Walking in the footsteps of Paul

The Market Square, known as the commercial agora, was the trade center of Ephesus. Paul, a tentmaker could have used this marketplace to sell his tents along with Priscilla and Aquilla (Acts 18:18–19, 24–28) while they shared the gospel.
Photo courtesy of Janet Erwin

Walking in the footsteps of Paul

By Monte and Janet Erwin

I never assumed travel would become such an important part of my life when I went to serve as a Journeyman with the International Mission Board so many years ago.

Years later, my wife, Janet, and I have a great deal of travel under our belts, but we never imagined visiting Turkey until our son took a job teaching academic English at a university in Ankara in early 2021. Suddenly we realized Turkey had to be a place we visited. The more we researched, the more we realized the biblical and historical significance of this region of the world.

Asia Minor

The Great Theater was where a local mob gathered to prevent Paul from preaching so as not to bring the downfall of the worship of Artemis (Acts 19:23–41). The amphitheater, believed to be the largest in the ancient world, had a 25,000-seating capacity used for drama and gladiatorial combats.

Turkey (known as Asia Minor in Scripture) offered us the opportunity to walk the footsteps of the Apostle Paul in the ancient city ruins of Ephesus (Acts 19) as well as hike and take a fascinating hot-air balloon ride over the dwellings of early Christians in the region known as Cappadocia (Acts 2:9).

Ephesus is known as one of the most important early Christian cities for spreading Christianity in the Roman period. Paul was the pastor of the first Christian church in Ephesus with Timothy following him. The Apostle John is said to have penned his letters from Ephesus.

We saw countless Roman ruins in Istanbul and the ruins and artifacts of such ancient civilizations as the Phrygians and Hittites at the archeological museum in Ankara.

The sudden reality of how old these things were rolled over us like a wave that moved us to a place of awe and inspiration.

Of all the fascinating things I saw and experienced in Ephesus, the thing that caught and held my attention and wonder for a moment was looking over into the marketplace where Paul would have joined with Priscilla and Aquila in his trade as a tentmaker.

It’s undeniable that this physical context made our study and knowledge of Scripture even richer. It’s as if the Spirit were whispering in my ear, “You have known all along that these things from My word were real because of your faith. Now, see with your eyes.”

The experience added to what we already know and caused us to worship the God of truth in those moments.

If you have the opportunity to travel to Turkey, Janet and I highly recommend it. Maybe you are not able to travel by stepping onto an airplane. If not, just search the words ancient Ephesus and travel through pictures and the experiences of others who have been there. Consider adding this visual aspect to your personal Bible study in this new year.