Though Pergamos was the center of the Roman religion and of the government, Ephesus was the more accessible, the commercial center and the home of the native goddess Diana; and because of its wealth and situation it gradually became the chief city of the province. Paul preached the gospel for the first time in Acts 18:19 (about 54 A.D.). Ephesus was founded as an Attic-Ionian colony in the 10th century BC on a hill (now known as the Ayasuluk Hill), three kilometers (1.9 miles) from the centre of ancient Ephesus (as attested by excavations at the Seljuk castle during the 1990s). Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The seven sleepers were born in the city of Ephesus. What Does the Bible Say About Ephesus? - OpenBible.info 4 For he chose . Ephesus was on the main route from Rome to the East, and many side roads and sea-routes converged at it (Acts 19:21; Acts 20:1;Act 20:17, 1 Timothy 1:3, 2 Timothy 4:12). Perhaps, too, they saw in the Caesar-cult only a harmless ritual of loyalty, and not an issue of man-worship on which a Christian need stake life and livelihood. Tarkasnawa King of Mira: Tarkendemos, Boazky Sealings, and Karabel., Jaan Puhvel (1984). and used Ephesus as the proconsuls seat. For a further description of the temple, see Mr. Wood's excellent book, Discoveries at Ephesus.E. It is said that the building was four times the size of Athens magnificent Parthenon. [43] J.W. Not all of this area was inhabited due to public buildings and spaces in the city center and the steep slope of the Blbl Da mountain, which was enclosed by the wall. Thus Ephesus became part of the Seleucid Empire. Later in the same century, the Lydians under Croesus invaded Persia. The coast, with continual soil erosion of the hinterland, became malarial. Today the site of Ephesus is several miles from the Turkish coast. Leloux, Kevin. They are considered saints by Catholics and Orthodox Christians and whose story is also mentioned in the Qur'an.[62]. Acts 19:35 When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, "You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? The temple and its statue are some of the few remains connected with Domitian. Ephesians were incorporated as vassals into the Ottoman Empire for the first time in 1390. The kings of Pergamum, most dynamic and powerful of the lesser successor states of Alexanders divided empire, did much for Ephesus, and when the Romans inherited the kingdom of Pergamum by the will of its last ruler, Attalus III, they continued the policy of promoting Ephesian trade. She was, none the less, over many centuries, fortunate in her engineers. Scholars disagree about whether Pauls conflict with the silversmiths in Acts 19 is a historical event, but it does help us understand how change in a citys religion and economy might have been received in a major Roman metropolis. XIV. The New Testament traces the full history of the church in Ephesus from it's founding in Acts 18 to facing the rebuke of Jesus in Revelation 2:1-7. It is also said to have been the place where Mary . Upon the death of Attalus II (Philadelphus), king of Pergamos, it was bequeathed to the Roman Empire; and in 190, when the Roman province of Asia was formed, it became a part of it. What is the significance of Ephesus in the Bible? To compromise would ultimately have set Christ, where Emperor Severus ultimately placed himin a chapel along with the images of Jupiter, Augustus, and Abraham. [50], Shortly afterwards, Ephesus was ceded to the Aydinid principality that stationed a powerful navy in the harbour of Ayasulu (the present-day Seluk, next to Ephesus). According to Hittite sources, the capital of the kingdom of Arzawa (another independent state in Western and Southern Anatolia/Asia Minor[13]) was Apasa (or Abasa), and some scholars suggest that this is the same place the Greeks later called Ephesus. As a result of the subsequent Treaty of Apamea, Ephesus came under the rule of Eumenes II, the Attalid king of Pergamon, (ruled 197159BC). Plato likened the mob to wild animals. 5 Answers Sorted by: 9 Revelation 1:9 explicitly states that John was on the island of Patmos when he wrote revelation: I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Acts 19 New International Version Paul in Ephesus 19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. Although it was afterwards rebuilt, its importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Kkmenderes River. The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. What is behind this message Christ gave to Ephesus that is vitally important for . Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Although he (likely) starts the first Christian church in the city he stays for only a . 'The geography of the Hittite Empire'. Situated in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) on the Mediterranean Sea, Ephesus was a key port that connected trade among North Africa, Asia Minor, and Europe. Finally, Alexander the Great took it; and at his death it fell to Lysimachus, who gave it the name of Arsinoe, from his second wife. A riot ensued, so vividly and ironically described in Acts 19. [75][76] They fed a number of water mills, one of which has been identified as a sawmill for marble. At the time, Croesus temple was the largest of Gr. What is the significance of the Babylonian Empire in biblical history. After a series of battles, he was defeated by Scipio Asiaticus at the Battle of Magnesia in 190BC. 'Hittite Etymological Dictionary Vol. The Greek goddess Artemis and the great Anatolian goddess Kybele were identified together as Artemis of Ephesus. Pausanias mentions that the temple was built by Ephesus, son of the river god Caystrus,[22] before the arrival of the Ionians. The basilica of St. John was built during the reign of emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. Ephesus has been excavated by the Austrian Archaeological Institute since 1895. Features detailed descriptions of the major archaeological finds at the site. The city turned, as any anxious community might in such circumstances, to the equivalent of her tourist trade. The ruins have been identified in a marsh, one and a half miles NE of the city, after the discovery of Ephesus main boulevard in 1870. When the Jews of Ephesus opposed Paul's teaching in the synagogue, where he had boldly preached for three months about the kingdom of God, he and his followers withdrew to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. Unlike its neighbour, Magnesia, it survived the attacks. A little way behind it was the summit of the rocky hill from which one could see over the trees and hills to Ephesus and the sea with its many islands. It is, perhaps, not without significance that the same coin bears the image of a small oar-propelled boat, an officials barge, not the deep-hulled merchantmen that mark the citys pride in her sea-borne trade on the coins of earlier centuries. The last glimpse of Ephesus in the NT reveals an aging church in need of an infusion of new life, hence, the closing detail of imagery in the apocalyptic letter (Rev 2:1-7). John. There was much for which John could commend the Ephesian Christians; their toil, endurance, discernment, and vigor. He passed along the Asia Minor coast three or four years after the riot in Ephesus. The Ephesian assembly received a message from heaven in Rev 2:1-7. Johns letter was one of seven addressed to the Asian circuit, and prudently couched in the style of Jewish apocalyptic lit. As the fame of his teachings was carried by the pilgrims to their distant homes, his influence extended to every part of Asia Minor. the capital of proconsular Asia, which was the western part of Asia Minor. It is obvious that Pauls vision had picked one of the strategic centers of the world. "The Campaign Of Croesus Against Ephesus: Historical & Archaeological Considerations", in Polemos 212, p.4763. Ephesus was an ancient port city whose well-preserved ruins are in modern-day Turkey. Among the paintings was one by the famous Apelles, a native of Ephesus, representing Alexander the Great hurling a thunderbolt. They were silver models of the famous temple of Diana at Ephesus, and were carried as charms on journeys and placed in people's houses to ensure to them the protection of the goddess (Meyer). This was near the end of his 2nd missionary journey. "The capital of proconsular Asia, which was the western part of" Asia Minor. [61] Since the 19th century, The House of the Virgin Mary, about 7km (4mi) from Seluk, has been considered to have been the last home of Mary, mother of Jesus before her assumption into heaven in the Roman Catholic tradition, based on the visions of Augustinian sister the Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (17741824). Ancient sources seem to indicate that an older name of the place was Alope (Ancient Greek: , romanized:Alp).[23]. When Alexander saw that the temple of Artemis was not yet finished, he proposed to finance it and have his name inscribed on the front. Ignatius, writing a generation later, still accorded the church high praise. The inhabitants of Ephesus at once set about restoring the temple and even planned a larger and grander one than the original. The imperial cult and the imported Egyptian cults of Isis and Serapis are well-attested through temples, inscriptions, and fine objects. [48] The loss of its harbour caused Ephesus to lose its access to the Aegean Sea, which was important for trade. [5][14][15][16] In 1954, a burial ground from the Mycenaean era (15001400BC), which contained ceramic pots, was discovered close to the ruins of the basilica of St. Located at the mouth of the Cayster River, on the east side of the Aegean Sea, the city of Ephesus was perhaps best known for its magnificent temple of Artemis, or Diana, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. 'The Arzawa letters in recent perspective', Garstang, J. and O. R. Gurney (1959). ), who there had her chief shrine; and for its" "theatre, which was the . (iv) It was the home of criminals. The image of her cult statue and her emblems (a stag and a bee) appear on Ephesian coinage as early as the fifth century BCE. The Death of the Blessed virgin Mary at Ephesus - Bible Hub He joined Paul during one of Paul's later missionary journeys. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. This assumption would fix the date of the incident at a.d. 54. A part of the site, Basilica of St. John, was built in the 6th century, under emperor Justinian I, over the supposed site of the apostle's tomb. This page was last edited on 6 July 2023, at 11:37. Many had lived in Ephesus, and statues and monument of Roman citizens in Ephesus were also destroyed. cities, the choking up of her waterway passed beyond repair. The building itself was 425 ft. long and 220 ft. wide; each of its 127 pillars which supported the roof of its colonnade was 60 ft. high; like the temples of Greece, its interior was open to the sky. It is, as Ramsay says (St. Paul the Traveller and Roman Citizen, p. 277, 278), the most instructive picture of society in an Asian city at this period that has come down to us.In the speech of Demetrius are concentrated most of the feelings and motives that, from the beginning to the end, made the mob so hostile to the Christians in the great oriental cities. It required all the political art of the grammateus, no mere town-clerk, but the citys leading official and obviously a most able man, to restore quiet and order. Ephesus came under Egyptian rule between 263 and 197BC. From all over the world people came to buy these magic parchments which they wore as amulets. However, the Greek cities were given freedom and several substantial rights. The text of Beza sometimes supplies a detail that has a ring of authenticity, and his unorthodox text adds a phrase to Acts 19:28 which may, in one flash, give a glimpse of the excited scene. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake. Other elements over the course of centuries intruded into the worship, and the final form of the cult-image of Artemis of Ephesus was a strangely ornamented female figure, shrine and basket on head, a veil decorated with beasts, long necklaces, embroidered sleeves, legs sheathed with empaneled animals, and with multiple breasts, or, as some suggest, an apron covered with clusters of grapes or dates, sign and symbol of Artemis role as the nourishing spirit of nature. b.c. A Second Council of Ephesus was held in 449, but its controversial acts were never approved by the Catholics. The men who held this high office were called Asiarchs and are referred to in Acts 19:31 . Based on this and other evidence, Katherine Shaner demonstrates that women and enslaved people likely influenced and even led the earliest Christian communities in Ephesus, even as they constantly negotiated their social status and freedoms. Ephesus did not contribute ships but gave financial support. 1 modern identification Places in the Bible Today: Ephesus Data 1 Identification Ephesus (modern): very high confidence Ephesus Verses (20) Acts 18:19, 18:21, 18:24, 18:27, 19:1, 19:17, 19:23, 19:26, 19:35, 20:16, 20:17, 21:29 1Cor 15:32, 16:8 Eph 1:1 1Tim 1:3 2Tim 1:18, 4:12 Rev 1:11, 2:1 Linked Data Identifiers These letters later became part of the New Testament. The winding Maeander was silting up the harbor of Miletus as early as 500 b.c., and when that city suffered irreparable damage in the Pers. First, there is the vivid story already examined. Almost by accident it was then found in the valley outside the city walls, several feet below the present surface. Ephesus and Pergamos, the capital of Asia, were the two great rival cities of the province. The Persians then incorporated the Greek cities of Asia Minor into the Achaemenid Empire. Ephesus then entered an era of prosperity, becoming both the seat of the governor and a major centre of commerce. Archeology, none the less, has shown that the prestige and magnificence of the city long outlived its declining usefulness as a seaport. The importance of the city as a commercial centre further declined as the harbour, today 5kilometres inland, was slowly silted up by the river (today, Kk Menderes) despite repeated dredging during the city's history. The region was restored to the Anatolian beyliks. [38], When Augustus became emperor in 27BCE, the most important change was when he made Ephesus the capital of proconsular Asia (which covered western Asia Minor) instead of Pergamum. citizenship may have weighed a little with the officers of Caesar. "Ephesus After Antiquity." A wide door for effective work has opened to me, wrote Paul, and there are many adversaries (1 Cor 16:9). It was the main artery of Ephesian life, destined in later years to be even more richly adorned. Like all the river valleys around the great blunt end of the Asian continents westward protrusion, that of the Cayster was a highway into the interior, the terminal of a trade route that linked with other roads converging and branching out toward the separated civilizations of the E and the Asian steppes. The ruins of the temples were used as building blocks for new homes. 12, 25). A fine street ran through the city from the harbor wharves at the river mouth to the great theater where the level land began to rise toward Mount Pion, a boulevard of some beauty and lined by fine buildings and columned porticoes. These wars did not greatly affect daily life in Ephesus. The Riot in Ephesus. About 560BC, Ephesus was conquered by the Lydians under king Croesus, who, though a harsh ruler, treated the inhabitants with respect and even became the main contributor to the reconstruction of the temple of Artemis. Bible Map: Ephesus According to the legend, he founded Ephesus on the place where the oracle of Delphi became reality ("A fish and a boar will show you the way"). They were all of glittering Parian marble and 36 were marvelously gilt and inlaid. These letters were later collected as part of the Christian origin story in the New Testament. 4:12). EPHESUS (Focus Multimedia). In 2015, the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This marked the decline of the city's splendour. Ephesus, in the Roman province of Asia, is 56 kilometers (35 miles) from Smyrna. [79], The Tomb/Fountain of Pollio was erected in 97AD in honour of C. Sextilius Pollio, who constructed the Marnas aqueduct, by Offilius Proculus. Banks. Why did the Asiarchs seek to protect Paul? At the sight of Alexander, who had taken some risk by his public appearance, the crowd broke into their chant, a rhythmic din that they kept up for two hours. Diana was dead. Acts 20:22 Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there; 1 Corinthians 15:32 If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? knight and a freedman who held the post of steward of the imperial estates in Asia. The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide by Warren Carter. Crusaders passing through were surprised that there was only a small village, called Ayasalouk, where they had expected a bustling city with a large seaport. The six gates which pierced the wall are now marked by mounds of rubbish. The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. The word Ephesus means desirable, and in many ways it was certainly a desirable place to live. The mythical founder of the city was a prince of Athens named Androklos, who had to leave his country after the death of his father, King Kodros. Corinth was the next great station on the way to Rome, and communication between the two places was constant. Paul lived in Ephesus from approximately 52-55 CE and wrote several letters while he was there. Not only was the temple of Diana a place of worship, and a treasure-house, but it was also a museum in which the best statuary and most beautiful paintings were preserved. The noisy group swept along with them the flotsam of the town, the idlers, the visitors, the mob of any great eastern city, and flowed toward the common place of assemblythe theater on the low hillside. Passing beyond the village one comes to the ruins of the old aqueduct, the fallen city walls, the so-called church of John or the baths, the Turkish fort which is sometimes called Paul's prison, the huge theater which was the scene of the riot of Paul's time, but which now, with its marble torn away, presents but a hole in the side of the hill Prion. In the early 2nd century, the church at Ephesus was still important enough to be addressed by a letter written by Bishop Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians which begins with "Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory" (Letter to the Ephesians). of the Christian era. Radiation along the lines of communication from a point of active life accounted for such foundations. Located at the mouth of the Cayster River, on the east side of the Aegean Sea, the city of Ephesus was perhaps best known for its magnificent temple of Artemis, or Diana, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus was a religiously plural city. 4:12), probably to attend to the interests of the church there. Inevitably, therefore, Ephesus had become the home of the criminals of the ancient world. Ephesus - Wikipedia These officials were members of a corporation, built on the model of an earlier Gr. The town knew again a short period of prosperity during the 14th century under these new Seljuk rulers. Following a revolt by the people, Ephesus was ruled by a council. It is a city where the apostle Paul preached and it is the subject of the Book of Ephesians. Some scholars believe that the Letter to Philemon was written while Paul was in Ephesus; if so, a slave named Onesimus may have visited Paul there. By contrast, Rome within the walls encompassed 1,500hectares and as over 400 built-up hectares were left outside the Aurelian Wall, whose construction was begun in 274CE and finished in 279CE, the total inhabited area plus public spaces inside the walls consisted of ca. September 11, 2015 Gregg Caruso. Ephesuss fortunes declined in late antiquity after its harbor silted. Other research interests include early Christian material culture, literary analysis of early Christian literature, and archaeology. Around the great shrine, to which worshipers and tourists poured from far and near, tradesmen and hucksters found a living, supplying visitors with food and lodging, dedicatory offerings, and the silver souvenir models of the shrine that the guild of Demetrius was most interested in making and selling. Acts 19:27 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.". Biblical Riot at Ephesus: The Archaeological Context The wall of Lysimachus has been estimated to enclose an area of 415 hectares (1,030 acres). And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" ( Ephesians 2:21-22 ). (ii) It was an Assize Town. The Revelation Explained: An Exposition, Text by Text, of the Apocalypse of St. John by F.G. Smith, 1918, public domain. The Churches of Revelation: Ephesus - The Loveless Church Ephesus continued to prosper, but when taxes were raised under Cambyses II and Darius, the Ephesians participated in the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule in the Battle of Ephesus (498BC), an event which instigated the Greco-Persian wars. Ayasoluk became an important harbour, from which piratical raids to the surrounding Christian regions were organised, both official by the state and private.[51]. The city had one of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the ancient world, with at least six aqueducts of various sizes supplying different areas of the city. In October 2016, Turkey halted the works of the archeologists, which had been ongoing for more than 100 years, due to tensions between Austria and Turkey. 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. After the Persians defeated Croesus, the Ionians offered to make peace, but Cyrus insisted that they surrender and become part of the empire. Probably during this period the seven churches of the Apocalypse were founded, not by Pauls personal labors, but by missionaries whom he may have sent out from Ephesus, and by the influence of converts returning to their homes. (vi) The greatest glory of Ephesus was the Temple of Artemis. 100 Bible Verses about Ephesus Revelation 2:1-7ESV / 27 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. The city stood upon the sloping sides and at the base of two hills, Prion and Coressus, commanding a beautiful view; its climate was exceptionally fine, and the soil of the valley was unusually fertile.Tradition says that in early times near the place where the mother goddess of the earth was born, the Amazons built a city and a temple in which they might worship. Her temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. One phrase in his clever speech would appear to date the incident with some precision. In 1898 Benndorf founded the Austrian Archaeological Institute, which plays a leading role in Ephesus today.[82]. The sculptured stones of its great buildings, which were no longer in use and were falling to ruins, were carried away to Italy, and especially to Constantinople for the great church of Saint Sophia. Androklos drove away most of the native Carian and Lelegian inhabitants of the city and united his people with the remainder. In May 2018, Turkey allowed Austrian archeologists to resume their excavations. [46] Emperor Flavius Arcadius raised the level of the street between the theatre and the harbour. Then came a long decline. This Temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Sulla imposed a huge indemnity, along with five years of back taxes, which left Asian cities heavily in debt for a long time to come. The Ephesians derived the argument from John's presence in the city, and Jesus instructions to John to take care of his mother, Mary, after his death. Ephesus History & Location | Where is Ephesus? | Study.com Bibliography W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches (1904); A. H. M. Jones, Cities in the Eastern Provinces (1937); E. M. Blaiklock, The Christian in Pagan Society (1951); The Cities of the New Testament (1965). Paul wrote to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of God's eternal purpose and grace and come to appreciate the high goals God has for the church. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Ephesus was a major port city on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). It was erected on a pseudodipteral plan with 8 13 columns. These people discussed teachings and ethics, supported itinerant preachers with money and provisions, and maintained a community in Ephesus when their teachers were gone. Finally in 262 A.D., when the temple of Diana was again burned, its influence had so far departed that it was never again rebuilt. What was Augustus Caesars impact on biblical history? After Alexander's death in 323BC, Ephesus in 290BC came under the rule of one of Alexander's generals, Lysimachus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Acts 1:4-8 . Acts 19 NIV - Paul in Ephesus - While Apollos was at - Bible Gateway [83], This article is about the ancient city in Anatolia. Lysimachus Ephesus Under Roman Rule Christianity in Ephesus The Decline of Ephesus Sources Ephesus was an ancient port city whose well-preserved ruins are in modern-day Turkey. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. It was 10 1/2 ft. thick, and strengthened by towers at intervals of 100 ft. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital,[5][6] by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. Ephesus is referred to 21 times in the Bible. Nevertheless, contrary to the terms of the surrender the Turks pillaged the church of Saint John and deported most of the local population to Thyrea, Greece when a revolt seemed probable. Inflamed by the speech of the rabble-rouser Demetrius, delivered no doubt in the meeting house of the silversmiths guild, the audience, says Bezas version, poured into the street. It is surely the great central boulevard that is mentioned. It bore the title of the first and greatest metropolis of Asia.. She researches early Christian deathscapes in the fourth-century Mediterranean. The temple earned the city the title "Servant of the Goddess". Ephesus was recipient city of one of the Pauline epistles; one of the seven churches of Asia addressed in the Book of Revelation;[9] the Gospel of John may have been written there;[10] and it was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils (see Council of Ephesus). Hence in 88BC Ephesus welcomed Archelaus, a general of Mithridates, king of Pontus, when he conquered Asia (the Roman name for western Anatolia). Pauls colleague Timothy cowrote and couriered some of his letters while he was in Ephesus (1Cor 16:10; Phil 2:19). - Of for for, A.V. [56] Later a silversmith named Demetrios stirred up a mob against Paul, saying that he was endangering the livelihood of those making silver Artemis shrines. There sprang up, therefore, about the temple a village in which the thieves and murderers and other criminals made their homes.
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where was ephesus in the bible
