St. Paul in Miletus: An Overview
Miletus is located about 36 miles south of Ephesus. In the 5th century BC, it was the greatest Greek city in the east and a very important trading port. Miletus was also an important center of education. Great philosophers Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes – members of the well-known Milesian school of philosophy, and Hecataeuss, the founder of geography, were all from Miletus. The city was also mentioned in the Bible as the place visited by St. Paul.
St. Paul’s Journey to Miletus: A Biblical Account
Acts 20:14-16 describes Paul and his companions meeting up at Assos and continuing by ship across the Aegean Sea to Mitylene on the island of Lesbos. The next evening, they anchor off the island of Chios. The day after, they cross over to Samos, and the following day they arrive at Miletus.
Miletus is a part of our Aegean tours. You can explore our Aegean Tours here.
Going to Ephesus could cause new problems for St. Paul and his friends. He might have wished to avoid any trouble. We shouldn’t forget that during his stay in Ephesus, a riot started after the speech of Demetrius, and Paul and his friends were almost persecuted by the protesters. However, when we read about Paul, we understand that this could not be the reason; in many similar situations, Paul didn’t hesitate to go to an unsafe or critical area and put his own life in danger.
For example, Jerusalem was not safer than Ephesus for him, and he knew that going to Jerusalem would bring persecution… So, why did he summon Ephesus elders in Miletus?
Travel in Paul’s Time: Challenges and Logistics
In Paul’s time, there were no passenger ships, so people had to travel by merchant vessels and had no other choice but to follow the route of the ship. Another interesting question is, why would a ship pass nearby Ephesus, the most important trading city of Asia, without entering the harbor?
The Decline of Ephesus Harbor: A Historical Perspective
Historical evidence shows that the Gulf of Ephesus was gradually filled up with alluvium as the centuries passed by. Shallows and changes of depth caused by the silting action of the Cayster River made navigation very difficult.
The entrance to the gulf grew narrower, and a channel was not easily kept safe for ships. The stages of this natural process cannot be precisely dated, but we know that engineering operations intended to improve the waterway were carried out in the 2nd century BC and in the 1st century after AD.
When the ship on which St. Paul traveled from Troas to Jerusalem in AD 57 sailed past Ephesus without entering the harbor, this may be taken as a sign that ships were beginning to avoid Ephesus unless it was really necessary to take or discharge cargo and passengers.

Philasopher, probably representing Apollonius of Tyana
Ephesus in the 2nd Century: A Changing Landscape
The state of the coast during the second century is shown by the following incident. Apollonius of Tyana, defending himself before Domitian, spoke of Ephesus as having now outgrown the site on which it had been placed and extended to the sea. This can serve as proof that the sea no longer reached up to Ephesus when the speech was composed and that it was not so distant from the city as the modern seashore. Historians suppose that the city never reached the present coastline. But in the 2nd and 3rd century after Christ, Ephesus was still a great trading city and must have still had a harbor open, though probably not easy to access. Only a complex engineering work could keep the channel open. The last kilometer of the modern river course is straight, in contrast with the winding course immediately above. The channel is embanked with a carefully built wall to increase the scour of the water, and this part of the course is obviously the result of well-thought measures for improving the bed of the river.
St. Paul’s Farewell: A Moving Moment
Acts does not inform us about the duration of Paul’s stay in Miletus. After he decided that his mission here was over, putting the church in their care, he walked to the harbor of farewell, embarked on a ship, and continued his return voyage to Caesarea.
Acts 20:36-38 describes the emotional farewell: With these words, he knelt down with them all and prayed. All of them were in tears, and throwing their arms around Paul's neck, they kissed him affectionately. What saddened them most of all was his saying that they would never see his face again. And they went with him down to the ship.