Ephesus

The capital city of the Roman province called Asia (now a part of Turkey). It was an important, old, beautiful city during the time of the New Testament. In Ephesus, an enormous white temple dedicated to the goddess Diana (whose Greek name was Artemis) was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. In the center of the temple was a sacred stone, perhaps a meteorite, that had fallen from the sky. People said it looked like the goddess. Many merchants in Ephesus made their living by selling silver statues of Diana. Paul stayed in Ephesus for nearly three years on his second missionary journey and helped many people become Christians. The merchants were afraid people would stop buying the idols they made, and so they started a riot. Despite this, a strong church was established at Ephesus.