Ephesus: The capital of proconsular Asia, which was the western part of Asia
Minor. It was colonized principally from Athens. In the time of the
Romans it bore the title of "the first and greatest metropolis of
Asia." It was distinguished for the Temple of Diana (q.v.), who there
had her chief shrine; and for its theatre, which was the largest in
the world, capable of containing 50,000 spectators. It was, like all
ancient theatres, open to the sky. Here were exhibited the fights of
wild beasts and of men with beasts. (Comp.)
(1 Corinthians 4:9; 9:24,25; 15:32)
Many Jews took up their residence in this city, and here the seeds of
the gospel were sown immediately after Pentecost
(Acts 2:9; 6:9) At the
close of his second missionary journey (about A.D. 51) when Paul
was returning from Greece to Syria
(Acts 18:18-21) he first visited this
city. He remained, however, for only a short time, as he was
hastening to keep the feast, probably of Pentecost, at Jerusalem; but
he left Aquila and Priscilla behind him to carry on the work of
spreading the gospel. During his third missionary journey Paul
reached Ephesus from the "upper coasts"
(Acts 19:1) i.e., from the
inland parts of Asia Minor, and tarried here for about three years;
and so successful and abundant were his labours that "all they which
dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks"
(Acts 19:10) Probably during this period the seven churches of the
Apocalypse were founded, not by Paul's personal labours, but by
missionaries whom he may have sent out from Ephesus, and by the
influence of converts returning to their homes. On his return from
his journey, Paul touched at Miletus, some 30 miles south of
Ephesus
(Acts 20:15) and sending for the presbyters of Ephesus to meet
him there, he delivered to them that touching farewell charge which
is recorded in
(Acts 20:18-35) Ephesus is not again mentioned till near
the close of Paul's life, when he writes to Timothy exhorting him to
"abide still at Ephesus"
(1 Timothy 1:3) Two of Paul's companions, Trophimus
and Tychicus, were probably natives of Ephesus
(Acts 20:4; 21:29)
(2 Timothy 4:12) In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul speaks of
Onesiphorus as having served him in many things at Ephesus
(2 Timothy 1:18)
He also "sent Tychicus to Ephesus"
(2 Timothy 4:12) probably to attend to
the interests of the church there. Ephesus is twice mentioned in the
Apocalypse
(Revelation 1:11; 2:1) The apostle John, according to tradition,
spent many years in Ephesus, where he died and was buried. A part of
the site of this once famous city is now occupied by a small Turkish
village, Ayasaluk, which is regarded as a corruption of the two Greek
words, hagios theologos; i.e., "the holy divine."
