At the Edge of the Pre-Ephesus
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| Class picture at Miletus |
The third day of our excellent adventure was spent in Ephesus and Miletus. Ephesus is where Paul spent a lot of time preaching and writing. The city is amazing! The buildings are so well preserved; I was shocked. We started at the north end of the city and walked until we got to the south end. It was incredible to see every aspect of ancient. We started in what was an mini theater, moved through a residential neighborhood, to the bathhouse, and finally ended up on the main street that led down to the library.
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| Temple at Ephesus |
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| The greatest sign in the world :) |
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| Erica, Sis Muhlestein, and I at the Library, Ephesus |
The library is an extraordinary structure!! It is so massive and imposing on the city around it. The entire facade is in perfect condition. After walking up the cobbled stairs, I found myself in this cavernous room. The roof was missing, but I couldn't help but be envious of the people who got to see the room full of books. It must have allowed for thousands of them to be piled inside. I imagine something like the Beast's library in
Beauty and the Beast with ladders and countless volumes filling the shelves.
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| Main Street of Ephesus |
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| Me at Ephesus |
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| Me :) |
From the library, we made our way to the theater. It was in this theater that Paul faces the boisterous crowd shouting praises to Diana. I cannot imagine how intimidating they must have been. The acoustics of the theater are perfect and sound travels so well. It seems to be amplified. I gained a greater appreciation for the faith of Paul as I realized what a truly remarkable thing it was for him to face a crowd of thousands in that theater. Before we left the theater, my Old Testament class joined ranks with the other section to sing a hymn. We decided to sing
All Creatures of our God and King. As we began to sing, all the other tours groups stopped their discussions and simply listened to us sing. There was a feeling of peace that seemed to fill the bowl of the theater and was a precious moment to witness. This small moment is perhaps one of my favorites. It was so simple yet remarkable at the same time.
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| Theater at Miletus |
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| Temple at Miletus |
We ended our day by traveling to Miletus, Paul's last stop before heading to Jerusalem for the last time. We walked through the theater and then hiked through a swamp to get to a temple that is tucked in the hills. The emerald grass and deep blue sky were perfect. I am amazed by how breathtaking the landscape is in Turkey. I loved just sitting on the bus and looking out the window as drove for miles and miles. At the temple, Brother Muhlestein (my OT professor) gave a short lecture and then allowed us to sit and enjoy everything around us for a moment. I love these stolen moments where I am able to just get lost in my thoughts. I have learned so much from these times. It's amazing what you can learn from yourself when you let the world go away for just a few moments.
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| Miletus |
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Ancient toilets :)
All Pau :) |
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