What Happened to Ephesus After the First Century?
According to Encarta, here’s a brief history of Ephesus beginning with the church established by Paul in the first century. “Ephesus was the site of the third general council of the Christian church, which condemned the Nestorian heresy, in 431. Having been destroyed by the Goths in 262, Ephesus, although rebuilt, never regained its former splendor. Under the Byzantine Empire it declined, and its harbor silted up; it was abandoned in the 14th century. Excavations at Ephesus, begun in 1863, have uncovered temples to Artemis, public buildings, works of the Greek sculptors Phidias and Polyclitus, and a portrait of Alexander the Great.” Visitors to Ephesus today will find one of the finest examples of a city from the first century. In addition to impressive columns, walls, and roads, excavations uncovered a 24,000-seat theater.
