I’m excited to give you the good news on book three in The Last Disciple Series. I just sent off the edited and revised manuscript to my editors. The next steps are proofreading and formatting and then, Lord willing, we’ll hit our publication date–March 18, 2024.

The Last Disciple: Exile in Ephesus

The title for book three is: The Last Disciple: Exile in Ephesus. The story begins in a Roman dungeon in Antioch but soon moves to Ephesus.

In the first century, Ephesus was the capital of the Roman Province of Asia, with a population estimated at 200,000, the third most populous city in the Roman Empire. It was a grand city with many impressive buildings. Perhaps the two most notable were the Great Theater and the Temple of Artemis.

The Great Theater

The Great Theater of Ephesus was enormous even by our standards today. Back then it could hold up to 25,000 people and it was at the center of the city. Those coming up from the harbor area had to turn either right or left because Harbor Street ended at the theater.

A block or so away from the theater was the commercial market or agora in which Paul repaired tents during his stay in the city.

This vast theater was also the scene of a riot documented in Acts 19. It was instigated by Demetrius, the leader of the silversmith’s guild. He stirred up anger over the rise of Christianity in Ephesus:

About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen, 25 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, “Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth. 26 You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands. 27 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.” ²⁸ When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater…

Acts 19:23-29 WEB

Another amazing structure was the Temple of Artemis, considered one of the seven ‘wonders’ of the ancient world.

Ephesus & The Temple Of Artemis

The vast marble temple was  dedicated to the Greek goddess of nature, Artemis. Four hundred feet in length and two hundred in width, the temple had 127 columns that were sixty feet high.

From a distance, it’s hard to gain a sense of the majesty of a structure so massive and yet so elegant. It was built in what is now Turkey, yet we see an architectural form that seems so ‘Greek’ to us.

The Goddess Artemis

The Temple of Artemis was central to the pride of Ephesians and it also played an important role in social and economic life.

The Artemis festival was probably the highlight of the year in Ephesus. Certainly, music, games, and theatrical events played a role in the excitement, but young men and women flocked to the temple to party and to celebrate the earthy sensuality of the great goddess herself. 

Whom Do You Serve?

The early Christians frequently struggled to work in a given trade or occupation. To work in a trade required allegiance to guilds that operated much like unions or trade associations do today. These guilds had strong ties to the Temple of Artemis and allegiance to the temple was essential to membership in the guild. At their banquets, guild members ate food and drank wine blessed by the pagan priests.

For Christians, this presented a huge problem. They had to choose whom they would serve: Jesus Christ or the goddess Artemis. This struggle to work and survive played an important role in the early Christian church. In other cities, the same struggle existed, only the name of the temple god changed.

Good News & Book Three

My primary purpose with this post is to let you we’re getting close to publication for book three. I also wanted to get you a sense of the amazing history of the early Christians in Ephesus. As you know, I find this history to be fascinating and I love to share it with you.

Right now, I’m busy getting all the elements in place so it can be published on March 18th. I’m excited about this new book in The Last Disciple Series and I hope you are too.

Yours in Christ, Kurt

P.S. Here’s the series link on Amazon. The Last Disciple Series