ephesus.

The drapes to our stateroom balcony were pulled open just as we were pulling into port in Kusadasi, Turkey.  Laying in bed I looked out at a historic castle located on “Pigeon Island,” and quickly jumped out of bed to get ready for the day. Excitement grew as the plans were to visit the Biblical ruins of Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In order to maximize the time in this city that I had been most looking forward to of the entire trip, we were ready to get off the ship exactly when the gangway allowed us to do so.  We started off the day visiting the home of the Virgin Mary. On the way to the House of the Virgin Mary was St. John Basilica, which is where John wrote the gospel of John.  The house we visited is considered to be the last home of Mary because in the Gospel of John we are told that before dying on the cross, Jesus entrusted to John the care of His mother whom He said: “Here is your Mother” and from that hour John took her to his own.  It is amazing to think of what it must have been like in the days that she lived there.

Next we took a bus back down to the ruins of Ephesus. Every part of the journey was so amazing to witness.  The journey through the ruins began at the Odeon, which is a small building in the shape of a small theatre. It was first used as a Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Boulea or the Senate and was later used as the Odeum as a concert hall for performances. As we walked forward, we passed several sites, such as the homes and latrines of the time along with the temple of Artemis and Hadrian before reaching the Library of Celsus, which is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus.  The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.

I feel so blessed to be able to see all of these sights but the most magnificent and powerful moments was the arrival and leading up to the arrival of the Great Theatre where the Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesian people.  We stopped at a little platform where we can read in Acts 19:23 – 41 about the Big Riot Against Paul. It is just incredible to imagine what it must have been like and the validity of what we read today, centuries later.  A few steps later, we approached the most impressive structure in Ephesus ancient city, the Great Theatre itself.  I was able to walk on the same stage and sit on the same seats where Paul preached and where the book of Ephesians originated.  Ephesus was the capital of Asia Minor at the time; it was similar to the New York City of the time.  Although I could talk about this particular visit for hours, I will let the pictures share the rest. 

Cisterns that the Virgin Mary probably got water from.

The Virgin Mary’s Home

In front of the Odeon

These were houses at the time, can you believe it?

Look at the latrines they would use below. Can you imagine?

The Library of Celsus

This is a picture of where the Riot took place, wow!

I was utterly amazed by the theatre.