2. Biblical Notices. — That Jews were established there in considerable numbers is known from Josephus (^Ant. xiv, 10, 11), and might be inferred from its mer- cantile eminence ; but it is also evident from Acts ii, 9 ; vi, 9. In harmony with the character of Ephesus as a place of concourse and commerce, it is here, and here onh% that we find disciples of John the Baptist explic- itly mentioned after the ascension of Christ (Acts xviii, 25; xix, 3). The case of Apollos (xviii, 24) is an exemplification further of the intercourse between this place and Alexandria. The first seeds of Chris- tian truth were possibly sown at Ephesus immediately after the great Pentecost (Acts ii). Whatever pre- vious plans Paul vlvaj have entertained (xvi, 6), his first visit was on his return from the second mission- ary circuit (xviii, 19-21), and his stay en th;.t occa- sion was very short ; nor is there any proof that ha found any Christians at Ephesus, but he left there Aquila and Priscilla (ver. 19), who both then and at a later period (2 Tim. iv, 19) were of signal service. lu Paul's own stay of more than two years (xix, 8, 10; XX, 31), which formed the most important passage of his third circuit, and during which he labored, first in the synagogue (xix, 8), and then in the school of Ty- rannus (ver. 9), and also in private houses (xs, 20), and during which he wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians, we have the period of the chief evangel- ization of this shore of the iEgajan. The direct narra- tive in Acts xix receives but little elucidation from the Epistle to the Ejihesians, ^vhicll was written after several years from Rome ; but it is supplemented in some important particulars (especially as regards the apostle's personal habits of self-denial, xx, 34) by tho address at Miletus. This address shows that the Church at Ephesus was thoroughly organized under its presbyters. On leaving the city, the apostle left Timotliy in charge of the Church there (1 Tim. i, 3), a position which he seems to have retained for a con- siderable period, as we learn from the second epistle addressed to him. See Timothy. Among Paul's other companions, two, Trophinius and Tychicus, were
EPHESUS
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natives of Asia (xx, 4), and the latter probabty (2 Tim. iv, 12), tlie former certainly (Acts xxi, 29), na- tives of Epliesus. In tlic same connection we ought to mention Onesiphonis (2 Tim. i, lG-18) and his household (iv, 19). On tlie other hand must be no- ticed certain specified Ephesian antagonists of the apostle, the sons of Sceva and liis partj- (Acts xix, ]■!), Hyinena!us and Alexander (1 Tim. i, 20; 2 Tim. iv, 14), and I'hygellus and Ilermogenes (2 Tim. i, 15). Sec Paul. Ephesus is also closeh^ connected with tlie apostle John, not only as being the scene (Rev. i, 11 ; ii, 1) of the most prominent of the churches of the Apocalypse, but also in the story of his later life as given by Euseliius {Hist. Eccl. iii, 23, etc.). Accord- ing to a tradition wliich prevailed extensively in an- cient times, John spent many years in Ephesus, where lie employed himself most diligently for the spread of the Gospel, and whore he died at a verv old age, and was buried. See John (the Apostle). Possibly his Gospels and Epistles were written here. There is a tradition that the mother of our Lord was likewise buried at Ephesus, as also Timothy. Some make John bishop of the Ephesian communities, while others as- cribe that honor to Timothy. In tlie book of Revela- tion (ii, 1) a favoi-able testimony is borne to the Chris- tian churches at Ephesus. Ignatius addressed one of his epistles to the Church of this place (ry tKKkrjata rij c't^toi-uiicapirrTio, ry ovnij tv 'Erptaiij r/)c Aaiac;, Hefele, Pat. Apostol. p. 154), which held a conspicuous position during the early ages of Christianity, and was, in fact, the metropolis of the churches of this part of Asia.
3. Location. — Ephesus lay on the iEgaean coast, near- ly opposite the island of Samos, 320 stadia from Smj'r- na (Strabo, xiv, G32). The ancient town seems to have been confined to the northern slope of Coressus (Herod, i, 2G), but in the lapse of time the inhabitants advanced farther into tlie plain, and thus a new town
sprang up around the temple (Strabo, xiv, G40), All the cities of Ionia were remarkabl)' well situated for the growth of commercial prosperity (Herod, i, 142), and none more so than Ephesus. Witli a fertile neigli- borhood (Strabo, xiv, GST) and an excellent climate, it was also most conveniently placed for traffic with all the neighboring parts of the Levant. In the time of Augustus it was tlie great emporium of all the re- gions of Asia witliin the Taurus (Strabo, xiv, 950) ; its liarbor (named Panormus), at the mouth of the Cay- ster, was elaborately constructed, though alluvial mat- ter caused serious hinderances both in the time of At- tains and in Paul's own time (Tacitus, ^?w. xvi, 23). The apostle's life alone furnishes illustrations of its mercantile relations with Achaia on the W., ]Macedo- nia on the N., and S^'ria on the E. At the close of his second missionarv circuit, he sailed across from Corinth to Ephesus (Acts xviii, 19), when on his way to Syria (Acts xviii, 21, 22) : some think that he once made the same short voyage over the ^ga^an, in the opposite direction, at a later period. See Cokinthiaxs, I'iRST Ep. to. On the third missionary circuit, be- sides the notice of the journe}' from Ephesus to Mace- donia (xix, 21 ; XX, 1), we have the coast voyage on the return to Svria given in detail (xx, xxi), and the geographical relations of this citj' with the islands and neighboring parts of the coast minutely indicated (xx, 15-17). To these passages we must add 1 Tim. i, 3 ; 2 Tim. iv, 12, 20 ; though it is difficult to say con- fidently whether the journeys implied there were b}^ land or bj' water. See likewise Acts xix, 27 ; xx, 1. As to the relations of Ephesus to the inland regions of the continent, these also are prominently brought before us in the apostle's travels. The " upper coasts" (to. dvioTspiKii fitp)]. Acts xix, 1), through which he passed when about to take up his residence in the citj^, were the Phrj'gian table-lands of the interior ; and it was probably in the same district that on a previous