After Corinth, Paul set sail for home. But first, he visited Ephesus. He stayed only a short time but promised to return if the Lord willed it. On his third journey, he stopped again in Ephesus and ended up staying there for two and one-half years, his longest stay anywhere. Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Empire and a busy seaport, and the commercial, intellectual, and religious center of the Roman province of Asia. It was named a free city and had an estimated population of 250,000.
Model of the Temple of Artemis, at Miniatürk Park, Istanbul, Turkey.
Ephesus was home to one of the most popular shrines in antiquity: the Artemesion, temple of the goddess Artemis. From all over the Mediterranean, pilgrims traveled to worship the great Artemis. At 450 feet long by 225 feet wide by 60 feet high, with more than 127 columns, this massive temple was four times the size of the Athens Parthenon and was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. (A football field, by comparison, is 300 feet long by 160 feet wide.)
After about three months of preaching in the synagogues, Paul was kicked out. He then preached the gospel in a large lecture hall owned by a man named Tyrannus.
Ephesus was home to magicians as well as pagan priests. After Paul’s teachings, the Christian converts burned a fortune (50,000 pieces of silver) in magic books and manuscripts. This threat to the idol-making industry enraged the artisans, and a riot ensued! Paul barely escaped with his life, but his companions Aristarchus and Gaius were in serious danger.
We know of several people who made their home in Ephesus:
Demetrius • a silversmith
Alexander • a coppersmith who did “significant harm” to Paul’s ministry
Gaius and Aristarchus • Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest • people casting out demons in the name of “Jesus Christ, whom Paul preaches”
Erastus • perhaps the same Erastus as in Corinth
Who would you like to see in this book?