12. Третье путешествие апостола Павла (54–58 гг. по Р.Х.)

During his third journey, the Apostle Paul, having visited, according to custom, the churches of Asia Minor that he founded, remained for a long time (about three years) in the city of Ephesus. It was a populous and trading city. Here was the famous Church of Diana, considered one of the seven wonders of the world. From here, figurines of this temple and various magical notes that served as amulets were spread throughout the pagan world. With his tireless preaching, accompanied by miracles, the apostle undermined paganism at its very roots. The wizards brought to him their secret books, which were very valuable (50,000 drachmas - more than 10,000 rubles in silver), and burned them before his eyes. The success of the apostolic preaching was noticed by the artisans who made models of Diana's church and traded them, because their trade began to decline, and models were no longer needed in such quantities as before. One of them, the silversmith Dmitry, gathered artisans like himself and rebelled them against the apostle. “This Paul,” said Demetrius, “not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, seduced a considerable number of people with his convictions, saying that those made by human hands are not gods; and this threatens us with the fact that not only will our craft come into contempt, but also the church of the great goddess Artemis will mean nothing, and the greatness of her whom the universe reveres will be overthrown.” After listening to Demetrius’s speech, the artisans became furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of Ephesus!” Excitement spread throughout the city. Meanwhile, the rebels grabbed Pavlov's employees (Gaius and Aristarchus) and rushed to the spectacle (with the goal of arousing the people against them and demanding that they be torn to pieces by beasts). Paul wanted to go out to the people, but the disciples, as well as the leaders of Asia 22, did not allow him into obvious danger. The prudent speech of the peace officer to the rebellious crowd calmed the excitement. The Apostle became convinced that Christianity had established itself in this city, and considered it possible to leave it. According to the approval of the Church in Ephesus, the apostle spent about a year visiting the Churches founded during his second trip to Macedonia and Greece, and went to Palestine. On the way back, he stopped in the seaside city of Miletus, where he called the elders from Ephesus and where he had a touching farewell to them. He urged them to stay awake and shepherd the flock of Christ, pointing to his example, how he served the Lord with all humility, with many tears, did not take gold or silver from anyone, but he himself worked for the food of himself and those with him. At the same time, he preserved for us one saying of the Lord Savior, not recorded in the Gospel: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” After the farewell instructions, the apostle knelt down and prayed with all the believers. The Ephesians hugged and kissed the apostle and shed bitter tears. They were especially touched by the word spoken in the apostle’s speech that they would no longer see him. And they escorted him to the ship. During his third journey, the Apostle Paul wrote the following letters: to the Galatians, two to the Corinthians and to the Romans 23. – Asiarchs are managers of religious ceremonies and spectacles. They were elected by the councils of Asian cities, and in their position they were, as it were, trustees of the emperor, the supreme high priest. – Judaizing Christians appeared in Galatia, who, contrary to the definition of the Apostolic Council, wanted to maintain in full force the law of Moses and humiliated the authority of the Apostle Paul. In his letter to them, he develops the idea of ​​the justification of all, according to the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith in Him, and defends his apostolic dignity. In the Corinthian Church, some members were divided into parties: some presented themselves as disciples of Apollos (the famous Christian teacher), others as disciples of the apostles Peter and Paul. Third for the disciples of Jesus Christ Himself, without the mediation of any of the apostles. Some, out of old habit, indulged in sensuality and such vices that were considered vile even among pagans (for example, incest). Others allowed themselves to be present at pagan sacrifices and eat things sacrificed to idols. There were also those who were proud of the gifts they had received of the Holy Spirit and despised those less gifted; the rich refused to organize love suppers for the poor, and if they did, it was not out of love, but out of vanity and for their own satiety. The Apostle Paul, regarding all these rumors about the Corinthians, sent a letter to them with his disciple Titus, in which he convinces them to live in peace and worthy of the title of Christians. He would like to go to Corinth himself, but he is afraid not to deal very strictly with his opponents. In the second letter, the apostle expresses fatherly love and joy to the Corinthians about their correction and defends his apostolic dignity against the slander of false teachers. In his letter to the Romans, he reveals in more detail the truth about justification by faith, which he preached in his letter to the Galatians. All people, both pagans and Jews, are sinners, are subject to the judgment of God and are justified before God as a gift, according to the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. You might be interested in: