City of Ephesus with temples in foreground

Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman empire during the time of the New Testament. It was connected to the sea by its protected harbor, and to the vast expanse of “Asia” (modern-day Turkey) to the east. The population of the city was between 250,000 and 400,000. The worship of Artemis was a large and thriving cult during the era of the New Testament. The greatest temple to Artemis was in Ephesus,127 columns surrounded the temple to this goddess, but almost nothing of that temple remains today. When Paul’s Gospel message took root in Ephesus, a riot broke out and forced him to leave the city (Acts 19:23-41).