Library of 15,000 Scrolls

Visit Library in the Central City

Our Ephesus Bible tour on our Footsteps of Paul Mediterranean Cruises, will explore Paul’s time at Ephesus. In that time period, Ephesus was considered the center of travel and commerce in the ancient world. The city was situated on the Aegean Sea and was one of the greatest seaports.  Today, it is silted in and sits 20 plus miles from the coast. During Paul’s time the city had three important roads and therefore it served numerous people groups from the largest cities of that time.  One road led to Babylon that went right through Laodicea.  The other road traveled to Smyrna and the third road followed the Meander Valley, an important river even today.

The Celsus Library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. It was built in 117 A.D. It was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia. The library housed over 15,000 scrolls, some of which would have come from Babylon and beyond. The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent the them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The library had three entrance doorways flanked by four statues set back in niches.  It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum  and would have had global importance.

Ephesus Bible Tour

Interested in a religious cruise? Our Christ-centered Christian cruises include in-depth Bible study and inspiring Christian fellowship. As you cruise the Mediterranean and visit Biblical sites and cities, your faith will be strengthen by seeing first-hand what the scriptures describe. You’ll enjoy a relaxing, personal setting, as well as many on-board accommodations in a luxury cruise ship. Because these ships are much smaller than your average cruise ship, Living Passages can offer more Biblical ports and experiences on these Mediterranean cruises. In addition, you’ll join highly qualified Bible teachers as they give insightful Christian teaching in Biblical locations along the way. All Christian tours and Mediterranean cruises with Living Passages are uniquely created to accommodate families, couples and singles.  See Christian cruise optioons to discover speakers, itineraries, pricing and more.