"We just arrived in Selcuk and will be going to Mary's House and Ephesus tomorrow. It's raining now though, so hopefully it will be nice tomorrow. About to upload pictures then go to bed."
Selcuk - Anne's View from the Restaurant - Monday Evening(Above - With Ancient Roman Aqueduct)
Anne and Jackie are to go to Ephesus tomorrow...
Certainly, it is one of the most beautiful of the Bible-place ruins. I suppose we may have some photos from Anne at some point to share.
At the time of the Letter to the Ephesians, the city was second only to Rome in size and importance in the Roman Empire, with a population of half a million people. Nearby, stood one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis, which nowadays is identified by one column, reconstructed from many, to mark the spot. Some of the other columns had been "borrowed" from this site and taken to Constantinople and incorporated into the Hagia Sophia (see yesterday's post). When Paul preached in Ephesus he upset the merchants who sold Temple souvenirs there.
Other ruins that remain in Ephesus are most impressive, including the Library of Celsus (which had not yet been built at the time of the Letter to the Ephesians). The main streets in Ephesus are and were paved in marble. Try getting that idea accepted by your local municipal authorities, today.
Ephesus is honored among Christians not only for being the place to which the Letter to the Ephesians was addressed, but also as the home of both John the Evangelist and of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. There is a basilica over John's tomb, which may be a misnomer since it was a cave that John entered at the end of his earthly life, but his body was never found (not even after the tomb was opened by Constantine). To this day, he is the only disciple for whom no place claims to have relics. It is a pilgrimage site. Pilgrims are wont to collect the dust from near the tomb, as it is said to the the breath of John, and to have healing properties.
Also near by is the House of Mary, which has a rather thrilling story since it was found thanks to visions of a German nun in the 1840s, whose vision was set down in a book and used as a guide by several people who at the end of the 1800s found a house from the first century in the precise place and as described by her. Today, having been visited by several popes, it too is a site of pilgrimage. Really, someone should make a movie of this, since it is quite the story.
Ephesus was also the site of an Odeon, a covered theatre used for musical performances. In Britain and elsewhere, a number of modern day theaters take their names from the Odeon.
I am looking forward to hearing about Anne and Jackie's visit there tomorrow, and will add photos as they appear.
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