City
Ephesus
EFF-uh-sus · Modern Selçuk, Turkey (Ephesus ruins)
Ephesus is a city of the biblical world, known today as Selçuk, Turkey (Ephesus ruins).
What is known
- Paul ministered here roughly three years, the longest stay of any city in his recorded travels
- Site of a riot incited by the silversmith Demetrius, whose trade in Artemis shrines was threatened by Christian conversions (Acts 19)
- Recipient of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians and one of the seven churches addressed directly in the book of Revelation
History
- Founded
- An ancient Ionian Greek city, prominent for centuries, that flourished further under Roman rule
- Population
- One of the largest cities in Roman Asia Minor, estimated 200,000–250,000
- Industry
- Major port and trade center; home to the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and a thriving silversmith trade making shrines of Artemis
- Coordinates
- 37.9411° N, 27.3417° E
Rulers and powers
- Capital of the Roman province of Asia, governed by a proconsul — 1st century AD
Archaeology
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the backdrop for the silversmiths' riot in Acts 19:23-41, survives today mostly as scattered foundation stones and a single column re-assembled in 1972. The Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre — which held roughly 24,000 people and matches the setting where the crowd shouted "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians" (Acts 19:29-34) — are among the best-preserved excavated structures at the site.
Scripture references
- Acts 18:19
- Acts 19:1
- Acts 19:10
- Acts 19:23-41 — Riot of the silversmiths
- Acts 20:17
- Ephesians 1:1
- Revelation 2:1-7
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
In Ephesus, changed lives eventually spoke louder than the famous temple — what quiet change in you might others be noticing?
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