Ephesus

5 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Ephesus
       n : an ancient Greek city on the western shore of Asia Minor in
           what is now Turkey; site of the Temple of Artemis; was a
           major trading center and played an important role in
           early Christianity



From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Ephesus
     the capital of proconsular Asia, which was the western part of
     Asia Minor. It was colonized principally from Athens. In the
     time of the Romans it bore the title of "the first and greatest
     metropolis of Asia." It was distinguished for the Temple of
     Diana (q.v.), who there had her chief shrine; and for its
     theatre, which was the largest in the world, capable of
     containing 50,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres,
     open to the sky. Here were exhibited the fights of wild beasts
     and of men with beasts. (Comp. 1 Cor. 4:9; 9:24, 25; 15:32.)
     
       Many Jews took up their residence in this city, and here the
     seeds of the gospel were sown immediately after Pentecost (Acts
     2:9; 6:9). At the close of his second missionary journey (about
     A.D. 51), when Paul was returning from Greece to Syria
     (18:18-21), he first visited this city. He remained, however,
     for only a short time, as he was hastening to keep the feast,
     probably of Pentecost, at Jerusalem; but he left Aquila and
     Priscilla behind him to carry on the work of spreading the
     gospel.
     
       During his third missionary journey Paul reached Ephesus from
     the "upper coasts" (Acts 19:1), i.e., from the inland parts of
     Asia Minor, and tarried here for about three years; and so
     successful and abundant were his labours that "all they which
     dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and
     Greeks" (19:10). Probably during this period the seven churches
     of the Apocalypse were founded, not by Paul's personal labours,
     but by missionaries whom he may have sent out from Ephesus, and
     by the influence of converts returning to their homes.
     
       On his return from his journey, Paul touched at Miletus, some
     30 miles south of Ephesus (Acts 20:15), and sending for the
     presbyters of Ephesus to meet him there, he delivered to them
     that touching farewell charge which is recorded in Acts
     20:18-35. Ephesus is not again mentioned till near the close of
     Paul's life, when he writes to Timothy exhorting him to "abide
     still at Ephesus" (1 Tim. 1:3).
     
       Two of Paul's companions, Trophimus and Tychicus, were
     probably natives of Ephesus (Acts 20:4; 21:29; 2 Tim. 4:12). In
     his second epistle to Timothy, Paul speaks of Onesiphorus as
     having served him in many things at Ephesus (2 Tim. 1:18). He
     also "sent Tychicus to Ephesus" (4:12), probably to attend to
     the interests of the church there. Ephesus is twice mentioned in
     the Apocalypse (1:11; 2:1).
     
       The apostle John, according to tradition, spent many years in
     Ephesus, where he died and was buried.
     
       A part of the site of this once famous city is now occupied by
     a small Turkish village, Ayasaluk, which is regarded as a
     corruption of the two Greek words, hagios theologos; i.e., "the
     holy divine."
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Ephesus, desirable
  

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Ephesus, GA (town, FIPS 27708)
    Location: 33.40809 N, 85.26181 W
    Population (1990): 324 (136 housing units)
    Area: 7.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

From U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000) [gaz-place]:

  Ephesus, GA -- U.S. town in Georgia
     Population (2000):    388
     Housing Units (2000): 170
     Land area (2000):     3.033525 sq. miles (7.856793 sq. km)
     Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
     Total area (2000):    3.033525 sq. miles (7.856793 sq. km)
     FIPS code:            27708
     Located within:       Georgia (GA), FIPS 13
     Location:             33.405084 N, 85.259625 W
     ZIP Codes (1990):    
     Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
     Headwords:
      Ephesus, GA
      Ephesus