Ephesians 81-82_04 Background of Ephesians
Ephesians 1981-82 Corps Teachings. Lesson 1: Background of Ephesians. BACKGROUND OF EPHESIANS September 9, 1981 Tonight’s opening of the introduction to the greatest revelation the Church has ever received, and the greatest treatise in the Bible, the Book of Ephesians. So we go to the background of Ephesians tonight. And the only way I know that the Corps will ever get all of this is you’re just going to have to listen to the tape again and then make your notes (gotta take my coat off; it’s too hot)…and then make your notes to help yourself on it so that you really get the background of Ephesians. The Research Department under Rev. Walter Cummins took all of the work that I did last year, which was just fantastically extensive and sort of capitulated, epitomized it, whatever it is; reduced it in size, what is that? Huh? condensed it and put the salient facts in. And I’m really grateful to Walter and the Research Department for doing this ‘cause this will make it very simple for our people and very concise that should they take Ephesians and put it as one of the teachings in…uh, uh…what do you call it? The University of Life, I think this particular introduction may be the one they will utilize. You see, in the first century, Ephesus was a major seaport on the west coast of Asia Minor, and that corresponds to our modern Turkey. So get yourself a map and look it up. And Ephesus was on one end of a major caravan, land route that linked inland Asia with the coast. It was also a major sea port linking Greece and Europe with the East. Hence, the established 300,000 inhabitants in New Testament times participated in much commerce and trade with travelers. Now according to the historian, Pliny, in his work on Natural History, he states that the waters of the Aegean Sea used to wash up to the Temple of Diana. However, by New Testament times, Ephesus was one and one-half mile inland, yet still located on a natural harbor along the Cayster River. But it was one and one-half mi
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or something; I don’t know.) It must have been absolutely exquisite artistically, gorgeously done. The temple of Diana of the Ephesians was four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. And it was completely adorned with works of art. It contained an image of Diana which by legend had fallen from Jupiter in heaven, Acts 19:35. Even the evidence from ancient coins shows the goddess of the Ephesians was revered throughout the entire ancient world. Acts 19 includes an accurate description of the worship of Diana. The proudest title the people of Ephesus boasted was neokoros (that’s the Greek word n-e-o-k-o-r-o-s). Neokoros—that means servants of the goddess. And that word is translated “worshippers” in Acts 19:35; servants of the goddess. Translated “worshippers” in King James in Acts 19:35. The other noteworthy religion in Ephesus at tim…at the time of Paul was the Judean worship in the