In Acts 19:35, the town clerk of Ephesus defends the city's status: 'Who doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper (νεωκόρος) of the great Artemis and of the image that fell from heaven?' The term originally denoted a temple servant or sacristan responsible for maintaining a shrine. In the imperial period, Greek cities competed for the honorary title νεωκόρος, awarded to cities that built temples for emperor worship or major deities. Ephesus proudly claimed this status for the Artemision, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The clerk's speech seeks to calm the riot by reminding the crowd that Ephesus's honor is secure—Paul poses no real threat to Artemis or to the city's prestige.