Apostle Paul decided to visit Ephesus in his second journey around Asia Minor. Ephesus was an important place in Paul’s missionary service. Apostle Paul in Ephesus met Apollos and other believers who personally knew Saint John the Evangelist. Saint John visited Ephesus after Jesus Christ ascended, and he left Jerusalem with Mother Mary. Paul stayed in Ephesus for two years after his arrival. Spreading the word of the Holy Bible in squares and synagogues every day. Paul started a church in Ephesus. When Paul was in Ephesus, he was visiting other churches in the Aegean region from time to time.
Grand Theater of Ephesus – Ephesus Theater was the place where Apostle Paul preached to the Jewish and Pagan community of Ephesus. Learn more about Ephesus Grand Theater and hire a Turkish tour guide for visiting Grand Theater of Ephesus.
Synagogue of Ephesus – The first location where Apostle Paul preached in Ephesus was the synagogue. Learn more about Synagogue of Ephesus and hire a tour guide for visiting Synagogue of Ephesus.
Ephesus, which is within the borders of Selçuk district of Izmir today, was an ancient city in the Ionian region. Ephesus, a large and important city of the Roman Empire, was the connection point between the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire. We also should mention that Ephesus was the largest port city in Asia. The road from the Euphrates and Mesopotamia would reach Ephesus through Colossae and Laodicea and then to the sea. Ephesus was a gateway for getting in and out of Asia.
Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Apostle Paul, Letter to the Ephesians, Ephesians 6:23
The Temple of Artemis, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was also in Ephesus. Artemis was worshiped for thousands of years by Greek people. Today the Temple of Artemis is nothing more than several columns lying on the ground. Ruins of the temple of Artemis are two and a half kilometers from Ephesus city center. Buildings such as the Domitian Temple, the Fountain of Trajan, the Temple of Hadrian, the Celsius Library and an open-air theater that took twenty-five thousand people were also in Ephesus.
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In addition to being a religious center, Ephesus was also the center of sorcerers and magicians. Paul wrote one of his most important letters to Ephesus before he arrived here. Saint John the Evangelist lived here on the year 66. After the Roman Empire split into two, Ephesus passed under the Byzantine dominion. One of the universal councils that are important for the history of Christianity was held in Ephesus in the year 431.
Paul was teaching between 11:00 and 16:00 at the Tyrannus school in Ephesus. Due to the temperature of the air, the hall was empty at this time and Paul was easily teaching his students. Paul continued his lessons here every day for two years. Teachings of Paul were a great blow to polytheism and idolatry in Ephesus. Paul was crushing beliefs of Greeks who worshiped ‘’human-like gods’’ for thousands of years. “The gods made by human beings cannot be gods,” said Paul. Words and philosophy of Apostle Paul seriously worried those who fed on this system.
Apostle Paul in Turkey – Read the whole story of Apostle Paul in Asia Minor.
Epistle to the Ephesians – Forty-ninth book of the Bible which was by Paul the Apostle to Ephesians.
Cities Visited by Apostle Paul in Asia Minor – Ephesus was not the only city which was visited by Apostle Paul in Anatolia. Learn more about the travels of Apostle Paul in Turkey and hire Biblical tour guide to visit Apostle Paul’s route in Asia Minor.
Letters of Paul to the Cities in Asia Minor – Apostle Paul wrote several letters to cities of Asia Minor. Learn about Apostle’s letters to the cities of Anatolia.
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Therefore, a jeweler named Dimitrios, who made silver sculptures at the Temple of Artemis, gathered an angry mob against the Christians and especially Paul. Reacting to the teachings of Paul, the crowd gathered at the Ephesus Theater. Bringing together those who are doing similar jobs like him, Dimitrios said, “Friends,” “You know, we have great earnings from this business. You see and hear that Paul says that handmade objects are not gods, not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia. So he convinced a large community. This is not only a danger against our art, but there is also a danger that can destroy the Temple of Artemis. Our supreme goddess will be ignored and forgotten. Eventually, the glory of Artemis, which the Asian region and the world respect, will be eliminated.’’.
Despite all his success, Paul encountered great difficulties in Ephesus. Whenever believers multiplied, troubles also followed. Upon the riot of silversmiths led by Dimitrius, Paul had to leave Ephesus and sailed towards Macedonia. Paul appointed the young Timoteos as the leader of the Ephesus church before his departure.
Grotto of Apostle Paul in Ephesus – Learn about this little cave located on the outskirts of Ephesus and hire a tour guide to visit Grotto of Apostle Paul in Ephesus Ancient City.
Apollos – An early Christian who was a companion of Apostle Paul. Apollos played an important role in the early times of the Ephesian Church.
The Burning of the Books on Magic in Ephesus – Paul stood against the magicians in Ephesus and made them to burn their books in the Agora of Ephesus ancient city. Hire an English-speaking tour guide in Ephesus to learn more about The Burning of the Books on Magic in Ephesus.
Book Ephesus Biblical Tour Guide to Learn More about Apostle Paul in Ephesus
When a tour group arrives at Ephesus today, they can still see a great number of buildings where Apostle Paul gave his speeches. The Grand Theater of Ephesus is a good example. I especially like to have a moment in this theater to think about the hard times these people of the early church had here. Also, it is an excellent place to have some reading of the Letter of Saint John in the Revelation to Ephesus and also Apostle Paul’s letter to Ephesian. I hope one day you will have an Ephesus tour which will touch your spirit. You can always contact me to learn more about Apostle Paul’s works in Ephesus. Also, you can contact me to hire a professional licensed biblical Turkish tour guide to Ephesus. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
BONUS CONTENT!
Here is a video which was made by me and my wife during our special expedition to the Grotto of Apostle Paul in Ephesus. I hope you will enjoy the information and exclusive photos in this video.
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[…] It is between Antalya and Isparta. This route can be combined with cities of Ionia such as Ephesus and Miletus as we know Apostle Paul visited them […]