Ephesus
A place in the Bible
A large, rich city of Asia, on the coast of what is today Turkey.
What happened here
- St. Paul: he came to Ephesus and stayed to teach. For two years, everyone who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord.
- The farewell: later, from Miletus, Paul sent for the elders of the Church of Ephesus to say goodbye.
- Timothy: Paul asked Timothy to stay in Ephesus to look after the teaching.
Today
Its ruins, which are very large, remain next to the town of Selçuk, in Turkey.
Where it appears in the Bible
Acts 19:1; Acts 19:10; Acts 20:17; 1 Timothy 1:3
What the Bible says
Acts 19:1
And it came to pass, while Apollo was at Corinth, that Paul having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.
Acts 19:10
And this continued for the space of two years, so that all they who dwelt in Asia, heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Gentiles.
Acts 20:17
And sending from Miletus to Ephesus, he called the ancients of the church.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Ephesus”; Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), “Ephesus”; UNESCO, “Ephesus”