Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-11-20
THE CITY OF EPHESUS.
Rev. DR.. Talmago Describes Its
SplendOrs.
The Crueltiei of the Stadium -Paul's Fight
with a Hungry Lion.

We have landed this morning at Smyrna,
a city Of Asiatio Turkey One of the seven
churches Of Asia once stood here You read
in Revelation, ITO the church in Smyrna
write" 1t is a city that has often been
shaken by earthquake, swept by conhagra,
ton, blasted y plaques and butchered by
war, and here Bishop Polycarp stood in a
crowded amphitheater and when he was
asked to give up the advocacy of the Chris
tan religion and save himself from martyr
dom, the proconsul saying, Swear and l
release thee; reproach Christ" replied,
Eighty AMI six years have / served Him,
and He never did me wrong; how then can
revle my King and Saviour"
When he was brought TO the firas into
which he was about to be thrust, and the of
ficials were about to fasten him to the stake
he said: Lie me remain as | am. for He
who giveth me strength TO sustain the fire
will enable me also without your securing
me with nails to remain unmove1 in the
fire" History says the fires refused TO con-
sumo him. and under the wind the flames
bent outward so that they did not touch his
person, and therefore he was slain by swords
and spears One cypress bending over his
grave is the only monument 10 Bishop Poly
carp.
But we are on the way to the city of Epae-
sus, about fifty miles from Smyrna. We
are advised not to go to Ephesus. The
bandits in that region have had an ugly
practice of cutting off the ears of travellers
and sending these specimens of ears down to
Smyrna demanding ransom The ban
dts suggest to the friends of the persons
from whom the ears have been slbtracted
that If they would like to have the rest OF
| the body they will please send an appropriate
sum of money. If the money is not sent the
mutiIated prisoners will be assassinated.
One traveller was carried off to the robbers
den, and $500 was paid for his rescue. The
bandits were caught and beheade1. and
pictures Of these CHASTITY heads are on sale in
the shops of Smyrna for any person who
may desire to have something to look at on
their way to Ephesus.
There have been cases where ten and
twenty and thirty and forty thousand dollars
have been demanded by these brigands We
did not feel ike putting our friends to sue
expense, and it was suggested that we ha
better omit Ephesus. But that would have
been disappointment from which we would
never recover We must see Ephesus-
associated with the most wonderful apostolic
scenes We hire special railway train. ami
in about an hour and half We arrive at the
city Of Ephesus, hich was called The Great
Metropolis of Asia, and Zone of the Eyes of
Asia, and The Empress of Icnid,n the CAPT
tai OF all learning and magnificence. Here,
as / said was one of the seven churches or
Asia, and first of all we visit the ruins of that
church where once an ecumencal council Of
two thousand ministers of religion was held.
Mark the fufi,lment of the prophecy. OF
the seven churches of Asia four were COM
mended in the Book of Revelation and three
were doomed The citics having the four
commended churches still stand; the cities
having the three doomed churches are wiped
out. 1t occurred Just as the Bible said it
would occur. Drive on and you come To the
theatre which was Go feet from wall to wall
capable of holding 50, zoo spectators. Here
and there the walls arise almost unbroken,
but for the most part the building is down.
As took my place at the centre OF this
theatre and looked around at its broken lay
ers of stone gallery upon gallery. gallery
upon gallery, and piled up into the bleak
skies of that winter day and thought that
every hand that swung a trowel on those
walls, and every foot that trod those stairs,
and every eye that gazsd on that amphi-
theatre, and every voice that greeted the
combatantS in that arena had gone out Of
hearing and sight for ages or ages felt
thrill of interest that almost penetrated me
amid the ruins.
Standing there we could not forget chat
in that building once assembled a riOt0us
throng for PauIs condemnation, because
of their national goddess Paul tried to get
into that theatre and address the excited
multitude but his friends held him back. lest
he be torn to pieces by the mob and the re-
cor1er of the city mad to read the riot act
among the people who had shrieked for two
mortal hours till their threats were sore and
they were black in the face, Great is Diana
Of the Ephesians'
Now we step into the Stadium. Enough
of its walls and appointments are lett to
show what a stupendOus place it must have
been when used for foot-races and for fights
with wi beasts II was a building go feet
long by 200 feet wide Paul refers to what
transpired there in the way of spectacle
when he says. 1--WE have been made spec
tacle.' Yes, Paul says, 81 have fought
with beasts at Ephesus,' an expression
usually taken as 6gurative, but | suppose 1t
was literally true, for one of the amuse-
ments in that Sta .ium was to put disllke1
man in the arena with hungry lion or tiger
or panther, and let the fight 60 until either
the man or the beast or both were slain.
1t must have been great fun for these
haters of Christianity to hear that on the
morrow in the Stadium in Ephesus the mis-
sion ~ Paul would, in the presence of the
crowded galleries, fight hungry lion. Inc
people were early there to get the best seats,
and a more alert and enthusiastic crowd
never assembled. They took their dinner
with them. And was there ever a more un-
equal combat proposed? Paul, according to
tradition, small crooked backed ana weak
eyed, but the grandest man in sixty. cen
turtles, is led to the center as the people shou':
There he comes, the preacher who has
nearly ruined our religion. The lion VIII
make but brief mouthful of him"
1t is plain that all the sympathies of that
crowd are with the lion. In one oil the
underground rooms hear the growl OF the
wild beasts They have been kept for several
days without food or water in order that tney
may be especially ra venous and blocdthlrsty
What chance is there for Paul? But you
cannot tell by mans size or looks how stout
a blow he can strike or how keen blade ne
can thrust. Witness, heaven and earth and
hell. this struggle OF Paul with a wild beast.
The coolest man in the Stadium IS raul
What has he to fear? He has deied all the
powers. earthly and internal, an1 if his boiy
tumble under the foot ami tooth OF the wild
beast his soul will only the sooner fint dis
enthrallment. But it is his duty, as Tar as
possible, to preserve his life.
Now. hear the bolt of the wild beasts
door showed back, and the whole AUDIENCE
rise to their feet as the fierce brute springs
for the arena and toward its small occupant
think the first plunge that was maze by
the VIII DtaSJ at lne dpOotlo was iii"uS VI. 80
point of sharp blade, AMI the snarling
monster, with howl of pain and reeilng
with gore. turns back But now the little
missionary has his turn of making attack
and with a few well directed thrusts the
monster lies died in the dust of the arena,
aud the apostle puts his right foot on the
lion and shakes him, AMI then puts his lett
foot on him an shakes him--a scene which
Paul afterNard uses for an Illustration when
he wants TO show how Christ will triumph
over death-"He must reign till He hath
put all enemies under His feet'-yes, under
His feet
Paul told the literal truth when he said:
81 have fought with beasts at Ephesus and
as the plural is usel think he had more
than one such fight. or several beasts were
let loose upon him at one time. AS I'VE stood
that day in the middle OF the Stadium and
looked around at the great structure, the
whole scene came back upon us
But we pass out Of the Stadium, for we are
in haste for other places of interest in Ephe-
sus To add to the excitement OF the day
one of our party was missing. No man Is
safe in that region alone unless he be armed
aud know how to take sure aim and notmiss
Dr I o,tic L o.s,c