• Where True Worship and Paganism Clashed
    The Watchtower—2004 | December 15

    • The Temple of Artemis Totters

      The cult of Artemis was deeply entrenched in Ephesus. Before the time of King Croesus, the mother-goddess Cybele was the central character of religious life in that area. By setting up a mythical genealogical link from Cybele to the Hellenic pantheon, Croesus hoped to establish a religious figure acceptable to both Greeks and non-Greeks. With his support, in the mid-sixth century B.C.E., work began on the temple of Cybele’s successor, Artemis.

      The temple was a milestone in Greek architecture. Never before had such large blocks of marble been used to create a building of this kind and size. That temple was destroyed by fire in 356 B.C.E. The equally magnificent rebuilt temple was an important source of employment and a major attraction for pilgrims. Erected on a platform about 239 feet [73 m] wide by 418 feet [127 m] long, the rebuilt temple was approximately 164 feet [50 m] wide and 343 feet [105 m] long. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. However, not everyone was happy with it. The philosopher Heracleitus of Ephesus likened the dark approach to the altar to the darkness of vileness, and he considered temple morals worse than those of beasts. To most, however, the sanctuary of Artemis in Ephesus appeared as if it would never fall into decline. History proved otherwise. The book Ephesos​—Der neue Führer (Ephesus—​The New Guide) states: “By the second century, the worship of Artemis and of other established deities of the pantheon plummeted.”

      In the third century C.E., Ephesus was rocked by a severe earthquake. Furthermore, the impressive riches of the temple of Artemis were plundered by seafaring Goths from the Black Sea, who then set the temple on fire. The book just mentioned says: “Defeated and unable to protect her own dwelling, how could Artemis be considered the protectress of the city for much longer?”​—Psalm 135:15-18.

      Finally, toward the end of the fourth century C.E., Emperor Theodosius I confirmed “Christianity” as the State religion. Soon the stonework of the once prestigious temple of Artemis became a quarry for building materials. The worship of Artemis sank into total insignificance. An unnamed observer commented regarding an epigram praising the temple as a wonder of the ancient world: “It is now a most desolate and wretched place.”