Celcus Library

This is my site for discussion while we are in Ephesus, and I thank Tom for letting me talk about it.

The library was built in the first quarter of the 2nd century (100-125 AD). It was burned in 262 when the Goths invaded. Then there was a big earthquake in the 10th century (900s) that brought it tumbling down.

If you look real close, you will see the pillars on the bottom are taller but more narrow than the ones on top. The bottom row also has four pairs where the top has three pairs. This makes it look wider and taller than it really is. They did this, partially, as a display of Roman power. It's kind of like how the US Supreme Court building is meant to display a certain amount of power when it comes to making decisions.

The first two pictures talk about a menorah and a Jewish presence in Ephesus. While there were Jews (and Christ-following Jews, who become known as Christians), they were a small group of people. If you look around at all the buildings Tom posted earlier, you get a real sense of how much Roman power was in the cities Paul talks about in his letters (found in the Bible). No wonder some of those early Christians were a bit nervous about getting in trouble with the Roman authorities, and Paul told them to be quiet and not make trouble!

I'll post more as I take more time to read up on this... Kelly