Ephesus agora 1

As was the case in most large cities of its day, there were two agoras in Ephesus. The civic agora was for governmental affairs. The commercial agora, shown in this video, was a marketplace for citizens and merchants. Ships docked in the protected harbor of Ephesus no more than half a mile (.8 km) from the agora. Some of the items sold in the agora would soon be on those ships, headed to ports around the Mediterranean. Other items were arriving in Ephesus, soon to be transported to the mainland of “Asia,” or modern-day Turkey. There was also an auction block for slaves in the commercial agora. Some of the slaves sold here would be employed by households in Ephesus. Others were victims of sex trafficking. The brothels of Ephesus were a very short walk from the agora. Paul would use the imagery of slavery several times in his letters to illustrate how many people are held in bondage to sin. He also addressed the proper relationship of slaves and their owners in Ephesians 6:5-9, 1 Timothy and Titus. Timothy pastored the church at Ephesus. The short letter to Philemon is Paul’s effort to gain the freedom of a runaway slave named Onesimus. Paul may have been following the instruction from Torah to protect runaway slaves who seek refuge among Jewish people (Deuteronomy 23:15), while at the same time showing respect to Philemon, a key leader at Colossae.