Q&A 0668 – Diana or Artemis?

In Acts 19, in Ephesus, the great goddess is named Diana in the KJV, but is called Artemis in the NIV. This seems like a pretty big difference. Any reason why?” —Kevin Chrest (Baltimore)

No, this is not a big difference. Think back to your Greek & Roman mythology (5th grade?) – they are the same goddess. The KJV tended to translate Greek gods and goddesses by their Latin (Roman) names. Since the Greek and Roman gods do not always perfectly correspond, it is best to leave them in their Greek names. Artemis is correct.

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