Ephesus, the Greatest City of Asia Minor
The next stop on our cruise was the ancient city of Ephesus. There used to be a port right next to it, but over the centuries the Aegean Sea has receded about 9 kilometers, so we pulled into the near port/tourist city of Kusadasi, Turkey.
Ephesus is still a beautiful city even though it has been reduced down to little more than facades and piles of rock. It was the "New York City" of ancient Asia Minor, with a large government, about 250,000 citizens, and thriving business/trade. I can definitely see why Paul spent 3 years of his ministry in that city. It would have been a beautiful sight to see during the time of the Roman Empire.
The top picture is the Library of Celsus, the third largest library of antiquity. It would have housed around 12,000 scrolls and documents. It's beautiful 2-story facade is still standing majestically over the main street of the city. I can only imagine that Paul spent some time in this library studying history, philosophy, and theology - he…