Ephesus scenes

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. It was a perfect location for the Gospel to take root and spread rapidly across the ancient world (Acts 19:10). The population of the city was between 250,000 and 400,000. Because the city slowly dried up as its harbor filled with silt, no one built on top of the ruins we see today. That makes it easy for us to imagine what the city was like when Paul helped start the church at Ephesus and wrote an important letter to the Ephesians. Timothy was also a pastor in Ephesus, and Paul’s letter to Timothy covered some specific issues the church at Ephesus was facing. The apostle John spent 30 years in Ephesus. When he was released from captivity on nearby Patmos, he returned to Ephesus, where he died. The last image in this video is from the Basilica of St. John, where he is buried. If the Gospel of John was written as late in John’s life as scholars believe, it was almost certainly written in Ephesus.