Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
By the will of God, to the saints
who are in Ephesus, and
faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from
God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2
To begin any study in the Bible
especially the books written to certain cities or regions is important for our
understanding of the New Testament and why this letter, or book became
canonized into our Bible. This knowledge enriches our understanding and aids in
the growth of our faith. This understanding aids in being prepared to give a
defense of our faith (1Peter 3:15). As I have done in previous blogs I gave
historical facts and it is by these facts we will come to understand why the
writer and in this case Paul wrote the way he wrote. Why this necessity to
write to these people and what kind of people were they and what problems did
they face or have become a problem in their church(s). The book of Ephesians is
one such book whereby our understanding of this city, for it is an ancient city
with much history, and importance, and a city Paul spent time. It is said, that
the disciple of Jesus John lived there until his death and it is said that the
Gospel of John was written from Ephesus. Paul wrote to believers in Ephesus and
too has meaning and importance in our day as we face much of the same problems,
as did the Christians in Ephesus. Some even go so far to say the mother of
Jesus, Mary, lived there due to the fact the John given instruction by Jesus to
care for His mother lived there and a home was enshrined in her name. Whether
this is true or not is debatable. Ephesus is also one of the seven churches
cited in Revelation (Revelation 2:1-7).
Let us look at this city and it
history: Ephesus was built in the 10th century B.C. on the coast of
Ionia and as an ancient Greek city. In fact the name Ephesos, is derived from
the Hittite language, a people that for many years people scoffed at due to
these people being mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 15:20, and other verses).
Archeology has confirmed that these people not only existed but were a large
and major people of ancient times. This city was one of the twelve cities of
the Ionian League, and then came under the control by the Roman Republic in 129
B.C. Emperor Augustus in 27 B.C. made Ephesus the capital of proconsular Asia
and then Ephesus entered into an era of prosperity and it was second in
importance and size to only to Rome. Albeit a subject to Rome Ephesus was Greek
to the core. This city had one of the most advanced water systems in the
ancient world and a place where much marble extracted and sold. Ephesus famed
for its Temple of Artemis (550 B.C.) and noted as one of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World. Archeology has identified this city of Ephesus with the
great Anatolian goddess Kybele; the many breasted “Lady of Ephesus.” Archeology
found this religious temple far back as 6,000 B.C. Ephesus lies on the western
edge of Turkey, some five miles inland from the Aegean coast, and as you may
remember from our study on Corinthians it was from the Aegean Sea to the
Adriatic Sea that small ships traveled across land. Ephesus was a major port
city. Unfortunately the shoreline changed due to the shifting of silt, from
the Cayster River, lost it importance
as a major port city.
Allow
me to reiterate: the more we actually know about the places in which the Bible
was written and in which the stories happened, the more we’ll be able to read
the Bible as it was meant to be read, as the account of real experiences by
real people in real places. Moreover, we’ll be able to understand the meaning
of the Bible more accurately and precisely. To aid us I have included a map
showing Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, Lystra, Perga, and other cities and
when you read about them in the Bible you will know where they are and their
relationship with the journeys of Paul, and of other early Church fathers. Paul
made three journeys through Ephesus. Ephesus was an important city in the early
days of Christianity. Ephesus was significant due in part with prominence of
the city, its location in Asia Minor, and had attracted many influential
Christian leads, i.e., Paul, John, Timothy, and others. Arguably, Ephesus was
the most important city for Christians at the end of the first century. The
oldest references to Ephesus in the New Testament found in Paul’s first letter
to the Corinthians (1Corinthians 15:32; 16:7-9). This letter referring to Paul
staying in Ephesus fits perfectly with the picture painted of Paul’s Ephesian
ministry in Acts of the Apostles.
I have included this may to aid you in our study of
Ephesus. 
The heart
of the wise
Teaches his mouth
And adds
learning
To his lips.
Proverbs 16:23
God has
preserved His Word
Richard
L. Crumb
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