Investing in Diana

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This page is a continuation of the study Temples and Churches.

Temple of Diana in Ephesus was both a world "Bank and a "church" institution that the Church established by Christ was accused of robbing.

"Churche" at Ephesus had a means and a purpose and was a sacred trust. There are many forms of Sacred Purpose Trusts.

There are many centrally controlled Temples at that time where many sacred things were stored and sometimes distributed to the people. What was their purpose and by what means did they operate?.

Questions

What are the Modern Christians to the Fathers of the earth?

What is worship? What is Paganism?

If Church is translated from the Greek word Ekklesia who are the called out, the Levites or the laity?

What is different between the Church in the wilderness and the Church established by Christ?

What is the difference between the Levites and the bondservants of Christ?

What makes something Sacred?

What is a Sacred Purpose Trust?

Is Social Security a sacred purpose trust fund?

What are free assemblies?

Why Seven men?

Investing in Diana

Wycliffe took “churche” from the old English “kirke” which is often attributed to a pagan temple in earlier times. He always translated ekklesia “churche” even when it was used to describe a governmental assembly in Ephesus. In 1526 William Tyndale, and in 1535 Myles Coverdale translated ekklesia as “congregation”. Tyndale only used the word church in Acts 19:37 in reference to that pagan temple of Diana when he was translating the word hierosulos, robbers of churches.²⁹⁴

In Acts we see ministers of Christ being accused in Ephesus of being church robbers, guilty of sacrilege. Sacrilege is from the Latin sacrilegus meaning one who steals sacred things. The word includes legus²⁹⁵ which is the Latin word that has to do with “binding together” from which we get words like legal and legislate. Sacred is defined, “Dedicated to or set apart for the worship…” The word worship has to do with allegiance and homage. What men today tell us these words mean is not as important as the meaning of the authors. We must desire to know what the author was trying to communicate, praying for true understanding.

What was this “church” that claimed to have been robbed by these ‘Christians’? What made their temples, or churche, pagan? Was their purpose different or was it the way they fulfilled that purpose? Was it the precepts contrary to those precepts of the Father in Heaven that damned the pagans?

The assembly at Ephesus was fashioned according to the doctrines of Diana, e.g. Artemus in the Asiatic traditions. It’s center was a massive temple similar in design of the front of the US treasury. It could seat over 24,000 people. Each of its 127 columns had been contributed by a different government and it was strategically located on major trade routes.

The most interesting thing was its purpose. It contained a great vault which was considered one of the safest depositories in Asia Minor. This temple actually functioned as a world bank, a religious institution like the Corban of the Pharisees. The “high priest” was also a credit officer making loans and collecting interest, managing valuable property, and in charge of security for those who deposited valuables in the temple in the course of commerce and trade. But, more important, it provided social insurance through a system of Roman Qurban as an underwriter for commercial interests and even national governments. There were regular and sizable contributions by members in the hopes of a secure return, profit or gain. There was coinage of money and the issuing of script. It was not only a bank but a treasury on a national and international basis.

Even as late as 250 AD Roman emperor Decian arrested seven Christian men and ordered them put to death at Ephesus. These seven men were of wealthy families but had given up their wealth to provide service for the Christian community, a service which again brought them into conflict with the Temple at Ephesus, accused of “robbery”.

There were accusations that they were causing fewer people to sacrifice at the temple. Some believe this meant fewer animals were being sacrificed because bones were found in the temple and there is a common belief that animal sacrifice was an essential part of these temples. The sacrifices were consumed by the people at feasts or given to the needy as a part of their social welfare system. Animal bones were found at Ephesus but why were they there?

Footnotes

• 294For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, ...Acts 19:37

• 295lex, legis, See “Law vs Legal” or “The Covenants of the gods”

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