Inspiration 3: Ephesus

Back in 2004 I was extremely fortunate to visit Ephesus.  It was an amazing experience, one that really brought home to me that the events described in the New Testament have a real historical context.

Curetes Street
(I imagined that Loukas' family lived somewhere on this street.)

A private residence on Curetes Street
(This could have been Loukas' house!)

Ruins near the Fountain of Pollio
(This is the sort of wall I imagined coming apart during an earthquake,
revealing the hiding place of the scroll to Dima's great-great-grandfather.)

Domitian's Temple
(Domitian gave Ephesus the right to build the first temple on Ephesus dedicated to a living emperor.
In return, the people erected a 7m-tall statue of Domitian in the temple.)

Domitian's Statue
(The rest was made of wood and has not been preserved.)

Marble Street
(The Apostle Paul would have walked on these flagstones!)

The Great Theatre
(This was where the people of Ephesus chanted 'Artemis of the Ephesians'.)

Not long after this visit, I started writing The Ephesus Scroll.  In fact, the first version of the opening was set in the present, with Dima and Natasha visiting as tourists.  Much of that version is based quite heavily on my visit to Ephesus - although we didn't experience an earthquake or find a scroll of the book of Revelation!  (You can read that version here.)