The City of Ephesus⤒🔗

Designated by the Romans as the capital of the province of Asia, Ephesus was a very influential city. Situated on a plain near the mouth of the Cayster River that flowed westerly into the Aegean Sea, the city was strategically located. J. Eadie writes, “It was the highway into Asia from Rome; its ships traded with the ports of Greece, Egypt, and the Levant [i.e. Western Asia, most notably including the countries of Lebanon, Syria and Israel, as well as the Sinai region].”¹

The city’s eventual decay and downfall may be traced primarily to the gradual silting up of its once bustling harbor; however, in the first century A.D., it teemed with wealth and luxury. Ephesus boasted the largest of all Hellenic open-air theaters, capable of holding 50,000 spectators. But the city’s chief source of architectural pride was the Temple of Diana, (also known as Artemis), reckoned as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, whose treasury formed the bank of Asia Minor.²

From its earliest history, Ephesus was regarded as sacred to the goddess Diana. The highest title the city could have assumed, and that which was impressed on its coins, was “Temple Sweeper; ” (i.e. servant of the great goddess). Her image, a many-breasted, mummy-like figure of oriental symbolism, was housed in her famous temple constructed in the Greek Ionic style. The temple’s vast dimensions, its costly building materials, its extended colonnades, the numerous statues and paintings with which it was adorned, its vast treasury of wealth, these are the things that made it one of the wonders of the ancient world. One of the most lucrative occupations of the Ephesian craftsmen was the manufacture of miniature representations of the temple wrought in silver.³ J. Eadie comments, ancient writers often make mention of these little silver shrines, and few travelers seem to have left Ephesus without such a memento of their visit.⁴

Like the Phoenician or Syrian goddess Astarte, with whom she appears to have been identified, the goddess Diana was honored as the source of fertility, (as her many-breasted image would indicate). E.K. Simpson goes on to say, “It may be imagined how foul were the orgies sanctioned under such auspices, and, worst of all, sanctioned in the outraged name of religion.”⁵ Furthermore, also associated with the worship of Diana from the earliest time was the practice of sorcery. The “Ephesian Letters,” mystical monograms, used as charms or amulets, are spoken of frequently by ancient writers. Ephesus was, therefore, the chief seat of necromancy, exorcism, and all forms of magic arts for the whole province of Asia.⁶

To this city, steeped in material prosperity, but shrouded in spiritual darkness and held captive in spiritual bondage, would come the light and life-giving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, initially ministered by the Apostle Paul. To that subject we now turn our attention.

The Founding of the Church←⤒🔗

Paul’s initial visit to Ephesus, occurring in the midst of his second missionary journey, is recorded in Acts 18:18-21. Upon departing from Corinth on his way to Syria, Paul, in the company of Priscilla and Aquila, made a brief stopover at Ephesus. There he spent some time reasoning with the resident Jews in their synagogue. After a brief time, the apostle set sail for Syria and Caesarea, leaving Priscilla and Aquila at Ephesus and promising to return, God willing.

Acts 18:24-26 tells of Apollos’ visit to the city. Luke in Acts identifies this man as a Jew who came from the Egyptian city of Alexandria. He was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. Apollos had been instructed in the way of the Lord and, it is reported, “he taught about Jesus accurately.” But he was only acquainted with the baptism of John; that is to say, he was only familiar with John the Baptist’s message of repentance in preparation for the coming Messiah, whom John had identified as being Jesus of Nazareth. As Apollos spoke boldly in the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately; no doubt, relating to him the full message of the gospel as it was delivered to them by the Apostle Paul.

Thus, the Ephesians, at least the Jews living in that city, received the initial preaching of the gospel from the Apostle Paul, as well as further ongoing instruction by Priscilla and Aquila, with Apollos also benefiting from their teaching and no doubt imparting what he learned to his fellow Jews. But the Ephesians, both Jew and Gentile, were about to receive a far more extensive gospel ministry when Paul returned to the city during his third missionary journey. The apostle’s return to Ephesus is recorded in Acts 19:1-20:1.

Luke reports that at that time Paul spoke boldly in the synagogue for three months. But when some of the Jews became hardened and disobedient, “maligning the Way before the multitude,” (speaking evil of the Christian faith to their Gentile neighbors), Paul removed himself from the synagogue, taking the disciples with him. Thereupon the apostle proceeded to conduct daily discussion sessions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He did so for two years. As a result, all Jews and Greeks throughout the entire province of Asia heard the gospel. As E.K. Simpson suggests, it was, no doubt, through this work of gospel ministry that the foundations of all the Seven Churches of Asia, (addressed by the Lord Jesus in Revelation 2-3), were laid.⁷

The Book of Acts also makes mention of the extraordinary miracles wrought by the Lord Jesus through the Apostle Paul in the city of Ephesus. Handkerchiefs or aprons that were touched by the apostle were brought to the sick, and by virtue of coming into contact with such items they were healed. In other cases, evil spirits were exorcised by the same means. Thus the Lord Jesus dramatically displayed His divine power and the truth of the gospel in this city that was, as has been pointed out, the chief seat of all forms of magical arts for all of Asia.

Although the Lord Jesus made known His divine power and supremacy as Lord over all, (a theme that Paul will emphasize in his epistle; note, especially, Eph. 1:20-22 and 4:8-10), He would not permit His name and His power to be exploited for personal gain. This becomes evident from the incident involving the traveling Jewish exorcists. When two of them, identified as sons of a certain Sceva, sought to cast out a demon in the name of Jesus, the demon turned on them and overpowered them. In consequence of this incident, the power of Jesus was not questioned, as though perhaps it was not strong enough to overcome every demon; on the contrary, the name of Jesus was exalted to an even greater degree. We read that all who heard about this were seized with fear and the name of Jesus was held in high honor. Furthermore, many believed, confessing their evil deeds. In demonstration of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance from their former lifestyle of darkness, they brought together their books of sorcery and held a great book burning. Act 19:20 states that the Word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Acts 19:23-20:1 reports a riot that occurred in the city, the result of greedy and panic-stricken men’s opposition to the success of the gospel. We are told that Demetrius, the silversmith, gathered together his fellow craftsmen to express his concerns. As noted previously, the city of Ephesus, and especially the silver craftsmen, engaged in a very lucrative trade, manufacturing and selling silver replicas of the famous Temple of Diana. But, in the words of Demetrius, Paul was leading large numbers of people “astray” by speaking out against the folly of idolatry. Demetrius expresses his concern that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be discredited, and, of even greater concern to him, is the fact that the craftsmen's trade is being adversely affected in a serious way. Demetrius succeeds in arousing the anger of his fellow craftsmen. Their fury soon incites the entire city into an uproar. Eventually, the riot is quelled by the city clerk who quiets the mob and restores order. Shortly thereafter, the Apostle Paul departs for Macedonia, after having first encouraged the disciples.

The New Testament commentator and theologian, Charles Hodge, sums up the effects of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus as follows: (1) The conversion of a great number of Jews and Greeks; (2) the diffusion of the knowledge of the Gospel throughout the province of Asia; (3) such a marked diminution of the zeal and numbers of the worshipers of Diana, as to excite general alarm that her temple would be despised; and, (4) a large and flourishing church was established in the city of Ephesus.⁸

The Occasion for Writing This Epistle←⤒🔗

The occasion for the Apostle Paul’s writing of the Epistle to the Ephesians, (or, the epistle intended for circulation among the churches located throughout the province of Asia), was indirect, as opposed to being written in response to a pressing problem facing the church. The real problem was being faced by the church in Colossae; also, there was the need to address a letter to a faithful Christian brother named Philemon, who was a resident of Colossae. Thus, these two situations, (discussed in greater detail below), requiring that epistles be sent by the apostle to the Colossian church and to Philemon, became the occasion for writing the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Onesimus, a slave owned by Philemon who was a businessman of Colossae, had absconded with some of his master’s property. He had gone to Rome, intending to lose himself in the crowds of that great city. But while in Rome, Onesimus encountered the Apostle Paul and subsequently was converted. Realizing the necessity of righting the wrong Onesimus had committed, Paul sent him back to his former master with a letter (the Epistle to Philemon) requesting that he be forgiven and received back as a brother in Christ.

There was also the necessity of addressing an epistle to the church in Colossae. That church was being threatened by a heresy consisting of a synthesis of legalistic Judaism mixed with incipient Gnosticism. (Note: Gnosticism, derived from the Greek word, “gnosis,” or, “knowledge,” was a philosophic-religious system that put a premium on esoteric knowledge as a way of freeing one’s self from the materialistic realm in an attempt to achieve a spiritual relationship with God.) In the case of the Colossian heresy, this early form of Gnosticism, (it would not be until the second century A.D. that Gnosticism became a full-fledged religious philosophy), was embraced by legalistic Jews who incorporated it into their ascetic teaching (note, especially, Col. 2:16-23). This false teaching was posing such a threat to the life of the church that an immediate response from the apostle was imperative; therefore, he dispatched to them the Epistle to the Colossians.

Thus it was that the Apostle Paul commissioned Tychicus, a faithful brother who had been assisting the apostle in Rome, to accompany Onesimus back to Colossae, carrying with him the Epistle to the Colossian church and the one addressed to Philemon, as well as the general Epistle to the Ephesians.

The Theme of the Epistle and Its Content←⤒🔗

As D. Guthrie observes, the Epistle to the Ephesians differs from the other Pauline epistles in that it does not address any specific situation in the life of the church. C. Hodge maintains that this absence of specific reference to any particular situation in the church is in keeping with the overall purpose of the epistle; namely, to explain to Gentile believers in particular the source, the result, and the purpose of their redemption.

In Hodge’s words, the apostle addresses himself principally to Gentile Christians. His object was (1) to bring them to a true appreciation of the plan of redemption, as a thing devised from eternity by God, for the manifestation of the glory of his grace; (2) to make them aware of the greatness of the blessings conferred upon them in Christ; (3) to assure them of the equality of status they now enjoy with fellow believers from among the Jews as members of the household of God; and, (4) to exhort them to live in accordance with their new identity as children of the light, as opposed to continuing on in the morally depraved lifestyle from which Christ has redeemed them.⁹ Throughout the chapters of this epistle the Apostle Paul “leads the Christian from an understanding of the origin of his salvation in the thought and action of the triune God to the practical application of that salvation in everyday life.”¹⁰

The Epistle also serves as a safeguard against the very heresy that was presently threatening the church in Colossae. As J. Eadie states it, “In Colossians the heresy is pointedly and firmly refuted; but in Ephesians, principles are laid down that might prove a barrier to its introduction.”¹¹ We may take special note of such passages as Ephesians 1:20-23 and 4:8-10, passages in which the supremacy of Christ is asserted; the very truth that was being undermined by the Judaistic-Gnostic heresy that plagued the church in Colossae, (note, especially, Col. 2:8-23). It should be noted, too, that in the Epistle to the Ephesians the apostle, in detailed manner, urges the church to take up the whole armor of God as the only means of gaining victory in the spiritual conflict in which we as Christians find ourselves engaged. This exhortation is a necessary reminder to all believers, but it was especially pertinent for those living in the city of Ephesus, which was, as we have seen, the chief seat of the occult in the province of Asia.