Partial view of Ephesus’ commercial agora site, where the riot (Acts 19:23-29) probably began (Wilson, 2020a) (all photos taken on March 21, 2023 by Elexa Liu).
In two preceding blogs, we studied the Scriptures regarding the messages to the churches in Laodicea and in Smyrna. This blog will explore the message to the church in Ephesus, another city whose archaeological ruins were visited after an international conference in March, 2023.[1] Ephesus was the first of seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation. Studying the context of this message, we will glean lessons for us as disciples living today in Hong Kong.
Context of the Message in the Book of Revelation
The sites of the Seven Churches almost form an arc in modern Türkiye. (Jonadab, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
In earlier blog posts the messages to specific churches were described as letters. The entire book of Revelation, in fact, appears as a single letter (Duvall & Hays, 2012). After an opening prologue, John opens the book addressed “to the seven churches in the province of Asia” and concludes the book with the following: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Rev 1:4, 22:21). Bauckham (1993) posited that “Revelation is really a single letter addressed to all seven churches” (p.2). The angel of the LORD typically gave to each church a greeting, description of Jesus, commendation of the good things in the church, condemnation of the bad things there, an appeal, a warning, an exhortation, and a promise (Ferguson, 1996, p. 36). So, as the one letter was circulated, believers scattered throughout the region listened to the commendation and condemnation of not only their own church but of the other churches in Asia:
This praise and censure, being heard by the churches throughout the province, is very public and thus even more powerful an affirmation and deterrent as each local church’s fame throughout the circle of churches is augmented or diminished as the Judge makes his appraisal known.
deSilva, 2000, p. 80
DeSilva (2000) remarked that the honorable course for believers in the context of growing persecution in the Roman Empire in the first-century was to aspire to overcome, a message consistently emphasized to the churches (New International Version Bible, 2011, Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26-27, 3:5, 12, 21) and demonstrated in “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” who “triumphed” or overcame (New International Version Bible, 2011, Rev 5:5).
Background on the First Church of Asia, Ephesus
Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire in the first century, behind Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch, with an estimated population of 250,000 (Wilson, 2020a). Though over time silting hindered its harbor, Ephesus served as a port until 1244 AD (Wilson, 2020a). Situated at the western end of a road running from eastern Anatolia to Syria, Ephesus became important administratively after the Roman Empire created the province of Asia in 129 BC (Wilson, 2020a). The city built its temple to the imperial cult in 89/90 AD. Wilson (2020a) recorded that “sometime in 1C AD Ephesus replaced Pergamum as the provincial capital” and that “inscriptions refer to Ephesus as ‘First and Greatest Metropolis of Asia’” (p. 199).
In addition to Roman emperor worship, Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World and four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens (Wilson, 2020a). Pilgrims flocked annually to Ephesus to worship Artemis (Acts 19:27 mentioned her worshippers). The temple was not only a place of worship but also a banking center and a place for the poor to find protection (Wilson, 2020a).
Upper Ephesus and its view along the walk downhill. In the distance is the famous library facade. The covered area on the left hillside protects terraced housing, home to wealthier Ephesians.
Ephesus also was known as “a center for magical practices” (Wilson, 2020a, p. 200). The Ephesia Grammata were “written or oral magical spells” (Wilson, 2020a, p. 200) that purportedly had power to ward off evil spirits. As Wilson (2020a) noted, many Ephesians converting to Christ repented from magic: “a number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Acts 19:19).
From Acts 18:19 we learn that the Apostle Paul left Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus. Working as a tentmaker, Paul “had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Acts 19:9). Meinardus (1974) posited that these daily discussions likely occurred during the heat of the day (11 AM to 4 PM), when laborers like Paul rested from their occupations. Paul spoke with a fervor that kept weary Ephesians engaged during this resting time (Wilson, 2020a, p. 213).
A significant Jewish community developed in Ephesus, perhaps for over three hundred years (Trebilco, 2018). It stirred up discontent when it sent large amounts of money to Jerusalem (Trebilco, 2018). Documents recorded that the Jews did not show up in court on the Sabbath and were subsequently fined (Trebilco, 2018). This evidence suggests that the Ephesian Jews had gained prominence—some were even Roman citizens (Trebilco, 2018). Decrees by Lentulus (49 BC) and Dolabella (43 BC) confirmed the Jews’ rights in the city (Wilson, 2020a).
Overall, Ephesus held great prominence in Asia in the first century as a political, economic, and religious center. The Jews had a significant, organized presence in the city. Today we associate “the city with Paul, John and Timothy, and some claim that Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Mary Magdalene spent their last days there” (Meinardus, 1974, p. 71). Decades later, Ephesus was the first church that Ignatius addressed on his way to Rome for his martyrdom in 117 AD (Wilson, 2020a, p. 201-202).
With this background and context in mind, let’s now turn to Revelation 2:1-7.
To The Text
Revelation 2:1 references Jesus, the one holding the seven stars and walking among the golden lampstands. Verse 2 lists numerous commendations of the church in Ephesus: 1) its deeds, 2) hard work, and 3) perseverance were known. The church 4) rejected wicked men, 5) tested those who claim apostleship, and 6) exposed those who were false. Beasley-Murray (1994) indicated that these wicked ones were likely the Nicolaitans, who embodied an evil morality. In verse 3, the church’s perseverance, endurance through hardship, and lack of weariness were commended. Before all believers in the province of Asia, the Ephesians stood out as highly commended.
Then we encounter the crux of the message:
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
New International Version Bible, 2011, Rev 2:4-5
The message turns from commendation to condemnation (Ferguson, 1996), repeated three times in 1) the forsaking of their first love, 2) the challenge to consider how far they had fallen, and 3) the call to repent. And what was this love that they first had? Wilson (2020b) summarized twelve interpretations for it. Some of those interpretations included the following: love for God, love for others, concern for the poor, and love for the brothers because a divided leadership had created factions. Other interpretations of having forsaken this first love included a harsh spirit whose concern for orthodoxy had led to less love to a diminishing enthusiasm in successive generations of conversions to a lack of publicly testifying to the gospel of Christ (Wilson, 2020b). Opposed to this first love stood a binary opposite, a “second love” (Wilson, 2020b, p.3) that had now overtaken many Christians in the church at Ephesus.
And what was this second love that necessitated a call for repentance? We recall that the Smyrnaean Christians had to stand firm in their faith to forego the benefits of identification with the Jews, who enjoyed privileged status in the Roman Empire. As in other localities, the Jews in Ephesus continually tended to their status and had their detractors, as mentioned earlier. During these turbulent times, the Ephesians Christians who arose from the Jewish faith “were being forced to choose which community they would be a part of” (Wilson, 2020b, p.6). Would they come out of the shadows, living out their faith totally, fully exposed in public? Or, had “they decided that the price of being a follower of Jesus—familial, social, and religious ostracism – was too great and they loved human approbation over that of God” (Wilson, 2020b, p.7)? Their decisions had social, economic, and even more serious ramifications, but the times challenged them to “orient themselves toward the society as if in a battle” (deSilva, 2000, p. 80). They had much to overcome.
The second half of verse 5 is worth repeating: “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (New International Version Bible, 2011, 2:5b). Ferguson (1996) remarked that “since the lampstand signifies the church (New International Version Bible, 2011, Rev 1:20), this scripture shows that a group of people can lose their identity in God’s sight as a true church” (p. 39). God sternly warned them that their sin had consequences and they could lose their standing before Him if they did not repent.
Revelation 2:6 returns to another word of praise. The Ephesian believers hated the Nicolaitans, whom shared similarities with the Balaamites (Rev 2:14) and the followers of Jezebel (Rev 2:20) in that they were destructive forces found internally in the church at the time (Morris, 1987). John commended the Ephesians for staying pure, separating themselves from participating in meals involving idolatry, one of the Nicolaitan’s teachings (deSilva, 2000). We must hate that which God hates, including any false teaching that finds its way into our midst.
Community and terraced houses (covered, top right). Researchers suppose Christians may have gathered in such houses, which were more spacious than typical homes.
This message’s last verse assures honor to those who triumph over the temptation to compromise and fit in with society: “to the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Rev 2:7).
Final Thoughts
The Bible records some early history of the church in Ephesus. We marvel at the demons who recognized Jesus’ name, the sorcerers’ books being burned, and the riot that ensued when the local trade and the worship of Artemis were threatened (New International Version Bible, 2011, Acts 19). These events impressed the Ephesians to believe in God’s power to overcome. Along the way, however, their faith “cooled off gradually and perhaps almost imperceptibly” (Ferguson, 1996, p. 39). This message soberly reminds me of the danger of my faith slipping away if I compromise into a lifestyle that resembles that of others around me. God loved the Ephesians enough to warn them, and He loves us equally so today. He urges us to recall our first devotion, honor His name, and overcome.
Questions to Consider
- God called the Ephesian believers to consider the first love, that place of devotion and priority, from which they had fallen. What was this first love for you? Is there still an area of your life—professional, social, or familial—where you still seek the praise of others more than the praise of God?
- What would it mean for you “to do the things you did at first”? Discuss this with other Christians in your small group.
References
Bauckham, R. (1993). The theology of the book of Revelation. Cambridge University Press.
Beasely-Murray, G.R. (1994). Revelation. In Wenham, G.J., Motyer, J.A., Carson,D.A., & France, R.T. (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th Edition, pp. 1421-1455). Inter-Varsity Press.
Duvall, J.S. & Hays, J.D. (2012). Grasping God’s Word: A hands-on approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible. Zondervan.
Ferguson, G. (1996). Mine eyes have seen the glory: The victory of the lamb in the book of revelation. Discipleship Publications International.
Meinardus, O. F. A. (1974). Christian remains of the seven churches of the Apocalypse. The Biblical Archaeologist, 37(3), 69–82.
Morris, L. (1987). The book of revelation: An introduction and commentary (2nd ed.). Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press.
New International Version Bible. (2011). NIV online. https://www.biblestudytools.com/niv/
Trebilco, P. (2018). The Jewish community in Ephesus and its interaction with Christ-believers in the first century CE and beyond. In J. R. Harrison & L. L. Welborn (Eds.), The first urban churches 3: Ephesus (pp. 93–126). Society of Biblical Literature. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt20d87z1.6
Wilson, M. (2020a). Biblical Turkey: A guide to the jewish and christian sites of asia minor (4th ed.). Zero Produksiyon Ltd.
Wilson, M. (2020b). Whom do the Ephesians love: Christ or Caesar? Pharos Journal of Theology, 101, 1–16.
[1] I am grateful for the support of the Hong Kong Church of Christ, enabling myself and my wife to join many other conference participants on this educational tour of several Asian church city sites.