The ancient city of Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor and it was frequently mentioned in the New Testament. The gospel was first shared with the people of Ephesus in the middle of the first century and the Scriptures continued to describe the fortunes of the church up through the end of the century. Gathering all of this data, Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor describes the progress and frustrations of a newly developing Christian community as it struggled to find its way in a hostile secular environment. This volume supplements the biblical account with additional historical information gathered from ancient literary sources, archaeological discoveries, and early Christian sources. Additionally, this book describes the growth and development of several nearby churches in Asia Minor. Ministry from the mother church at Ephesus produced Christian congregations throughout Asia Minor. -- Mark R. Fairchild (Ph.D. Drew University) is the Luke J. Peters Professor of Biblical Studies at Huntington University. He has visited and researched over 300 ancient sites throughout Turkey that date back to the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman periods.

In a region where many ancient cities have never been excavated and where most artifacts remain in the field, the enormous work of documenting and analyzing the early history of Christianity is open to original research. Often one of the first scholars to reach ancient sites in remote parts of Turkey, Dr. Fairchild has taken over 300,000 photographs capturing the remains of churches, temples, and city structures in remote locations. This second edition of Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor adds to the current research underway on the cities of Priene and Tripolis in western Turkey to Fairchild's work, documenting recent archaeological and historical research at several cities where the earliest Christian communities existed in Asia. In the first two centuries after Christ, the cradle of the Early Church was in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. This area was home to Paul's early churches in Ephesus, Colossae and Galatia in addition to all seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation. The ancient city of Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor, where the gospel was first shared in the middle of the first century. According to Luke, from Ephesus "all of Asia heard the word of the Lord."Gathering together a wealth of information, original photographs, and detailed maps of the region, Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor describes the progress and perils of the developing Christian community as it struggled to find its way in a hostile world. This volume provides crucial context for the biblical account with historical information gathered from ancient literary sources, archaeological discoveries, and a variety of early Christian sources, charting the growth and development of the early Christian church as it progressed and expanded throughout the Roman province of Asia. - from publisher.

The capital city of the province of Asia in the first century CE, Ephesus played a key role in the development of early Christianity. In this book Paul Trebilco examines the early Christians from Paul to Ignatius, seen in the context of our knowledge of the city as a whole. Drawing on Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles, Trebilco looks at the foundations of the church, both before and during the Pauline mission. He shows that in the period from around 80 to 100 CE there were a number of different communities in Ephesus that regarded themselves as Christians -- the Pauline and Johannine groups, Nicolaitans, and others -- testifying to the diversity of that time and place. Including further discussions on the Ephesus addresses of the apostle John and Ignatius, this scholarly study of the early Ephesian Christians and their community is without peer.

In a region where most artifacts remain in the field, the enormous work of documenting and analyzing the early history of Christianity is open to original research. Often the first scholar to reach isolated communities in remote parts of Turkey who guide his work, Dr. Fairchild has taken over 200,000 photographs capturing the remains of churches and Christian homes in remote locations. This second edition of Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor adds the current research underway on the cities of Priene and Tripolis in western Turkey to Mark Fairchild's work, documenting isolated and previously unstudied sites across eastern Turkey, some that have not been visited in the past 1,400 years. In the first two centuries after Christ, the cradle of the Early Church was in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, home to Ephesus, Colossae, and all twelve churches addressed in the book of Revelation. The ancient city of Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor, where the gospel was first shared in the middle of the first century. Gathering together a wealth of information, original photographs, and detailed maps of the region, Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor describes the progress and perils of the developing Christian community as it struggled to find its way in a hostile world. This volume provides crucial context for the biblical account with historical information gathered from ancient literary sources, archaeological discoveries, and a variety of early Christians, charting the growth and development of the early Christian church as ministry from the community at Ephesus produced Christian congregations throughout Asia Minor.

Explores the growth of Christianity in inland Roman Asia, as cities and rural communities moved away from polytheistic Greco-Roman religion.

Looking at the life of Paul as outlined in the book of Acts, this work compares what the claims of the Bible are compared with other ancient sources. Although the claims of Acts are undisputed within the Church Renan still applies the higher criticism of other works.