A COUNTRY TOWN OF LYCAONIA. 45 



Discussion. 



The Chairman having declared the discussion open : 

 Lieut.-Col. G. Mackinlay said that all were greatly obliged ta 

 the lecturer for his most instructive account of Early Anatolian 

 Christianity. No one who heard of the Mother Goddess, the 

 protectress of the agriculturists of Asia Minor, could fail to be 

 put in mind of Diana of the Ephesians, Acts xix, 28. (Artemis 

 in Greek.) 



Might it not be said that the worship of the Virgin Mary had its. 

 origin in Asia Minor, and was directly traceable to the adoration of 

 Artemis 1 



Professor Sir W. M. Ramsay replied that it was undoubtedly 

 true that this Virgin worship or Mariolatry was to be found in Asia 

 Minor at a very early date, and, indeed, that it was at an Ephesian 

 Council that it became part of the dogma of the Church. It was 

 interesting to observe that there was too, in Anatolia, a pilgrimage 

 in honour of the Virgin Mother of God which was actually made 

 to an ancient shrine of Artemis the great goddess ; and that this 

 pilgrimage continued even after the population had ceased to be 

 definitely Christian. But the doctrine of the Ocotoko^ was more 

 wide-spreading and was,' indeed, part of the humanising influence of 

 religion in almost all countries. In the Christian churches its 

 influence was of varying strength. He himself belonged to a 

 church which was as extreme in exclusion of this influence as the 

 Roman Church, on the other hand, in upholding it. But he thought 

 that he could not be justified in condemning it for that reason. In 

 regard to the actual origin of the belief and doctrine he thought 

 that Egypt contended with Anatolia for first place. 



Dr. A. T. SCHOFIELD said that it was extremely interesting to 

 note the connection between the church and civic life and to see 

 how definitely the one became a part of the other whether organised 

 for development or defence. He thought that they might observe 

 some connection between the Roman word Curia, the Council of the 

 Roman city, and the Greek Kiyjto?. He would draw particular 

 attention to the feast of the Curia, a central festival of civic life, 

 and the Lord's Supper, the central festival of the Christian life. It 



