Biblical Profile: Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus stood at the crossroads of both north-south and east-west trade routes and was well known as the “guardian” of the temple of Artemis (Acts 19:35). It was founded by Ionian Greeks around 1044 BC on a natural harbor where the Cayster River emptied into a gulf of the Aegean Sea (the site of the ancient city is now well inland). The city came under Roman rule in 41 BC. At the time of the apostles, Ephesus was a wealthy city, a commercial and religious hub, and thus the most important city of the Roman province of Asia.

The worship of Artemis in Ephesus was nearly as ancient as the city itself. The temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was a key to the wealth and commerce of Ephesus, because the worship of Artemis brought many pilgrims to Ephesus and provided many commercial opportunities for idol makers and other vendors of goods and services.

When Paul arrived on his third missionary journey in AD 53 (Acts 19), Ephesus had been a city continuously for over a thousand years and was deeply devoted to its patron goddess and her temple. As Paul’s message began to gain more adherents, Christianity threatened the pagan temple and the commerce it produced for the makers of idols. The ensuing riot almost cost the apostle Paul his life (Acts 19:24, 28-31).

The church of Ephesus became strong under Paul’s teaching and leadership, and churches in the surrounding communities were founded by people who had learned from Paul in Ephesus (e.g., Colosse; see Colossians Book Introduction, “Setting”). But Paul warned the leaders of the Ephesian church that they would be troubled by false teachers (Acts 20:29-31).

The apostle John is thought to have settled in Ephesus around AD 70; from there he was exiled to the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9), where he wrote Revelation (probably in the AD 90s). At that time, the commendable love and good works of the Christian community described in the letter to the Ephesians had been largely abandoned (Rev 2:4). Irenaeus records that, after John’s exile on Patmos, the apostle returned to live in Ephesus and lived there until the end of his life during the time of the emperor Trajan (AD 98–117). According to tradition, Mary the mother of Jesus also finished her days on earth in Ephesus under John’s care (see John 19:25-27).

The temple of Artemis was burned by the Goths in AD 262, and Artemis was no longer influential among the Ephesians when the third ecumenical council was held in Ephesus in AD 431, thus illustrating the truth of Paul’s message that “handmade gods” like Artemis “aren’t really gods at all” (Acts 19:26).

Passages for Further Study

Acts 18:19–19:41; 20:16-38; Eph 1:1; Rev 2:1-7