Today was a highlight of the trip I have been looking forward to for years and that was visiting the ruins of Ephesus. We began the day with worship at a place tradition says Mary the mother of Jesus lived out her older years with the Apostle John. Below you can see a photo of our worship time with Father Ron, followed by an ecterior photo of the chapel and the inside altar dedicated to Mary.
We then headed down the hill to the ruins and discovered amazing pomegranates for sale (this picture's for you Vika!) The next picture below you can see me in front of the amphitheater where the Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians. You also will see a wide-angle shot of the amphitheater from the top step.
The next picture below is of the library of celsus which is one of the most famous of the ruins. One of our group members pointed out a familiar name on a plaque of one of those who helped restore the ruins. I'm pretty sure they are NOT related!
You also can see the street that is the main center of the city. There were cats everywhere in Ephesus to control rodents and they looked like they belonged. It really makes the scriptures come to life when you can see where they actually happened. We read some from the letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, and also from the book of Acts, chapter 19, which tells you a bit about Paul in Ephesus.
The final picture is of the goddess of fertility Artimus who was the main one worshipped in Ephesus. We saw this statue in the museum there. She is important because it was her worship that Paul preached against and he convinced so many to turn from her to Jesus that the craftsmen who made and sold idols tried to have Paul arrested for denting their pocket books. You can read about this in Acts 19.
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