.3.3.2. Golden Age ............................................................................ 92
3.3.3.3. Demise ................................................................................... 94
3.3.4. The Late Byzantine City ..................................................................... 96
3.4. Archaeology .......................................................................................... 97
3.4.1. The Excavations of British Explorers ................................................. 98
3.4.2. The Excavations of the Austrian Archaeological Institute ................... 99
Table of Contents IX
3.4.3. Buildings of Special Interest in the Roman Period ............................ 102
3.4.3.1. Upper City ........................................................................... 102
3.4.3.2. Curetes Street ....................................................................... 105
3.4.3.3. Harbour, Commercial and Entertainment Districts ............... 106
3.5. Religions, Magic and Imperial Cult ..................................................... 109
3.5.1. Religions in Ephesus ........................................................................ 109
3.5.2. Magic and (cid:1074)(cid:725)(cid:700)(cid:722)(cid:712)(cid:704)(cid:3)(cid:675)(cid:720)(cid:699)(cid:715)(cid:715)(cid:704)(cid:723)(cid:704) ......................................................... 112
3.5.3. Imperial Cult .................................................................................... 116
3.6. Summary .............................................................................................. 120
Chapter 4: Artemis Ephesia ................................................................ 123
4.1. The Temple of Artemis ......................................................................... 123
4.1.1. History of the Artemision ................................................................. 125
4.1.1.1. Temples A(cid:177)C and Hekatompedos ........................................ 125
4.1.1.2. The Temple of Croesus ........................................................ 127
4.1.1.3. The Younger Artemision ...................................................... 131
4.1.2. The Altar of the Artemision .............................................................. 134
4.1.3. Other Functions of the Artemision .................................................... 140
4.1.3.1. Asylum ................................................................................ 140
4.1.3.2. Bank .................................................................................... 141
4.1.3.3. Administration of Land ........................................................ 142
4.1.3.4. Mint ..................................................................................... 142
4.2. The Goddess ........................................................................................ 144
4.2.1. Origin ............................................................................................... 144
4.2.2. Cult Figure ....................................................................................... 145
4.2.2.1. Origin................................................................................... 145
4.2.2.2. Appearance .......................................................................... 147
4.2.2.3. Conclusion ........................................................................... 151
4.2.3. The Honorific Titles and (Divine) Attributes of Artemis .................. 153
4.2.3.1. Titles in Honour of Artemis ................................................. 153
(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:182)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:71)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:182)(cid:3)(cid:49)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:86) .................................... 158
4.2.3.3. The Great Name of Artemis ................................................. 160
4.2.3.4. Arrows as the Main Weapon of Artemis .............................. 160
4.2.4. The Bond between Artemis and the City of Ephesus......................... 161
4.2.4.1. Ephesus as the (cid:685)(cid:708)(cid:728)(cid:713)(cid:731)(cid:720)(cid:718)(cid:721) of Artemis ................................. 161
4.2.4.2. Further Inscriptional Evidence ............................................. 163