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Ephesus 3D reconstruction

A 3D reconstruction of Ephesus in the time of Paul.
Contributed by FreeBibleimages
Story also available on our translated websites: German, Hindi
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Ephesus is located near the western shores of modern-day Turkey, where the Aegean Sea meets the former estuary of the River Kaystros. <br/>When Augustus became emperor in 27 BC, he made Ephesus the capital of western Asia Minor). Ephesus then entered an era of prosperity, becoming a major centre of commerce. According to Strabo, it was second in importance and size only to Rome. From AD 52–55, the apostle Paul lived in Ephesus. The Christians in Ephesus became one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the book of Revelation. This is a 3D reconstruction of how Ephesus looked at the time of the Apostle Paul. – Slide 1
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Paul arrived in Ephesus having travelled from Corinth. He had promised to return after a brief trip there on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:6). This is a reconstruction of Curetes Street, one of the three main streets in Ephesus. There were fountains, monuments, statues and shops on the sides of the street. There were also many houses on the slope owned by rich Ephesians. – Slide 2
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This is the same street as it looks today. When Paul arrived in Ephesus he met 12 disciples of John the Baptist and when he baptised them in the name of Jesus they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6). – Slide 3
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The inhabitants worshipped many Greek and Roman gods and there were a large number of sorcerers. Paul had an encounter with some of these (19:13-20). The building shown is typical of a temple dedicated to the cult of Emperor worship. Paul began by teaching in the synagogue for around 3 months before being driven out by Jews hostile to the Gospel. – Slide 4
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So Paul continued teaching for a further two years in the school of Tyrannus. Many in the region came to hear him speak. It seems that Paul would rent the hall every afternoon and teach classes there. Morning was the normal time for activity in Greek cities; they were in the habit of taking a siesta beginning at about 11am that extended far into the afternoon. – Slide 5
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The Western text of the Greek New Testament seems to imply that Paul had use of the lecture hall from 11 am to 4 pm - the time when most Ephesians were resting. So it seems that Paul's students would forgo their siesta each day to sit under Paul's ministry. – Slide 6
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This is a 3D reconstruction of a wealthy house in Ephesus. – Slide 7
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Here is how it looks today. <br/>Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians while in Ephesus. In it he writes, ‘A great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me’ (1 Corinthians 16:9). – Slide 8
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Ephesus was a place of learning and, 60 years after Paul’s visit, the library of Celsus was built. It was the third-largest library in the Roman world behind Alexandria and Pergamum. It is thought to have held around twelve thousand scrolls. – Slide 9
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In Paul’s day, there were many scrolls in Ephesus listing magic chants and incantations. They were very expensive to purchase but widely used. – Slide 10
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This is a 3D reconstruction of the Agora, or market place, in Ephesus. As people turned to Christianity (‘The Way’ as it was known) we read, ‘A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas’ (Acts 19:19). <br/>Some of these scrolls may have been burnt in this Agora. – Slide 11
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The Temple of Artemis, located on the outskirts of Ephesus, is listed as one of the seven great wonders of the world. It was dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis also known as the Roman goddess Diana. There was a thriving local trade selling silver statues of the goddess which was threatened by the rise of Christianity. – Slide 12
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Local tradesmen, led by a silversmith called Demetrius, caused an uprising in Ephesus against the teaching of Paul. – Slide 13
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The city was filled with the confusion, and, unable to find Paul, the mob grabbed Paul’s travelling companions from Macedonia, Gaius and Aristarchus. <br/>This is the Temple of Artemis as it is today. – Slide 14
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The mob dragged Gaius and Aristarchus into the 25,000 seater amphi-theatre in Ephesus. This is a reconstruction of how that looked. Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, to make a defence before the people, but he was shouted down for two hours by those chanting, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ Eventually the city clerk quieted the crowd and dismissed the assembly (Acts 19:23-41). – Slide 15
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‘When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia’ (Acts 20:1). This is how the amphi-theatre looks today. – Slide 16
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