Ephesus in the Bible: What Happened There and Where It Is Today

Short answer: Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and one of the main centres of the early church. In the New Testament, Paul visited it briefly and then lived there for about three years (Acts 18–20), Timothy was left in charge of its church (1 Timothy 1:3), and it received the Letter to the Ephesians and the first of the seven letters in Revelation (2:1–7). Its ruins lie next to the town of Selçuk, in Izmir province on Turkey's Aegean coast.

Below are the passages in order, then the later traditions about John, Mary and the Council of 431, kept apart from what the Bible says, and the places you can still see. Quotations are from the New International Version (NIV).

Where Ephesus Appears in the Bible

The NIV names Ephesus in 17 verses, all in the New Testament: nine in Acts, two each in 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy and Revelation, and one each in Ephesians and 1 Timothy. Its people, the Ephesians, also appear in Acts 19 and 21.

Ephesus in Paul's Day

When Paul arrived, Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and a trading port near the mouth of the Cayster River. Its fame rested on the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, which Acts calls "the temple of the great goddess Artemis" (Acts 19:27). The city also had a Jewish community with a synagogue (Acts 18:19), and that is where Paul began.

Paul's First Visit, Priscilla and Aquila, and Apollos (Acts 18)

Ephesus enters the Bible at the end of Paul's second missionary journey, in the early 50s AD. Sailing from Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila, a Jewish couple who were tentmakers like him, Paul stopped at Ephesus and "reasoned with the Jews" in the synagogue (Acts 18:19). Asked to stay longer, he declined, promising, "I will come back if it is God's will" (18:21). Priscilla and Aquila stayed, and when Paul later wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus he passed on greetings from them and from "the church that meets at their house" (1 Corinthians 16:19).

Meanwhile a learned Jew from Alexandria named Apollos came to Ephesus. He "taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John" (18:25), so Priscilla and Aquila invited him home and "explained to him the way of God more adequately" (18:26) before he moved on to Greece.

Paul's Three Years in Ephesus (Acts 19)

On his third journey Paul kept his promise and stayed. Acts gives the outline: three months of debate in the synagogue, then two years of daily discussions "in the lecture hall of Tyrannus" (19:8–10), so that "all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord." Scholars often date the stay to about AD 52–55; some place it a year or two later. Our article on Paul in Ephesus covers the miracles, the sons of Sceva, the burning of the scrolls and the timeline in detail.

The Riot in the Theatre

Near the end of the stay, a silversmith named Demetrius, "who made silver shrines of Artemis," warned the craftsmen that Paul was teaching "that gods made by human hands are no gods at all" (19:24–26). The crowd rushed into the theatre with two of Paul's companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and shouted "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours, until the city clerk calmed them and dismissed the assembly. Paul wanted to go in, but the disciples stopped him, so he never spoke in the theatre. Historians debate how closely the account follows events, but the theatre it names still stands; see our Ephesus Great Theatre guide.

What Paul Wrote From Ephesus

1 Corinthians was written in Ephesus: "I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me" (1 Corinthians 16:8–9). Some scholars think Galatians, Philippians, Philemon or parts of 2 Corinthians were written there too.

The same letter says, "If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?" (15:32), and scholars have long argued whether Paul means real animals or human opponents. He also recalls troubles in the province of Asia so heavy that "we despaired of life itself" (2 Corinthians 1:8). From hints like these, a number of scholars think Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus. Acts never mentions it, so this remains a theory.

Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders at Miletus (Acts 20)

Later, hurrying to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost, Paul chose to "sail past Ephesus" and sent for the church's elders to meet him at Miletus, a port further down the coast (Acts 20:16–17). He reminded them that "for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears" (20:31), warned of "savage wolves" to come (20:29), and quoted a saying of Jesus found nowhere in the Gospels: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (20:35). They wept and walked him to the ship, grieving most that they "would never see his face again" (20:38).

Miletus, Milet in Turkish, lies near the mouth of the Büyük Menderes River, about 30 km south of Söke. Like Ephesus, it lost its harbours to silt. Acts does not say where in the city Paul met the elders.

Ephesus comes up once more. In Jerusalem, Jews from the province of Asia accused Paul of bringing Greeks into the temple, because they had seen him with "Trophimus the Ephesian" (Acts 21:27–29), and that accusation led to his arrest.

The Letter to the Ephesians

The letter is addressed "To God's holy people in Ephesus" (Ephesians 1:1), but the NIV adds a footnote: "Some early manuscripts do not have in Ephesus." That is one reason scholars have suggested it was meant to be read in several churches of the region. Its author calls himself a prisoner (3:1; 4:1), and tradition dates it to Paul's imprisonment in Rome in the early 60s AD, with Tychicus as its carrier (6:21–22). Many modern scholars think a follower wrote it in Paul's name later in the first century; others hold to Paul's authorship.

Either way, it was written to Ephesus, not from it, and unlike 1 Corinthians it sends no personal greetings. Our Letter to the Ephesians guide goes through it chapter by chapter and sets out the authorship debate.

Timothy in Ephesus (1 and 2 Timothy)

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer," begins 1 Timothy (1:3). In 2 Timothy, Paul remembers how Onesiphorus "helped me in Ephesus" (1:18), writes "I sent Tychicus to Ephesus" (4:12) and greets Priscilla and Aquila (4:19).

These letters present themselves as Paul's, and many Christians read them that way, but many scholars think a follower wrote them after his death. Later tradition made Timothy the first bishop of Ephesus, as Eusebius recorded in the early 4th century.

Ephesus in Revelation (Revelation 1:11 and 2:1–7)

Revelation opens with John "on the island of Patmos" (1:9), told to write to "the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea" (1:11). Ephesus comes first, and so does its letter (2:1–7). It praises the church's "hard work" and "perseverance" and its testing of "those who claim to be apostles but are not," then rebukes it: "You have forsaken the love you had at first." Unless it repents, its lampstand will be removed; the faithful are promised "the right to eat from the tree of life."

Revelation is usually dated to about AD 95; Irenaeus placed the vision "towards the end of Domitian's reign." Tradition identifies its author with the Apostle John, but the book does not say so, and the question was debated in the early church. See the Church of Ephesus in Revelation for the letter line by line, and the Seven Churches of Revelation guide for the other six cities.

What the Bible Does Not Say: John, Mary and the Council

Some of the best-known Christian stories about Ephesus come from after the New Testament. They are old and important, but they are tradition, not scripture.

The Apostle John

The New Testament never says that John lived or died in Ephesus. The tradition appears in the late 2nd century, when Irenaeus of Lyon wrote that John published his Gospel "during his residence at Ephesus in Asia" and stayed there "until the times of Trajan." Around 190 Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, wrote that John "also sleeps at Ephesus," meaning he was buried there. Ancient writers also asked which John this was: in the 4th century Eusebius noted "two tombs in Ephesus, each of which, even to the present day, is called John's." One grave became the recognised shrine by the 4th century, and Emperor Justinian built a great basilica over it in the 6th; see our Basilica of St. John guide.

Mary and the House of the Virgin Mary

At the cross Jesus entrusted his mother to "the disciple whom he loved," who "took her into his home" (John 19:26–27). The verse names no place. As the Catholic Encyclopedia put it in 1909, the opinion that Mary died at Ephesus "rests on no ancient testimony," and an older tradition places her tomb in Jerusalem. The House of the Virgin Mary on the hill above the ruins was identified in the 19th century from the published visions of a German nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich. Christians and Muslims pray there, and Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI came as pilgrims; see our House of the Virgin Mary guide.

The Council of Ephesus (431)

In 431 bishops met in the city's cathedral, the Church of Mary, and upheld Mary's title Theotokos, "Mother of God," against Nestorius. Its ruins stand near the lower entrance of the ancient city; our Council of Ephesus article tells the story. By late antiquity Ephesus drew pilgrims to St John's church, the Church of Mary, the Cemetery of the Seven Sleepers and a tomb of St Luke, though the Seven Sleepers are a legend and the tradition that Luke died at Ephesus is less well supported.

Where Is Biblical Ephesus Today?

Biblical Ephesus is in Turkey. Its ruins stand on the edge of Selçuk in Izmir province, about 20 km from Kuşadası. In Turkish the city is Efes; in English it is pronounced EF-uh-sus (see what the name Ephesus means). Nobody lives in the ancient city. Silt from the Cayster River pushed the coast several kilometres west, the harbour died, and life moved to Ayasuluk Hill, where the town grew up around the Basilica of St. John.

The Austrian Archaeological Institute has excavated Ephesus since 1895, and the site has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2015. For how the church buildings relate to each other, see where the Ephesian church actually stood.

Visiting the Biblical Sites of Ephesus Today

Most of the places linked to these passages can be seen in a day from Selçuk or Kuşadası; Miletus needs a separate trip.

• The Great Theatre (Acts 19): on the main route through the ancient city. It was completed in its present form under Emperor Trajan, about half a century after the riot.
• Harbor Street: the colonnaded street from the theatre toward the old harbour, where Paul would have arrived and left by ship. Emperor Arcadius rebuilt it around AD 400, and the harbour is now farmland.
• The Church of Mary: where the Council of 431 met, near the lower (north) entrance, on the standard Ephesus ticket.
• The Temple of Artemis site: on the edge of Selçuk. Little survives beyond one re-erected column and scattered foundations.
• The Ephesus Museum, Selçuk: has a hall devoted to Artemis of Ephesus, the goddess at the centre of the riot.
• The Basilica of St. John: on Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, over the traditional tomb of John.
• The House of the Virgin Mary: on the wooded hill above the ruins, reached by car.
• Miletus (Acts 20): south of Ephesus near Söke, with its theatre and a site museum.

The ancient city, the Basilica of St. John and the Ephesus Museum are run by Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and opening hours change with the season, so check muze.gov.tr before you go.

If you would like a guide who knows the texts as well as the stones, our biblical and Christian tours in Turkey range from one-day itineraries that take in the theatre, the Church of Mary, the Basilica of St. John and the House of the Virgin Mary, to the four-day Seven Churches route. The 14-day Footsteps of St Paul pilgrimage also stops at Miletus.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in Ephesus in the Bible?
Paul visited briefly (Acts 18), then lived and taught there for about three years, and his preaching led to the silversmiths' riot in the theatre (Acts 19:23–41). He said goodbye to its elders at Miletus (Acts 20), and its church received the Letter to the Ephesians and the first letter in Revelation (2:1–7).

Where is Ephesus mentioned in the Bible?
In 17 verses of the NIV: Acts 18:19, 21, 24; 19:1, 17, 26, 35; 20:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:32; 16:8; Ephesians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:18; 4:12; Revelation 1:11 and 2:1. The Old Testament never mentions it.

What does Revelation say about Ephesus?
Revelation 2:1–7 praises the church for its hard work and for exposing false apostles, then rebukes it: "You have forsaken the love you had at first." It calls the church to repent and promises the faithful the tree of life.

What country is Ephesus in today?
Turkey. The ruins are next to Selçuk in Izmir province, about 20 km from Kuşadası. In New Testament times the city belonged to the Roman province of Asia, in what is now western Turkey.

Where is Ephesus on a Bible map?
On the west coast of Asia Minor, in the Roman province of Asia, between Smyrna (modern Izmir) to the north and Miletus to the south. Patmos, where John received Revelation, lies off the coast to the southwest.

How do you pronounce Ephesus?
EF-uh-sus, with the stress on the first syllable; Ephesians is ih-FEE-zhənz. See the meaning and pronunciation of Ephesus.

Did John and Mary live in Ephesus?
The Bible does not say so. From the late 2nd century, church writers said the Apostle John lived and was buried there. The belief that Mary lived there is later and less certain; an older tradition places her tomb in Jerusalem.

Can you visit biblical Ephesus today?
Yes. The ancient city, with the theatre of Acts 19 and the Church of Mary, is an open-air site outside Selçuk. The Temple of Artemis site, the Basilica of St. John and the Ephesus Museum are in Selçuk, and Miletus is a separate trip.

To follow Paul's years in the city step by step, continue to Paul in Ephesus.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Blcksprt (CC BY-SA 4.0), Roy Egloff (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0), Isabeau (CC BY-SA 4.0).