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ephesus


ephesus


  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Ephesus,  GA  (town,  FIPS  27708) 
  Location:  33.40809  N,  85.26181  W 
  Population  (1990):  324  (136  housing  units) 
  Area:  7.2  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Ephesus 
  the  capital  of  proconsular  Asia,  which  was  the  western  part  of 
  Asia  Minor.  It  was  colonized  principally  from  Athens.  In  the 
  time  of  the  Romans  it  bore  the  title  of  "the  first  and  greatest 
  metropolis  of  Asia."  It  was  distinguished  for  the  Temple  of 
  Diana  (q.v.),  who  there  had  her  chief  shrine;  and  for  its 
  theatre,  which  was  the  largest  in  the  world,  capable  of 
  containing  50,000  spectators.  It  was  like  all  ancient  theatres, 
  open  to  the  sky.  Here  were  exhibited  the  fights  of  wild  beasts 
  and  of  men  with  beasts.  (Comp.  1  Cor.  4:9;  9:24,  25;  15:32.) 
 
  Many  Jews  took  up  their  residence  in  this  city,  and  here  the 
  seeds  of  the  gospel  were  sown  immediately  after  Pentecost  (Acts 
  2:9;  6:9).  At  the  close  of  his  second  missionary  journey  (about 
  A.D.  51),  when  Paul  was  returning  from  Greece  to  Syria 
  (18:18-21),  he  first  visited  this  city.  He  remained,  however, 
  for  only  a  short  time,  as  he  was  hastening  to  keep  the  feast, 
  probably  of  Pentecost,  at  Jerusalem;  but  he  left  Aquila  and 
  Priscilla  behind  him  to  carry  on  the  work  of  spreading  the 
  gospel. 
 
  During  his  third  missionary  journey  Paul  reached  Ephesus  from 
  the  "upper  coasts"  (Acts  19:1),  i.e.,  from  the  inland  parts  of 
  Asia  Minor,  and  tarried  here  for  about  three  years;  and  so 
  successful  and  abundant  were  his  labours  that  "all  they  which 
  dwelt  in  Asia  heard  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and 
  Greeks"  (19:10).  Probably  during  this  period  the  seven  churches 
  of  the  Apocalypse  were  founded,  not  by  Paul's  personal  labours, 
  but  by  missionaries  whom  he  may  have  sent  out  from  Ephesus,  and 
  by  the  influence  of  converts  returning  to  their  homes. 
 
  On  his  return  from  his  journey,  Paul  touched  at  Miletus,  some 
  30  miles  south  of  Ephesus  (Acts  20:15),  and  sending  for  the 
  presbyters  of  Ephesus  to  meet  him  there  he  delivered  to  them 
  that  touching  farewell  charge  which  is  recorded  in  Acts 
  20:18-35.  Ephesus  is  not  again  mentioned  till  near  the  close  of 
  Paul's  life,  when  he  writes  to  Timothy  exhorting  him  to  "abide 
  still  at  Ephesus"  (1  Tim.  1:3). 
 
  Two  of  Paul's  companions,  Trophimus  and  Tychicus,  were 
  probably  natives  of  Ephesus  (Acts  20:4;  21:29;  2  Tim.  4:12).  In 
  his  second  epistle  to  Timothy,  Paul  speaks  of  Onesiphorus  as 
  having  served  him  in  many  things  at  Ephesus  (2  Tim.  1:18).  He 
  also  "sent  Tychicus  to  Ephesus"  (4:12),  probably  to  attend  to 
  the  interests  of  the  church  there  Ephesus  is  twice  mentioned  in 
  the  Apocalypse  (1:11;  2:1). 
 
  The  apostle  John,  according  to  tradition,  spent  many  years  in 
  Ephesus,  where  he  died  and  was  buried. 
 
  A  part  of  the  site  of  this  once  famous  city  is  now  occupied  by 
  a  small  Turkish  village,  Ayasaluk  which  is  regarded  as  a 
  corruption  of  the  two  Greek  words  hagios  theologos  i.e.,  "the 
  holy  divine." 
 
 
  From  Hitchcock's  Bible  Names  Dictionary  (late  1800's)  [hitchcock]: 
 
  Ephesus,  desirable