In the Apostles’ Footsteps – Part 7 – Brad Jersak – “A Better Paradise”
Follow Dr. Bradley Jersak, PTM’s pastoral scholar, as he walks the ancient streets of biblical cities across Türkiye and Greece—sites where Christ’s apostles once trod. Knowing that Paul the apostle or John the beloved disciple traversed those same stones is a profound experience that brings the words of Scripture to life. In this series, Brad offers reflections on key locations he visited with students and friends of St. Stephen’s University.
In our previous post, I introduced readers to “the Great Artemis” (aka Diana), the virgin goddess whom Paul’s gospel took to task in Acts 19. In this installment of “In the Apostles’ Footsteps,” we revisit her with an allusion in Jesus’ message to the Ephesians in the Revelation of the Apostle John.
Jesus’ Message to the Ephesians
Let’s begin with Jesus message to the church in Ephesus, recorded by John in Revelation 2 (in the New Living Translation):
1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.
4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
That last phrase is a powerful reference to the Ephesian experience! First, a substantial Jewish community had settled in Ephesus for at least 300 years despite the animosity between Jews and Gentiles. The tree of life in the midst of Paradise was part of their Torah training from Genesis 2. But those themes also related directly to the Ephesian cult of Artemis (aka to the Romans as Diana). She was the daughter of Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans – Acts 19:35) and twin sister of Apollo. The Ephesians liked to claim she was born in their city.
I’ll pause here to give full credit to my colleague Dr. Peter Fitch, who co-led our trip and teaches “Ancient Insights for Today” at St. Stephen’s University and to Dr. Colin Hemer, whose research I’m leaning on (from his book The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting).
First, note that the Temple of Diana was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Here’s a reconstruction of what it once looked like:
Impressive. But Fitch and Hemer point out that the site was also called “the Paradise of Diana’s Temple” (“paradise” is literally an enclosed garden), and it was built over a much earlier Artimean sacred grove that featured a “Tree of Life”! The temple was a center for worship, but at times, also boasted “salvation” or sanctuary to suppliant criminals seeking asylum. Despite the lofty claims and centuries of loyalty, Artemis/Diana’s temple went through phases of destruction by fire, earthquake(s), and massacre until this is all that remains:
Now, in Jesus’ message to the messenger of the church of Ephesus, he promises a better Paradise (the New Jerusalem – Revelation 22), the true Tree of Life (the Cross of Christ), and a better salvation (eternal life).
From Diana’s Temple to John’s
Eventually, we made our way from Ephesus proper and Diana’s Temple to the nearby city of Selçuk, where we saw her image in the Ephesus museum (see Artemis in part 6).
We were also able to walk through what remains of the ancient Basilica of St. John, constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. Its altar was built over the traditional tomb of the beloved apostle (whose remains are no longer there).
While I stood at the spot where John’s body may have once been entombed, I recalled the tradition that, as a very old man, his friends would help him up to the ekklesia, where John could repeat those immortal words as his last will and testament. Which words? John’s perpetual response to Jesus’ complaint: You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! John would say to the Ephesians (as in his first epistle), “Brothers and sisters, let us love one another.” Amen and amen.
The Altar Area over the Tomb of St. John
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