It isn’t difficult to imagine that being chanted, even in English, but when we put it back into Greek we can envisage a rhythm being set up: Megalē hē Artemis Ephesiōn! Megalē hē Artemis Ephesiōn! Emphasize every other syllable, starting on the first, and imagine tens of thousands chanting it together, punching the air in time. We imagine Paul, restrained by his friends, listening to the chant. He would be praying, of course. If you are the sort of person who sings hymns in prison at midnight, you are certainly the sort of person who goes on praying when there’s a deafening riot happening down
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