Ephesus
Selçuk
- Locality
- Selçuk
- Type of place
- BIBLICAL SITE
- Coordinates
- 37.94093° N, 27.34146° E
Identity checked:
History: Ephesus
Ephesus was one of the great Greek and Roman cities of the Aegean coast, near modern Selçuk. Its ruins include the Library of Celsus and a theatre that could hold about 24,000 people, and UNESCO inscribed the site on the World Heritage List in 2015.
The Acts of the Apostles describes Paul's work here in detail. He taught first in the synagogue and then, for two years, in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, until the silversmith Demetrius, whose trade depended on the cult of Artemis, stirred up a crowd that rushed into the theatre (Acts 19). The New Testament contains a letter addressed to the Ephesians, and the Book of Revelation begins its messages to seven churches with Ephesus. Christian tradition also links the apostle John with the city, and in the fifth century Ephesus hosted church councils, among them the Council of Ephesus.
An interesting detail
The theatre into which Acts says the crowd rushed could hold about 24,000 spectators.