By Becky Schlofner
The second in this series brings us to Ephesus, home to the Ephesians that we hear Paul write letters to and hear mentioned in Revelation.
Ephesus goes back to the time of Ancient Greece. There are various stories on who founded it and why. All stories however have the city located on the Ionian Coast atop the former Arzawan Capitol Apasa. Current-day archaeologists have found the remains in Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. While it used to be a seaport, the river Kaystros silted itself shut at the confluence of the Aegean Sea which was its ultimate demise.
Early on during the Hellenistic Period the Temple of Artemus was built to the Greek Goddess of the same name. This temple is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With its construction Ephesus began to grow. More commerce, pilgrimages, more shipments helped raise the city to the second largest behind Rome itself. Eventually it came under Persian Rule in 546 BC and the Persians in turn were conquered by Alexander the Great. In 323 BC Lysimachus, who had been one of Alexander’s generals when he was alive, executed a massive relocation around 286 BC. This move preserved its deep-water port status, making Ephesus the crucial western terminus of major Eurasian trade routes.
The peak of Ephesus’s power began in 133 BC when it fell under Roman control. Under Emperor Augustus, it was officially designated the capital of the Roman province of Asia. The city flourished, with its population swelling to well over 200,000. This era saw the construction of its most iconic structures: the Library of Celsus, the enormous 24,000-seat Great Theatre , and extensive marble streets and bath complexes, solidifying its status as a cosmopolitan center.
It was in the first century AD that Paul came to Ephesus. He had many stops on his journey of evangelization, and it makes perfect sense that he would stop at the second largest city belonging to the Roman Empire. By now the citizens have heard about the man called Jesus and his miraculous rising from the dead. The stories of what He offered were trickling in and some were beginning to convert away from their Pagan Goddess Artimus.
11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 1:11-14)
…and…. Chapter 5:
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Instructions for Christian Households
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husband’s ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Time moved on and by the 15th century AD the city was nearly abandoned. The city’s decline was precipitated by twin disasters. First, the Temple of Artemis was destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD. However, the fatal blow was delivered by the environment: the ceaseless silting of the harbor. As the sea retreated, the once-vital port became a useless marsh, suffocating the city’s trade-dependent economy.
Ephesus maintained importance into the Byzantine period, notably hosting the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Yet, the population continued to contract. Life shifted to the fortified hill around the Basilica of St. John. The ruins of Ephesus today stand as a stark reminder of how natural forces can extinguish the greatest human civilizations.
