- Ephesus, capital of the Roman province of Asia, was a thriving commercial and religious center. Paul had viewed his mission at Ephesus as crucial to the evangelization of Asia Minor. Indeed, the city's central location and influence earned it an important place in biblical and ecclesiastical history. At the time of John's writing, the church of Ephesus was troubled led by [else teachers and lacked its former high level of devotion. The city declined after the fifth century A.D. and is now uninhabited ruins.
Paul's Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23-21:16)
Paul embarked on his third journey from Antioch in the spring of A.D. 53. Once again he headed north through the Cilician Gates to visit the churches of southern Galatia and Phrygia that he had established on his first journey. But Paul's ultimate destination appears to have been Ephesus, which he had visited briefly while homeward bound on his second journey (Acts 18:19).
Ephesus, the foremost city of Asia Minor in Paul's day, is situated on the mouth of the Cayster River, which empties into the Aegean Sea. The importance of the city was threefold -- commercial, religious, and political. Ephesus was the terminus of the great trade route that passed through Asia Minor from Mesopotamia. The harbor, which was maintained against silting by regular dredging, was also ideally situated on the north-south route along Asia Minor's coast, but neglect of the harbor eventually led to the demise of the city. As a religious center, Ephesus was the guardian of the temple of Artemis (Diana), the mother goddess of the region. Her image, according to legend, fell from heaven and was maintained in a splendid temple (Acts 19:35). An annual spring festival devoted to the worship of Artemis included athletic, dramatic, and musical contests. Ephesus was politically important as the capital of the Roman province of Asia, and there the Roman governor resided. The theater at Ephesus (Acts 19:29) seated 25,000. From the theater, the marble-paved Arcadian Way led westward to the harbor.
Paul spent approximately three years ministering in Ephesus (Acts 20:31), longer than in any other city. He obviously recognized the strategic importance of Ephesus for reaching all of the province with the gospel. Indeed, during his two years of teaching in the school of Tyrannus, "all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). Paul was assisted in this outreach by such able disciples as Timothy, Erastus, Gains, and Aristarchus. It was probably during this period that the churches of the Lycus Valley Hierapolis, Laodicea, and Colossae (Col. 1:2; 4:13) were founded. During his ministry at Ephesus (probably in the spring of A.D. 56), Paul responded to some troubling reports he had received concerning the church at Corinth In the Epistle known as First Corinthians, Paul rebuked the church divisions and disorders and replied to a number of inquiries the Corinthians had raised (I Cor. 7:1; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1).
A riot staged by Ephesian silversmiths, whose business had been hurt by Paul's preaching (Acts 19:23-25), led to Paul's departure from the city. He then went to Macedonia (Acts 20:1) where he undoubtedly visited the churches at Philippi and Thessalonica that had been established on his second journey. While ministering in Macedonia in the autumn of A.D. 56, Paul wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth, both correcting some misunderstandings regarding his authority and ministry and encouraging the collection for the Jerusalem saints. Paul then journeyed south to Corinth, from which he wrote his Epistle to the Romans some time during the winter of A.D. 56/57. His purpose in writing this letter was to set forth a thorough statement of the gospel message and to prepare the church for his intended visit.
Heading north again from Corinth to Macedonia, Paul next sailed from Philippi to Troas, where he spent a week ministering (Acts 20:3-12) before continuing. south by ship along the coast. Paul's eventual destination was Jerusalem, and he wanted to arrive by the feast of Pentecost (Acts 20:16), but he paused long enough at Miletus to summon and bid farewell to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:17-38). Departing from Miletus, Paul continued by sea to Caesarea and ministered there for several days before ascending the hill country to Jerusalem. The apostle arrived in the Holy City late in May, A.D. 57. His third journey, from Antioch to Jerusalem, had taken four years and involved approximately 2,700 miles of travel.