Miletus
Summary
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Asia Minor where Paul summoned the Ephesian elders and delivered his farewell address to them during his third missionary journey.
☩History and Location
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Asia Minor, about thirty-six miles south of Ephesus on the Meander River delta. In early times it was the most flourishing city of the Ionian Greeks, famous for establishing numerous colonies around the Black Sea and Mediterranean. It was the birthplace of the philosophers Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes. By Paul's day, however, its glory had faded considerably; it had been absorbed into the Persian Empire, later conquered by Alexander the Great, and had yielded its commercial preeminence to Ephesus. The Meander River's alluvial deposits gradually silted up its harbors, and today the ancient site lies about six miles from the coast.
☩Paul's Farewell Address
During his third missionary journey, Paul deliberately bypassed Ephesus, being pressed for time to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost. When his ship put in at Miletus for several days, he sent a message to Ephesus—about thirty miles distant—summoning the elders of the church to meet him. The address Paul delivered to them is one of the most moving passages in Acts, containing his testimony of faithful ministry, his warnings about future dangers, and his commendation of them to God's grace. When he finished, they prayed together and wept, grieving especially at his words that they would not see his face again, and accompanied him to the ship.
☩Later Visit
Paul apparently visited Miletus again after his release from his first Roman imprisonment, for he mentions leaving Trophimus there sick. This reference in Second Timothy indicates Paul's continued travels in the eastern Mediterranean before his final arrest and martyrdom.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Miletus," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VI (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Miletus," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 3.James Orr (ed.), "Miletus," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).