Day 15

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 15, September 14, 2009

 

            On the
schedule, this was to be a day of rest, after what was presumed going to have
been a long day-trip yesterday to Patmos. 
[English majors, diagram that sentence!] 
On Saturday, because of our visit to “Mary’s House” and rain later in
the day, we did not make it to Ephesus, so we re-scheduled that for today.  That was fine with me, since I did not come
on this course to take days of rest.  We
did delay breakfast, and boarded the bus at 10 am.  Ephesus is only fifteen minutes from the
hotel.  We ended up spending 3 ½ hours at
Ephesus.  Saturday, we arrived so late,
that even without the rain, we probably would not have spent 2 hours there, so
in the grand scheme of things, this schedule was much better (though I could
still have done without “Mary’s House.”

            The restoration
of Ephesus began in 1951.  It is one of
the largest restoration projects ever.  There
is Hellenic town below what has been restored, but because of the significance
of Ephesus, no deeper digging has been done. 
There has been a city of Ephesus in the area since 8000 B.C.  It has been moved several times.  As I mentioned the other day, Ephesus is far
more significant in the development of the early Church than just Paul’s letter
to the Ephesians.  The fact that he lived
there, taught there, wrote letters to other Churches from there, was even
imprisoned there, and established more than a few “house” churches combined to
make a huge difference in the spread of Christianity.  Ephesus was a large port city, linking trade
routes from the East and the West.  John
the Evangelist also lived there, and probably wrote his Gospel, as well as his
letters of John.

            Go to
the picture album for today for pictures. 
Basically they look like any other restoration project.  The Library is probably the most famous
structure.  The theater could seat 24,000
people.

            Less well
known is Ephesus’ significance as the site of the Third Ecumenical Council, the
Council of Ephesus in 431.    The major
issue was considering the place of Mary, mother of Jesus.  For centuries after Jesus’ death, Mary’s
significance grew.  She became a model of
obedience and purity.  Icons often
picture her holding the baby Jesus in one hand and pointing a finger toward him
with the other.

            At
Ephesus, the ruins of the Church of Mary are being restored.  It is also known as the “Council Church,” where
the Emperor and Bishops gathered in 431. 
Unlike “Mary’s House,” this is indeed the place where the meeting was
held. There is also a pretty impressive Baptismal Font here!

Peace,

   Bob