Many Heeded an Apostle’s Teaching — The Uproar Stirred Up in Consequence — Is the Experience Repeating Itself?
By W. MAYHEW HEALEY
WHEN the apostle Paul was preaching in Asia, the people were worshiping the goddess Luna, the moon. They called her Diana. In Ephesus they had erected a magnificent temple to her honor. It was 425 feet long by 220 feet wide, and had 127 columns of white marble, each 60 feet high. It was 220 years in building, and was one of the seven wonders of the world.
MANY SILVERSMITHS HAD WORK
A large number of silversmiths were engaged in making “silver shrines for Diana.” These were models of her beautiful temple, and the people purchased them for use in their home devotions, to show that Diana was the goddess of worship in their family circle. Acts 19: 21-41.
The great apostle Paul had a message for that people, which called them to leave their idolatry, and worship the true God. He told them that the “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” Acts 17: 24, 25.
SHOWING THE TRUE GOD
Pointing out the true God was a leading feature of the gospel as preached by Paul. This God was not the moon, the sun, nor any other creature, but the Creator of all these things. Temples, images, or laws made by the hands of sinful men were not necessary to His worship. He asked men to “obey His voice,” to “keep His commandments.” He gave them His holy Sabbath, to keep in their memory the true God, who made heaven and earth, and all that therein is, in six days, and rested upon the seventh day, and blessing it, set it apart as His memorial.
Paul’s preaching was so full of reason and truth that it was permeating all Asia. It was rapidly breaking down false worship, and lessening the demand for images, and for models of Diana’s temple, until this branch of the silversmiths’ business was in danger of being ruined.
SILVERSMITHS WERE ORGANIZED
The silversmiths appear to have been organized to resist any encroachment upon the craft by which they made “no small gain.” There seem to have been at least two classes in their order, one of craftsmen, the other of workmen. Acts 19: 24, 25.
One of their number, named Demetrius, called a meeting of the order. To this call they readily responded, although most of them “knew not wherefore they were come together”; which indicates that Demetrius was a man of some authority among them, presumably the official head of their organization. When he had called the meeting to order, he said: “Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: so that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at naught; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth.”
A GREAT UPROAR STARTED
Then all the silversmiths set up the cry, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” The people joined in this praise service until the town clerk interfered and dispersed them.
The only reason given for the worship of Diana was that, until Paul came, all Asia and the world worshiped her. Verse 32 says that “the assembly was confused,” and that “some therefore cried one thing, and some another.” They certainly were hard pressed, and were having a trying time to find some reason for Diana’s worship; but all agreed that Diana was “great.”
View of the wreck produced by the explosion of a gas main in one of the streets of New York City.
The “International Lord’s Day Congress” held in Oakland, California, July 27 to August 1, 1915, in some of its leading features, closely resembled this meeting at Ephesus. The congress was not called to sustain the worship of the moon, or to make a demand for her shrines; but it was called to protect from desecration the day that the pagans set apart to the honor of their principal god, the sun, from which it derived its name of Sun’s day. One of the leading speakers in the congress admitted that the first law for observing the day was made by Constantine, March 7, 321 A. D. This law was made for “the venerable day of the sun.”
UNANIMOUS THAT IT WAS GREAT
The congress was unanimous in the one thing,—that this Sunday is “great,” very “great”; and that worshipers in all the world think so. But they did not agree on the reasons why it is great.
Some said it is great as the day to go to church, to forsake all worldly labor or amusement, to refrain from excursions, picnic parties, ball games, the reading of Sunday papers, etc., not even allowing such things to exist on the earth on that day.
Others consider it “great” as a day of pleasure and recreation, with a portion spent in church, and the balance in amusement, with rest from all “wearing toil,” with automobile rides in the country, etc.
The permanent chairman, Alton B. Parker, considered the day “great” from a political point of view, and “necessary to good citizenship” and true “patriotism.” He thought that a portion of it should be spent in the study of civil government, investigating political parties and issues. This would naturally include the reading of the Sunday political paper, so much denounced by others.
But it was universally agreed that Sunday is “great,” and that some means must be found to check the waning of its glory.
THE SAME OLD CONFLICT
It was also claimed, at least by some, that its only enemies worthy of note are those who are keeping the Sabbath of the Lord, and calling upon men to worship the “God that made the heavens and the earth,” and gave for His memorial the seventh, not the first, day of the week — the same gospel truth preached by Paul, with similar results.
