Michael Terran

More back ground on the Ephesus infant Church and the City it was in!

The great temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world. The roof was
supported by l27 columns that were 65 feet high (roughly
seven storeys). The building was 221 feet wide and 425
feet long. Within the temple as an institution, women
exercised power on two levels. First, the temple was
controlled by a group of virgins and castrated men. The
latter were called Magabizes. Then second, under their
control were thousands of female priestess-slaves called
hierodules. There is specific evidence for priestesses,
receptionists, supervisors, drummers, bearers of the
sceptre, cleaners, acrobats, flute players and bankers. The
economy of the town and province was profoundly linked
to the temple as an institution (cf. Acts 19:23-29). The
entire town set aside one month a year for ceremonies
games and festivals connected to the cult.21 The focus of
all of this was Artemis, a female goddess with rows of
multiple breasts. Thus the Ephesians lived in a city and
district where the huge seven-storey high temple, a
wonder of the world, dominated the skyline. As an
institution it was naturally a powerful force in all aspects
of their lives. The focus of all this was a goddess whose
worship was controlled by virgins who shared leadership
with males only if they were castrated.
In such an atmosphere, what kind of female-male
relations would have developed? What possibility would
any male religious leadership have had for a sense of
dignity and self-respect? What kind of female attitudes
would have prevailed in such a city? How easy would it
have been for the values of the society to have penetrated
the Church? Castration being the ultimate violence
against the male, would not anti-male sexism in various
forms have been inevitable?.