Ephesus hosts many stories, but the story of its church is the one I love most. The church of Ephesus was the Christian community of ancient Ephesus. It grew from the work of Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos and Apostle Paul in the early 50s AD. Later Timothy and Saint John led it, and it became the mother church of the Roman province of Asia. Its ruins still stand in and around Selçuk, Turkey.
I live nearby Ephesus, and almost every working day I walk its marble streets with my guests. So forgive me if this article is not neutral. For me, Ephesus is not a museum. It is a kind of second home.
Neutral or not, the history is clear. Of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse, Ephesus was the first one addressed in the Book of Revelation and the leading city of Roman province of Asia. The Jewish historian Josephus even calls it “the metropolis of Asia.” Without Ephesus, you cannot understand the other six cities.
Let’s have a look at the story of this church, from its first house meetings to the ruins you can visit today. I will keep the famous Bible stories short, because each of them has its own article on my site.
A Short History of Ephesus Before Paul
Ephesus was already about a thousand years old when Apostle Paul arrived. According to legend, the Athenian prince Androklos founded it. Archaeology shows an Attic-Ionian colony here in the 10th century BC, on the hill which we call Ayasuluk today. The city moved more than once, because the Cayster River, today’s Küçük Menderes, kept filling its harbor with silt.
I always tell my guests that this is the most important geographical fact about Ephesus. The city lived with a dying harbor. Every century the sea moved a little further away and harbor had to be dredged again and again. Today the old harbor of Ephesus lies about 5 kilometers inland.
In the 6th century BC, the Lydian king Croesus became the main sponsor of the great Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After the Lydians came the Persians. Alexander the Great entered the city in 334 BC, and later the kings of Pergamon ruled it. When Attalus III died in 133 BC without a son, he left his kingdom to Rome.
Under Roman rule, and especially from the time of Augustus, Ephesus grew very fast. Marble streets, baths, gymnasiums, two agoras and a great theater filled the valley, and later came the famous Library of Celsus. My guests can still see all of them today.
How Many People Lived in Ephesus
My guests ask this question all the time. Nobody counted, so every number is a modern estimate. Old books say 200,000 to 250,000, but that figure comes from an 1886 estimate, inscriptions read too generously and the theater’s seats multiplied by ten. Studies of the lived-in area give about 34,000 to 56,000 people, a 2017 model about 72,000, and one high-density estimate 172,500.
Whichever number you choose, Ephesus was one of the five largest cities of the Roman world. Its people came from everywhere: native Anatolians, Greek-speaking Ionians, Romans, Egyptians, Syrians, sailors and slaves from many lands.
Jewish community was large and well organized. Josephus copies Roman letters to the Ephesians which let the Jews live by their own customs and send their sacred money to the temple in Jerusalem. Christianity found its first foothold in this community.
Artemis of the Ephesians
The Artemis of Ephesus was not the slender huntress of the Greek myths. She was an older Anatolian mother goddess, joined with the Greek Artemis over the centuries. Her famous statues carry rows of round shapes on the chest. People once called them breasts, and some scholars think they were eggs or even the testicles of sacrificed bulls.
The last temple was huge, about 137 meters long and 69 meters wide, with 127 columns according to Pliny the Elder. Pilgrims came from across the empire and economy of the city leaned on the goddess. That is why the silversmith Demetrius became so angry when Paul taught that gods made with hands are not gods (Acts 19:26).
Who Founded the Church of Ephesus
The church of Ephesus did not start with a big crowd. It started in a house. Around 52 AD, Paul stopped in Ephesus on his way from Corinth to Syria. He spoke in the synagogue, but he did not stay long. He left behind his friends Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple of tentmakers who believed in Jesus (Acts 18:18-21).
Then a learned Jew from Alexandria arrived, Apollos. He spoke boldly in the synagogue, but he knew only the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained the way of God to him more perfectly (Acts 18:24-26). Soon after, Paul came back and found about twelve disciples who also knew only John’s baptism (Acts 19:1-7).
Paul taught in the synagogue for three months. When some refused his message, he moved to the school of a man called as Tyrannus and taught there daily for two years (Acts 19:8-10). One old manuscript, Codex Bezae, adds that he taught “from the fifth hour to the tenth,” from 11 AM to 4 PM. Those were the hot midday hours, the hall was empty. A clever solution.
Acts 20:31 speaks of three years, the longest stay of all Paul’s missionary journeys. The result was huge: “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10, KJV). Many historians think that Paul’s helper Epaphras, probably converted in these years, carried the message to Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 1:7 and 4:12-13).
Believers met in homes. Paul wrote his First Letter to the Corinthians from Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8), and at its end he sends greetings from “Aquila and Priscilla … with the church that is in their house” (1 Corinthians 16:19). This is the church of Ephesus in its earliest form: a few families praying in a living room.
You can read the full story of these years in my article What Happened in Ephesus in the Bible, and the verses about the city in Holy Bible and Ephesus.
The Riot in the Theater and Paul’s Farewell
Then came the famous riot of Acts 19. Demetrius gathered the silversmiths, the crowd rushed into the theater, and for about two hours they shouted “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:34, KJV). Paul’s friends did not let him go in, and the town clerk finally calmed the crowd. I tell the whole story in my article on the Great Theater of Ephesus.
I always like to bring my groups to the center of that theater and read this passage aloud. You can almost feel the sound bouncing back from the stone seats. After the riot, Paul left for Macedonia (Acts 20:1). He never lived in Ephesus again, but he did not forget its church.
On his way to Jerusalem, his ship stopped at Miletus, south of Ephesus. From there he sent for “the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17). He told them that the Holy Spirit had made them overseers of the flock (Acts 20:28), and he warned them that “grievous wolves” would come after his departure (Acts 20:29).
This is the first time we meet the leaders of the church of Ephesus as a group. They wept, embraced Paul and walked him to his ship, because he told them they would never see his face again (Acts 20:37-38). It is one of the most touching scenes in the Book of Acts.
Timothy, the First Bishop of Ephesus
When Paul went on to Macedonia, he asked his young helper Timothy to stay in Ephesus and to stop people who taught “other doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3). Letters to Timothy are full of names from this church. Onesiphorus helped Paul in many things “at Ephesus” (2 Timothy 1:18), Trophimus is called “an Ephesian” (Acts 21:29), and Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:12).
In the early 4th century, the church historian Eusebius wrote that Timothy “was the first to receive the episcopate of the parish in Ephesus.” A later text, the Acts of Timothy, says that around 97 AD he tried to stop a pagan procession and the crowd killed him. The same text says he was buried at Pion, a hill usually identified with Panayır Dağı, and his relics were later taken to Constantinople.
The Letter to the Ephesians also belongs to this story too. Tradition says Paul wrote it from prison in Rome around 62 AD. However, the words “in Ephesus” are missing from the best and earliest manuscripts, and many modern scholars think it was a circular letter written for several churches of the region.
Saint John and the Church of Ephesus
The second great name of this church is Saint John. He came to Ephesus some years after Paul, probably after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to a strong local tradition, he brought Mary the mother of Jesus with him. Not every early writer agreed, and some placed her last years in Jerusalem.
By the time John came, the church of Ephesus had been living for twenty years or more, with house churches, elders and its own customs. Irenaeus of Lyon, writing around 180 AD, says that John “did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia” and that he stayed with this church until the time of Emperor Trajan. Most of commentaries agree that the Gospel of John was probably written here.
According to tradition, John was exiled to the island of Patmos around 95 AD, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Its first letter goes to Ephesus. It praises the church, “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience” (Revelation 2:2), and warns it, “thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). I explain every line in my article on the letter to the church of Ephesus in Revelation.
About a century later, Bishop Polycrates of Ephesus wrote that John “fell asleep at Ephesus.” His traditional tomb is on Ayasuluk Hill, where the Basilica of Saint John stands today.
Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians
Around 110 AD, by the traditional dating, a prisoner passed from our region on his way to die in Rome. He was Ignatius of Antioch. While he waited in Smyrna, the church of Ephesus sent its bishop and a few members to visit him, and he wrote them a letter. Some scholars date his letters later, but the picture of the church stays the same.
Ignatius names the bishop, Onesimus, “a man of inexpressible love,” the deacon Burrhus, and Crocus, Euplus and Fronto. He praises their good order and writes that “no sect has any dwelling-place among you.” He also calls them people “initiated into the mysteries of the Gospel with Paul.” You can read the full letter of Ignatius to the Ephesians online.
So about fifteen years after Revelation warned the Ephesians, their church had a bishop, deacons and a good name for sound teaching. For me, this short letter is the best proof that the mother church of Asia was alive and well organized.
The Bishops of Ephesus
The bishop of Ephesus became the leading bishop of the province of Asia. Around 190 AD, Polycrates of Ephesus wrote to Pope Victor of Rome about the date of Easter. He defended the old custom of Asia and said that seven of his relatives had been bishops before him, and he was the eighth.
Ephesus was also a place of debate. According to Eusebius, Justin Martyr held his famous dialogue with Trypho, a Jewish scholar, in this city. Later, bishop of Ephesus became a metropolitan, the head of the bishops of the region. In 431, Bishop Memnon was already in the city with 52 bishops of his own when the council began to gather.
The line of bishops continued for many centuries. One of the most famous was Mark of Ephesus, who refused to sign the union with the Roman Church at the Council of Florence in 1439. The Orthodox Metropolis of Ephesus remained active until the early 1920s.
The Councils of Ephesus in 431 and 449
Ephesus hosted one of the great meetings of the world Christianity. In 431, Emperor Theodosius II called the Third Ecumenical Council, and about 250 bishops met in the Church of Mary from June 22 to July 31. Led by Cyril of Alexandria, the council condemned Nestorius of Constantinople and declared Mary the Theotokos, the “God-bearer.” I tell this story in my article on the Council of Ephesus of 431.
Eighteen years later, in 449, a second council met in Ephesus, probably in the same church. Dioscorus of Alexandria presided, and the meeting deposed Flavian of Constantinople, who died of his wounds a few days later. Pope Leo I called it the Latrocinium, the “Robber Synod.” The Council of Chalcedon rejected it in 451, but the Oriental Orthodox churches still accept it.
The Church of Mary in Ephesus
The Church of Mary stands next to the old harbor of Ephesus. It was built in the early 5th century inside a Roman hall about 263 meters long, the south stoa of the Olympieion, the great temple built for Emperor Hadrian (not the small Temple of Hadrian on Curetes Street). It may even have been built for the council of 431. It was long seen as the earliest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, although newer research suggests it received her name only around 500 AD.
Around 500 AD, the Ephesians enlarged it into a monumental cathedral, and it was the seat of the bishop of Ephesus in Late Antiquity. Today you can still see its apse, its columns and the baptistery with its round pool. It sits a little away from main marble street, so I always make sure my guests do not miss it.
The Basilica of Saint John
On Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, about 3.5 kilometers from the ancient city, there was a small and very old church over the tomb of Saint John. In the 6th century, Emperor Justinian tore it down and built a huge new basilica. Work began by 548 and was finished by 565. It was modeled on the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
The name of the hill also comes from John. The Greeks called it Hagios Theologos, the Holy Theologian, and the Turkish name Ayasuluk grew out of those words. Today you can walk across the marble floors of the basilica and stand at the tomb of Saint John under its four columns. My article on the Basilica of Saint John has more details.
Above the basilica rises the Ayasuluk Fortress, which is open to visitors, and below it stands the 14th-century Isa Bey Mosque. From this hill you see three faiths of our land in one frame: the column of Artemis, the church of Saint John and the mosque.
What You Can See of the Church of Ephesus Today
There is no living congregation in the ruins of Ephesus today. However, the church of Ephesus left its traces everywhere. Inside the ancient city you can see the Church of Mary, the Great Theater and crosses carved on old marble blocks. In Selçuk you can visit the Basilica of Saint John, and the single column of the Temple of Artemis stands nearby it.
About 7 kilometers from Selçuk, up on the mountain, is the House of the Virgin Mary. It has been a Catholic place of pilgrimage since the 19th century, and Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have visited it. Pope Benedict celebrated Mass there on November 29, 2006, and pilgrims gather there every year on August 15. You can read more in my article on the House of Virgin Mary.
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Ephesus
Let me leave the ancient world for a moment. Most tours start at the Upper Gate, also called the Magnesian Gate, and walk downhill to the Lower Gate, the Harbor Gate. Walking downhill is much easier, especially in summer, and the Church of Mary is at the harbor end of the city.
In Summertime the site is very hot. In July and August the average afternoon high in Selçuk is about 35 degrees Celsius, and the marble reflects the sun. We say in Turkey “şapka mutlaka,” a hat is a must. Bring water and sunscreen too. The best months are March, April and May, when wildflowers bloom around the marble walls, and October is wonderful as well. Avoid July and August if you can.
For lunch there are simple restaurants near both gates. However, my personal favorite is the village of Şirince, about fifteen minutes by car up in the hills. A family I have known for years runs a small place there, with a real Anatolian meal, excelent local olive oil and a view over the vineyards. After Ephesus, lunch in Şirince is a tradition for many of my groups.
Why the Church of Ephesus Mattered
When I read the seven letters of Revelation, I always come back to the same thought. The reason these letters could travel, and the reason the seven churches could stay connected as one Christian network, was Ephesus. Ephesus was the engine.
If the silversmiths had won, Christianity in Asia Minor would not have died, but it would have grown much more slowly. In Turkish we would call it ana kilise, the mother church. And like a real mother, she had her share of joys and her share of disappointments.
The next stop on our journey, and the next stop on the old road from Patmos, is Smyrna, the faithful city. You can continue with my article on the Church of Smyrna.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded the church in Ephesus?
The church of Ephesus grew from the work of Priscilla and Aquila, the preacher Apollos and Apostle Paul in the early 50s AD (Acts 18 and 19). Paul taught there for about three years. Later tradition names Timothy as its first bishop, and Saint John lived and died in Ephesus.
Where is the church of Ephesus located today?
Ancient Ephesus lies next to the town of Selçuk in İzmir Province, western Turkey, about 75 kilometers south of İzmir. Its main church ruins are the Church of Mary near the old harbor and the Basilica of Saint John on Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk.
Is there a church in Ephesus today?
There is no active congregation in the ruins of Ephesus. The Church of Mary and the Basilica of Saint John are ruins you can visit. Christian worship continues nearby at the House of the Virgin Mary, a Catholic shrine where popes have prayed and pilgrims gather every year on August 15.
Was the church in Ephesus Jewish or Gentile?
Both. It started in the synagogue with Jewish believers like Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos, and Paul’s teaching then reached “both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). The burning of the magic books by “Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:17-19) shows that many pagan Ephesians joined it too.
Hire Biblical Tour Guide in Ephesus
I’m a nationally licensed Turkish tour guide based in Kuşadası, nearby Ephesus. My day guiding is in Ephesus, İzmir and Pamukkale, where the story of the early church and the Seven Churches is all around us. My license is valid all over Turkey, so for the other churches of Revelation I can join you as your personal guide on a longer, multi-day journey.
You can see my guiding rates and guiding areas or write to me through my contact page.
The church of Ephesus began in a living room and grew into the mother church of Asia. I hope we will walk its streets together, from the Church of Mary to the tomb of Saint John. You can always write to me with your questions about the early Christians of Ephesus. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
