Bible Lexicons

νεωκόρος, νεωκορου, ὁ, ἡ (νεώς or ναός, and κορέω to sweep; (questioned by some; a hint of this derivation is found in Philo de sacerd. honor. § 6 (cf. νεωκορία, de somniis 2, 42), and Hesychius (under the word) defines the word ὁ τόν ναόν κόσμων. κόρειν γάρ τό σαίρειν ἔλεγον (cf. under the word σηκοκόρος; so Etym. Magn. 407, 27, cf. under the word νεωκόρος); yet Suidas under the word κόρη, p. 2157 c. says νεωκόρος οὐχ ὁ Σαρών τοῦ νεωκορου ἀλλ' ὁ ἐπιμελουμενος αὐτοῦ (cf. under the words, νεωκόρος, σηκοκόρος); hence, some connect the last half with root κορ, κολ, cf. Latincuro, colo));

1. properly, one who sweeps and cleans a temple.

2. one who has charge of a temple, to keep and adorn it, a sacristan: Xenophon, an. 5, 3, 6; Plato, legg. 6, p. 759 a.

3. the worshipper of a deity (οὕς i. e. the Israelites ὁ Θεός ἑαυτῷ νεωκορους ἦγεν through the wilderness, Josephus, b. j. 5, 9, 4); as appears from coins still extant, it was an honorary title (temple-keeper or temple-warden (cf. 2 above)) of certain cities, especially of Asia Minor, in which the special worship of some deity or even of some deified human ruler had been established (cf. Stephanus, Thesaurus, v., p. 1472f; (cf. B. D., under the word worshipper)); so νεωκόρος ... τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, of Ephesus, Acts 19:35; (see Lightfoot in Contemp. Rev. for 1878, p. 294f; Wood, Discoveries at Ephesus (Lond. 1877), Appendix, passim).