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THE ENDURING GODDESS: Artemis and Mary, Mother of Jesus”

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THE ENDURING GODDESS: Artemis and Mary, Mother of Jesus” “THE ENDURING GODDESS: Artemis and Mary, Mother of Jesus” Carla Ionescu A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HUMANITIES YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO May 2016 © Carla Ionescu, 2016 ii Abstract: Tradition states that the most popular Olympian deities are Apollo, Athena, Zeus and Dionysius. These divinities played key roles in the communal, political and ritual development of the Greco-Roman world. This work suggests that this deeply entrenched scholarly tradition is fissured with misunderstandings of Greek and Ephesian popular culture, and provides evidence that clearly suggests Artemis is the most prevalent and influential goddess of the Mediterranean, with roots embedded in the community and culture of this area that can be traced further back in time than even the arrival of the Greeks. In fact, Artemis’ reign is so fundamental to the cultural identity of her worshippers that even when facing the onslaught of early Christianity, she could not be deposed. Instead, she survived the conquering of this new religion under the guise of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Using methods of narrative analysis, as well as review of archeological findings, this work demonstrates that the customs devoted to the worship of Artemis were fundamental to the civic identity of her followers, particularly in the city of Ephesus in which Artemis reigned not only as Queen of Heaven, but also as Mother, Healer and Saviour. Reverence for her was as so deeply entrenched in the community of this city, that after her temple was destroyed, and Christian churches were built on top of her sacred places, her citizens brought forward the only female character in the new ruling religion of Christianity, the Virgin Mary, and re-named her Theotokos, Mother of God, within its city walls. The fundamental position of this work is that a fusion took place between the ancient worship of Artemis in Ephesus, and the elevation of Mary to Theotokos, and that this fusion is not a result of the church-initiated action to convert the Ephesians, but rather the Ephesians forcing the early church to accommodate their traditions of Artemis by reshaping and reinterpreting the authority and responsibilities of the Virgin Mary. iii Acknowledgments I would never have been able to finish my dissertation without the guidance of my committee members, help from friends, and support from my family. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Professor Barrie Wilson, for his excellent guidance, encouragement, patience, and providing me with constant motivation and inspiration for continuing my research. I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my Ph.D. study. A special thank you to Professor Becky Lee for patiently, and meticulously, correcting my writing, as well as continuously asking the hard questions which inspired me to detail my research with various perspectives. I would also like to thank the third member of my thesis committee, Professor Joan Gibson, for her insightful comments and patient encouragement. Special thank you to Michelle Murray, Dean, Bishop’s University for her careful reading of the manuscript and for her helpful and gracious comments. Thank you to my colleagues, Gurbir Singh, Catherine Legault, and Francesca D’Angelo, who were always willing to help, give their best suggestions, and constantly encouraged me to get back to writing! Completing this work would not have been possible without their help. Finally, a great big thank you goes out to my parents, my husband and my amazing children. Their constant encouragement, as well as financial and emotional support, allowed me to take the time to complete my research and achieve my academic goals. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract............................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................................iv List of Illustrations...........................................................................................................................v Introduction.……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter One: THE EARLY ARTEMIS: GODDESS OF TRANSITIONS...................................18 1. The Evolution of the Religion of Artemis……………………………………………...……..18 2. From Egypt to Greece: The Egyptian Transformation of Artemis Agrotera............................22 3. Minoan Traditions: Artemis as the Mistress of Animals…………………………………..….29 4. The Embodiment of Duality: Representations of Artemis in Greek Ritual…………..……….38 5. Artemis Despoine: Mistress of Mysteries………………………………………………….….52 6. Goddess of Transitions: A Conclusion………………………………………………………..57 Chapter Two: ARTEMIS EPHESIA: THE PEOPLE’S GODDESS.............................................60 1. Ephesus: Origin and Geography………………………………………………………………60 2. Artemis Ephesia: Goddess of the First Throne………………………………………………..74 3. Processions, Rituals and Beliefs………………………………………………………………87 4. Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………..…….98 Chapter Three: THE VIRGIN MARY: A NEW CULT ON THE HORIZON............................101 1. Mary: A Girl Like Any Other..................................................................................................102 2. Infancy Gospel of James: The Virgin Brings Salvation..........................................................122 3. Conclusions: The Significance of Belief in Canonical Tradition............................................140 Chapter Four: THEOTOKOS: THE CITY OF GODDESSES....................................................144 1. The Tradition of Mary in Ephesus…………………………………………………...………145 2. The Council of Ephesus………………………………………………………………...……162 3. Theotokos: A Conclusion……………………………………………………………………185 Chapter Five: THE ENDURING GODDESS: A PROCESS OF FUSION………...…………..187 1. A Synthesis of Life Narratives and Mythology…………………………………..………….191 2. The Importance of Titles and Roles in Successful Fusion………………………...…………209 3. Changing of the Gods: A Conclusion of Fusion……………………………………………..229 Works Cited.................................................................................................................................235 v List of Illustrations Fig. 1: Representation of the goddess Artemis Orthia in the usual stance of Potnia Theron on an archaic ivory votive offering, (National Archaeological Museum of Athens)………………………………………………………………………25 Fig. 2: Artemis, Demeter, Veil of Despoina, Anytus, Tritoness from the throne. Elements are from the cult sculptural group in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens………………………………55 Fig. 3: Black Artemis Ephesia, Capitoline Museum, Rome……………………………………..84 Fig. 4. Map of Ephesos Archeological Sites………………………………………..…………..164 Fig. 5: Artemis (Diana) Ephesia, National Archeological Museum, Naples, Italy…………………………………………………...……………..214 Fig. 6: The Virgin of Montserrat, Monserrat Shrine, Spain…………………………………….214 Fig. 7: Artemis Ephesia. National Archeological Museum, Naples, Italy…………………………………………………………………………….219 Fig. 8: Coins of Ephesus often show the Bee and Stag, emblems of Artemis Ephesia. These date to around 300 B.C.E……………………………………………………………………………………220 1 Map 1. Ephesus City – Mediterranean Sea Map 2. Aegean Region of Turkey 2 Map 3. Ephesus: Excavation Site Map 4. Ephesus: Excavation Site, Artemession 3 THE ENDURING GODDESS Now is come the last age of the Cumaean prophecy: The great cycle of periods is born anew. Now returns the [Virgin]… Now from high heaven a new generation comes down. - Virgil Fourth Eclogue (4-7) INTRODUCTION I came across Artemis Ephesia in an undergraduate biblical studies class. I was working on a paper about the worship of Greek deities in the broader Mediterranean area and stumbled upon a picture of her unique statue in Ephesus. I remember staring at the photograph trying to reconcile the familiar depiction of her as Mistress of the Hunt in Greek myth, with her being revered as Mother, Healer, and Queen, by the Ephesians. Since that time, I have noticed numerous details from Greek history, archeology and ritual culture, often glimpsed through obscure passages in ancient texts and in the writings of unsuspecting contemporary scholars. I have collected these seemingly random pieces and assembled them here. Classical Greek historians claim that the most popular Olympian deities are Apollo, Athena, Zeus and Dionysius. Tradition states that these divinities played key roles in the communal, political and ritual development of the Greco-Roman world. My research shows that this deeply entrenched scholarly tradition is fissured with misunderstandings of Greek and Ephesian popular culture. In this work I provide evidence that clearly suggests that Artemis is the most prevalent and influential goddess of the Mediterranean, with roots embedded in the 4 community and culture of this area that can be traced further back in time than even the arrival of the Greeks. In fact, Artemis’ reign is so fundamental to the cultural identity of her worshippers that even when facing the onslaught of early Christianity, she could not be deposed. Instead, she survived the conquering of this new religion under the guise of Mary, Mother of Jesus. This work demonstrates that
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