Day 08 - Western Coast : Ephesus, Ephesus Museum, Free Time

Our 8th day in Turkey started off bright and early as our plan called for several hours in the ancient city of Ephesus. The early departure paid off, as we were the first people through the gates. We had the place to ourselves for almost an hour, which was very peaceful, as we got acquainted with the layout of the city.

Ephesus is built into a valley, roughly 26 acres in size, and was home to 250k people. During the Roman times, this city had: 6 different Roman baths, 50+ fountains, 3 sprawling agoras, multiple temples to several ancient gods, and they received the tile "neocorus" 5 times (more than any other city). This was a city of trade, power, and wealth. Only 10% of the city has been excavated to date!

As the crowds started to show up, we got a feel for what this city might have felt in biblical times. We walked through the terrace houses decorated with beautiful artwork and marble, took pictures in front of the library that used to have more than 20,000 scrolls, and we read and studied Acts 19 from the exact theater referenced in verse 29. It’s hard to cover Paul’s three years of work in Ephesus in only a half-day visit, but our trusty guide Ozan (a certified Ephesus Expert) did exactly that.

We even got a surprise opera performance as a tourist broke into song on our way out of the theater!

We found a quiet place in the Harbor basilica/Church and completed our studies of the Seven churches of Revelation by studying the letter to the church at Ephesus. This church remained true, tested false prophets, and had strong doctrine. However, they were so committed to their theology, that they began to lose their empathy and compassion.  They lost their love for people, and Jesus called them on it.

Our beliefs and doctrine should be solid, but shouldn’t they point us to love more in how we live today?

The rest of the day was spent with a homemade lunch, spending more money than expected supporting the local pottery economy, touring the Ephesus museum, enjoying some quiet time on a city square with some coffee and ice cream, and making a brief stop at the Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world).

We even got back to the hotel in time to jump into the Aegean Sea as the sun set. We finished another great day on our trip with one more to go.

- by Shawn Davidson