Ephesus part three

Ephesus is also where Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived out her last years. She and Jesus' youngest disciple, John came here. Mary's home has been rebuilt by Vatican archeologists. The original foundation is of much darker stone. It is a simple stone structure with a small bedroom and a central room, which now holds an altar and shrine. It is at the top of the hill to the left of Ephesus facing the port and is a major Catholic pilgrimage spot...in fact, the new pope is scheduled to visit here in the fall. A unique feature of the area is a natural spring, with "holy" water one can drink even today and a large wall near the water where people have tied thousands of prayers in every language over the years. We lit a candle and said a prayer for New Song and our family there. Now..to John. John was the only disciple who died a natural death...in Ephesus. The church of Saint John, which now is just ruins, was the third largest church in the world. It is said that John wrote his gospel from here about the year 90 AD. While scholars surmise a different John was imprisoned on the Greek island of Patmos, tradition claims this was the same John who wrote Revelation. It is an easy claim to make when you realize that the letters written to the churches, some of whom were lukewarm and others who were on fire or cold all exist within 15 to 20 miles from here. In fact, when Ephesus closed down, most of the Christians moved a few miles north to Smyrna, one of the seven cities mentioned in the book of Revelations. NEEDLESS TO SAY, Scripture comes alive when one makes such a pilgrimage...which is why we hope to lead a tour for interested New Songers next summer.