The name “Artemis” (“Diana”)

Found only in Acts 19:24, 27-28, 34-35, “Diana,” the Roman equivalent of “Artemis,” was a Greek goddess who was worshipped in Ephesus and throughout Asia Minor and Rome.  The image for this deity was believed to have fallen from the sky (Acts 19:35) and may have been a meteorite.  “Pictured on her close-fitting garments are various wild animals and bees (the animals of the coat of arms of Ephesus).   Numerous larger and smaller, more or less egg-shaped formations protrude from the clothing on her upper body; while she was referred to in antiquity as the ‘many breasted’ Artemis, nonetheless the formations lack nipples and are not flesh-colored as the face and arms are” (Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1:158-159).