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Acts 18:19-24;19:1-35;20:16-17;21:29, I Cor. 15:32; 16:8, I
Tim. 1:3 II Tim. 1:18; 4:12, Rev. 1:11,2:1
INTRODUCTION:
Historians use terms to describe the ancient city of Ephesus
like “the supreme metropolis of Asia” which reflects
evidence of a highly developed city. By the time of the New
Testament it was a city that had become a cultural and
religious memory, a yesterday romance, not unlike Paris in
the modern world. Filled with the symbols of greatness, but
struggling in the economics of a changing world and a
troublesome silting harbour, the bustling city continued to
play a significant role, but was fading with time.
In the days of the Apostle John, Ephesus was the metropolis
of Ionia, and it was known as "The light of Asia", The
market of Asia and the first and greatest metropolis of Asia.
Ephesus, which was rival of Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch
in Syria, was the converging point for all the important
trade and military roads and a wealthy city with cultured
and corrupt community. The city was so famous because of its
temple which was considered as one of the seven wonders of
the world. Besides the great cult of Artemis, Ephesus was
popular and prominent center for the Emperor worship. Paul
stayed much longer than any other city in Ephesus. According
to tradition, the Apostle John came to Ephesus and brought
Virgin Mary to Ephesus with him. Saint John who was the head
of the church in Ephesus was exiled to the rocky and
isolated island of Patmos during the time of emperor
Domitian. During his exile, John had his vision and
Revelations and wrote
7 letters to the Seven
Churches of Asia. John returned to
Ephesus after the assassination of Domitian and lived there
till his death.
LOCATION &
POPULATION:
Location: Ephesus was constructed on a river
bend, that was eventually dredged into a full harbour near
the mouth of the Cayster River, on the western coast of Asia
Minor (modern Turkey). Along the coastal plain between
Smyrna to the north and Miletus to the south, the site is
now about six miles from the Aegean Sea. The city shifted in
five distinct locations over time, each within a small area.
The Apostles Paul and John were familiar with the city that
scholars have dubbed "Ephesus III" the largest (in area) of
the five. The areas where Ephesus located are as follows:
Ephesus I: Aya Suluk (St. John Area); Ephesus II:
Artemission area; Ephesus III: Port of St. Paul: base of
Mount Koressos; Ephesus IV: north of Aya Suluk; Ephesus V:
Selçuk area.
Because of the man-made harbor structure and the flow of the
river, a backwash flow caused the harbor to frequently silt
up (by 449 BC we already read of problems documented about
the silting. Later, Eusebius records that Ephesus honoured
Emperor Hadrian for dredging and making navigable the
harbour). When cleared, Ephesus was in a location that
justified a great seaport. The city sat at the convergence
of three land routes with a shipping lane from the north via
the channel created by the Island of Chios and an opening
facing the cities of Macedonia. The land routes that
converged on Ephesus included: 1) The Colossae / Laodicea
road (traveling east), 2) The road to Sardis and Galatia (northeast),
and 3) The Smyrna (north) main road.
Population: Some scholars estimate the number
of people living at Ephesus to have exceeded 250,000
inhabitants during Ephesus III, which would make it perhaps
the fourth largest of its day behind: 1) Rome; 2) Alexandria;
and 3) Antioch. This large a city was an economic stronghold
in Asia Minor, and justified the title “supreme metropolis
of Asia” though there is evidence that its overall economic
standing may have been slowly declining.
HISTORY OF OCCUPATION:
Archaic Period (900-560 BC): The foundations
of the city may date back to the waves of Sea Peoples and
resistance movements that characterized part of the Archaic
Period. A village developed though it was not as well
developed or known as Miletus. It appears to have played a
significant role as part of the Ionian Renaissance during
the time of Heraclitus the philosopher. It was a farming and
trade village until the harbor was established. A
significant cultic site to Cybele developed there.
Cybele: Originally an Astarte-like warrior-goddess
associated with the sacred axe labrys, but later assimilated
with the Anatolian Earth Mother Goddess. Little is known of
the cultic worship until much later, when the cult was
brought to Rome in 205 BC. The later version required the
accession of self-emasculated priests known as “galli”.
Another aspect of the cultic worship was the use of
immersion in the blood of a bull, a practice later taken
over by Mithraism.
Greco-Lydian Period (560-290 BC): According to
Herodotus (I.26), King Croessus (560 BC) conquered the city
mid 6th century BC, as he tamed the Ionian cities. The
establishment of mining operations for gold and the minting
of Lydian coins in this period gave rise to trade that can
be archaeologically documented. During this period the city
re-engineered the Cybele cultic site and built a Temple to
the Greek goddess Artemis, constructed entirely of marble.
In 546 BC, the area became part of the Satrapy of Ionia.
When Darius died (485), the Persian King's son Xerxes
focused his conquest ambition on Greek territory. On a
return from battles in Greece he honoured the Temple of
Artemis in 478 BC, an unusual move as the Persians destroyed
many other contemporary shrines. The Persians were
eventually defeated in the region in 466 BC, when Ephesus
became a tributary of Athens. The city undertook to restore
the Artemission, and the city in 450 BC.
As the centre for tourism and trade, the Artemission became
synonymous with Ephesus. After the tragic fire in 356 BC (tradition
holds that Herostratos set that temple aflame to make a name
for himself), the city took a long time to recover.
Alexander would later offer to finish the half-reconstructed
Temple, but the city declined, not completing the work until
Lysimachus held the city upon Alexander's death. Lysimachus
introduced new colonists and renamed city after his wife
Arsinoë, but name didn't last. He increased the prominence
of the city by enclosing it with six miles of wall. (Today,
the traditional “Prison of Paul” is located within
westernmost tower of that wall).
Greco-Roman Period (290 BC-300 AD): After
Lysimachus was killed in 281 BC, Ephesus came under control
of Seleucid dynasty. They were defeated by the Romans at
Magnesia (189 BC) and Ephesus was turned over to control by
Pergamon, until in 133 BC Ephesus came under direct Roman
rule.
The site was a known Roman haven, as a discovery of a statue
of Julius Caesar suggests, along with a record that Antonio
and Cleopatra wintered there (33/32 BC). The erection of an
Egyptian style Serapis temple at the northeast corner of the
Agora may have been by Cleopatra. A famous colossal head
identified as Antonio has also been found. The Austrian
excavation team found a stone head now universally accepted
as that of the Egyptian god Amon. Not always a period of
comfortable relations, Ephesus didn't like Rome initially
when Roman civil wars helped Brutus and Cassius then Antonio.
Hailed by Pliny as “the great luminary of Asia” and by
Strabo as “the greatest emporium of Asia”, the city enjoyed
frequent foreign guests, and built its tourism industry.
Later emperors also enjoyed a relationship with the city.
Statuary dedicated to Augustus in the temple of Artemis is
depicted on coinage. The monumental triple gate to the
commercial agora from the Library of Celsus was dedicated to
Augustus' family in 4/3 BC. Augustus also regulated the
scope and size of the legal “area of refuge for criminals at
the Artemission” in hopes of stopping the city from becoming
overloaded with criminals. Later, Nero rebuilt the stadium
and Ephesus coined a commemorative coin in honour of his
work. Nero was not embarrassed to openly take statuary from
the city for his own collection.
Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD the one who exiled John to Patmos)
is credited by some as having erected a great altar and
temple to himself on Curetes Street. When Domitian was
assassinated in 96, the colossal statue was destroyed,
pieces are found in the Museum at Izmir. Trajan also took a
special interest in the city. His father had been appointed
the proconsul of Asia back in 79 and built a wall around the
Artemission precinct. Trajan added to his father's old work
a new showpiece: the Nymphaion on Curetes street.
After the time of Paul and John, Emperor Hadrian made
Ephesus his "favorite city" and entitled it the "Imperial
Capital of Asia" (125 AD). He instituted games called
“Hadrianea” and local sponsors held the games in his honor.
A Neocorate temple was built and dedicated to Hadrian in 129
AD. The citizens of Ephesus honoured Emperor Antonius Pius
on his birthday and he built a great gymnasium in response.
The city was eventually destroyed by the Goth invasion of
262 AD, and it never regained any real importance.
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