| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the adversative pairing ou monon de touto {οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο | ou mónon dè toû-to} “not only this,” which anticipates the balancing phrase alla kai {ἀλλὰ καὶ | allà kaí} “but also,” forming a coordinated “not only... but also...” construction that frames two related dangers. The finite verb kindyneuei {κινδυνεύει | kin-du-neú-ei} “is in danger” governs both, first with the infinitive elthein {ἐλθεῖν | el-theîn} linked to the prepositional phrase eis apelegmon {εἰς ἀπελεγμὸν | eis a-pe-leg-món}, describing the risk that “our part” (hēmin to meros {ἡμῖν τὸ μέρος | hē-mîn tò mé-ros}) might “come into disgrace.” The dative hēmin functions as a dative of interest, highlighting the economic concern of the speakers. The focus then expands from economic to religious and civic concerns with the second object, to tēs megalēs theas Artemidos hieron {τὸ τῆς μεγάλης θεᾶς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν | tò tēs me-gá-lēs the-âs Ar-té-mi-dos hi-e-rón}, where the article and cascading genitives emphasize the exalted status of “the temple of the great goddess Artemis.” The aorist passive infinitive logisthēnai {λογισθῆναι | lo-gis-thê-nai} plus eis outhen {εἰς οὐθὲν | eis ou-thén} depicts a potential revaluation of this shrine “as nothing,” while the coordinated infinitives mellein ... kathaireisthai {μέλλειν ... καθαιρεῖσθαι | mél-lein ... ka-thai-reîs-thai} express an impending process whereby Artemis is “about to be stripped” of tēs megaleiotētos autēs {τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς | tēs me-ga-lei-ó-tē-tos au-tês}, a genitive of separation indicating loss of her “magnificence.” The climactic relative clause hēn holē hē Asia kai hē oikoumenē sebetai {ἣν ὅλη ἡ Ἀσία καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη σέβεται | hēn hó-lē hē A-sí-a kaì hē oi-kou-mé-nē sé-be-tai} defines Artemis as the object of universal veneration, using sebetai to convey formal religious worship. In translation, this tightly knit structure is represented with a single complex sentence that preserves the escalation from local economic risk to a perceived global religious catastrophe. |