Ephesus part two

Ephesus was amazing to behold! It's heyday was from about 2000 BC to about 600 AD and it features big in the story of the Apostles Paul and John. It has been under excavation for about 60 years and only about ten percent has been uncovered. Picture an important coast city on the west coast of Turkey. At the time of Jesus, under Roman occupation, it was a chief port of commerce and travel uniting Africa and the Middle East with Greece and Europe. Scripture tells us, Acts 19, Paul took the overland route through Turkey to get here. Using the names of present day countries, he traveled from Jerusalem, through Syria, into Turkey, all the way to the west coast on his second missionary journey. He stayed in Ephesus for three years. The Jewish synagogue and market place is where he preached from about 57 to 60 and it is right in the center of the city. At about 100, the synagogue was razed and a major library that held over 1200 scrolls and books was built. Ephesus was known for the temple and worship of Diana. Today, only one pillar remains of this huge complex...from 300, when Christianity became the religion of the empire, stones from pagan temples were used to build churches. You may recall Paul had a run in with a local merchant in the market place who sold silver shrines in honor of Diana. We could imagine Demetrius' store being set up in the stalls at the edge of the central market area. It seems Paul's preaching had become so effective, that sales of the shrines had plummeted. The vendor ultimately managed to force Paul to move on. But before that, he had helped 12 men experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us Paul was able to do amazing miracles here and that even pieces of his clothing brought healing. Tradition says Paul also wrote a number of his letters from here to churches he began on his first missionary trip. Back to the archeology...the ancient city lost its prominence and was pretty much abandoned as the port silted up and closed (the Mediterranean Sea is now about four miles away) and after a major earthquake. The city rivals Pompei in terms of what has been uncovered...with major streets, lots of residences, temples and bathhouses now revealed. We viewed a major dig of several patrician homes on a hillside with amazing mosaics and plumbing all from the first century. Ephesus was tucked between two low hills with the mouth opening to the harbor. It was a cosmopolitan crossroads at the center of the world at that time...NOW GO ONTO THE NEXT BLOG TO DISCOVER WHAT WAS A TOTALLY NEW LEARNING FOR US AS PASTORS WHO HAD READ ABOUT EPHESUS FOR YEARS...