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David Arthur DeSilva
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A Week In the Life of Ephesus (A Week in the Life Series) Paperback – June 9, 2020

by David A. deSilva (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 72 ratings
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How should Christians live in an age of empire?

As the city of Ephesus prepares for a religious festival in honor of the emperor Domitian, a Christian landowner feels increasing pressure from the city's leaders to participate. Can he perform his civic duties and remain faithful to his Lord? Or has the time come for a costly choice?

In this historical novel, biblical scholar David deSilva brings to life such compelling struggles faced by the early Christians. Their insistence on the absolute lordship of their own singular deity brought them into conflict not only with the myriad religious cults of the day, but with all the crushing power of the empire itself. Meticulously researched and supplemented by historical images and explanatory sidebars, A Week in the Life of Ephesus poses anew the timeless question of Christianity and empire. Here is a vividly imaginative portrait of the Roman empire in all its beauty and might―and hanging over it, the looming sky of apocalypse.

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  1. Reading age
    1 year and up
  2. Part of series
    A Week in the Life
  3. Print length
    176 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
  6. Publisher
    IVP Academic
  7. Publication date
    June 9, 2020
  8. ISBN-10
    0830824855
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0830824854
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"David deSilva's novel about a week in the life of Christians in Ephesus, living under the shadow of the Roman Empire, is a thrilling story as well as an educational journey through the ancient world. Set against the backdrop of the book of Revelation, this is not a novel that will leave you worried about being 'left behind,' but it will make a deep impression on how to be a faithful Christian against the backdrop of malevolent imperial power. . . . Could not put it down!" -- Michael F. Bird, academic dean and lecturer in theology at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

"A Week in the Life of Ephesus brings alive the ancient Roman world of religious ritual, daily business, and family loyalties. The Christian's perennial challenge to follow after God and not money or fame takes shape under deSilva's skillful hand as first-century Ephesians live out their faith (or not) in the thoroughly pagan city. DeSilva weaves together characters, plot, and historical context, drawing the reader into the story. This is a must-read for those who want a deeper understanding of the ordinary reality of early Christians' lives." -- Lynn H. Cohick, provost and dean, professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

"Ephesus was one of the leading centers of Christianity in the ancient world, and David deSilva invites us to picture it through this imaginative recreation of first-century life. He is well known for his scholarship on Revelation, which addressed churches in Ephesus and other cities in the region. By weaving ancient source materials into his narrative and offering commentary along the way, he links the fictional story to the social world and archaeological remains of Ephesus. This is a resource for those who want a glimpse into the dilemmas faced by Jesus' followers in a complex urban environment." -- Craig Koester, Nasby Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

"Prepare to be transported to the ancient city of Ephesus! David deSilva writes with a deft hand, proving that he is a gifted storyteller and cultural historian. Spend this week in Ephesus and you will read the New Testament with fresh eyes." -- Joel B. Green, professor of New Testament interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary

"Using historical time travel brilliantly, deSilva incarnates the Christian community in Ephesus in the late first century AD. The challenges faced by believers―Christ versus Caesar, economic participation or marginalization, eating idol meat or abstaining―are effectively portrayed by characters known from texts and inscriptions. The reader feels the struggles of brothers and sisters trying to obey God as a fledgling minority while living in this political, commercial, and religious metropolis." -- Mark Wilson, founder and director of the Asia Minor Research Center in Antalya, Turkey, author of Biblical Turkey: A Guide to the Jewish and Christian Sites of Asia Minor

"Students and scholars have already enjoyed the meticulous historiography, sensitive literary analysis, imaginative flair, and theological depth of David DeSilva's previous writings, which range in genre from novel to New Testament introduction. In this volume, A Week in the Life of Ephesus, he conjoins these manifest strengths, taking the reader on an intriguing expedition to that ancient city in a crucial week of September in 89 CE. Through the eyes of ancient Christians in Ephesus, portrayed vividly in all their psychological and relational complexity, we come face-to-face with the perennial temptation to accommodate idolatry, with its attending commercial and political implications. DeSilva's compelling and suspenseful narrative of persons, families, and various strata of society is enhanced by helpful historical and cultural information offered in sidebars." -- Edith M. Humphrey, William F. Orr Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

"What a great book! What was it like to be a Christian in the city of Ephesus in AD 89? How did Christians respond to the challenges posed by life in this large Greco-Roman city with its gods and temples, markets and gymnasia? In this fictional narrative, David DeSilva helps us to enter into the world of believers in Jesus and to see their struggles and joys, their challenges and hopes. We see how various Christian groups responded differently to the pressures they faced, and in the process we come to understand the book of Revelation more deeply. You'll not want to put this book down!" -- Paul Trebilco, professor of New Testament studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

"I often tell my students that one of our goals in New Testament courses is to develop our historical imaginations. Those accustomed to viewing faith and religion as a private sphere often struggle to imagine their way into the first-century world, where religion was deeply entwined with governmental structures and the corporate well-being of both city and empire. DeSilva's story narrates compellingly the very real pressure that early followers of Jesus would have experienced as many of their contemporaries viewed them as threats to the social order; if they refused to honor the gods, including the deified emperors, their reputations, finances, and even lives were at stake. Again and again in this story I asked myself, What would I have done?" -- Holly Beers, associate professor of religious studies at Westmont College, author of A Week in the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman

"Drawing on his vast knowledge of the urban centers of Rome's empire and the all-powerful Roman religiopolitical machine, David deSilva vividly brings the world of Roman Ephesus to life. Readers are quickly and easily drawn into the material world of Ephesus, including its markets, harbor, neighborhoods, and grand temples, but they are also immersed in Ephesian religious fervor and piety. And it is in this world of religious fervor and piety the readers come not only to understand but also feel the immense pressure on Ephesian Christians to compromise their worship of the one creator God. DeSilva creatively casts this crisis of Christian faith as the setting for the book of Revelation. This superb piece of historical fiction will serve as a valuable asset for introducing students and laity to the urban world of first-century Christians and more specifically the world of the seven churches of John's Apocalypse." -- Adam Winn, associate professor of Christian studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and author of Killing a Messiah: A Novel

Review

"Drawing on his vast knowledge of the urban centers of Rome's empire and the all-powerful Roman religiopolitical machine, David deSilva vividly brings the world of Roman Ephesus to life. Readers are quickly and easily drawn into the material world of Ephesus, including its markets, harbor, neighborhoods, and grand temples, but they are also immersed in Ephesian religious fervor and piety. And it is in this world of religious fervor and piety the readers come not only to understand but also feel the immense pressure on Ephesian Christians to compromise their worship of the one creator God. DeSilva creatively casts this crisis of Christian faith as the setting for the book of Revelation. This superb piece of historical fiction will serve as a valuable asset for introducing students and laity to the urban world of first-century Christians and more specifically the world of the seven churches of John's Apocalypse."

-- Adam Winn, associate professor of Christian studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and author of Killing a Messiah: A Novel

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ IVP Academic (June 9, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0830824855
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0830824854
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

About the author

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David Arthur DeSilva

David Arthur DeSilva

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David deSilva majored in English at Princeton University (AB, 1987), received a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary (1990), and completed a doctorate in New Testament studies at Emory University (1995). He has taught on the faculty of Ashland Theological Seminary since 1995 and has been named Trustees' Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek since 2005. David is also ordained in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has served as an organist and choir director in Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist churches since 1985. He is married to Donna Jean Heitman deSilva, with whom he shares three sons. For a complete list of publications, including journal articles and contributions to reference works, please visit his web site at https://sites.google.com/a/ashland.edu/daviddesilvaphd/home.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
72 global ratings
New Life and Understanding
5 Stars
New Life and Understanding
What was it like to live in the Roman Empire? A Week in the Life of Ephesus by David A. DeSilva is a historical novel that will transport you to the life and times of the interesting Biblical city of Ephesus.Early ChristianityThe narrative follows several characters as they live their daily life in the last week of September in the year AD 89. The characters in this story are connected to each other, allowing you to see the different viewpoints of what it was like to be an early Christian. And in some chapters, you get to see what it was like to be opposed to early Christians.The story shifts while looking at various occupations and settings. You meet Amyntas, a Christian and wealthy landowner. Demetrius is a Christian merchant and host to a house church. Euplus is a Christian slave. Throughout the course of the book, the reader visits a townhouse, the harbor, the temple, the great theatre, the gymnasium, and the council chamber.New Life and UnderstandingThe book also presents historical images and explanatory sidebars to supplement the story. Musical instruments, the Jewish community of Ephesus, and the Games of Neapolis are standout sections. And familiar characters are often alluded to or even interacted with, including John the Apostle.This book breathed new life into my understanding of the context of the Biblical world. I was moved by the disrespect and dangers that came from following Jesus. And I was challenged to live courageously, like our older brothers and sisters of the faith, as we long and look for Christ to come again.I received a media copy of A Week in the Life of Ephesus and this is my honest review.
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Top reviews from the United States

D. E WARD
5.0 out of 5 stars Background on the Original Audience of the Book of Revelation
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
This novella covers a week in late September, AD 89, beginning on the birthday of Augustus, which had become the first day of the year in a calendar used in Asia Minor.

Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum were engaged in a kind of competition over which city could do the most to honor Rome's "divine" emperors. Jews were exempt from emperor worship, but the Christians, who were now distinct from synagogue communities, faced persecution for refusing to take part.

Some Christians favored going through the motions of pagan worship, rationalizing that if they fit in better, the gospel might receive a more favorable hearing among the elite. Others, following the apostle John, rejected a path of compromise.

Christian merchants faced challenges as well. Great profits could be made by trading with Rome, but at the possible cost of depriving local people of essential commodities.

The novella explores what life was like for Christians from various walks of life in Ephesus. The narrative is interspersed with sidebars presenting the historical data upon which the story is based. There are also a number of photographs of artifacts and ruins from the region. The book gives valuable insight into the background and meaning of the book of Revelation.
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Daniel S Russell
4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Surprised
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024
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I'm familiar with David deSilva's work, and know him to be an excellent scholar. What surprised me with this book: he also crafts a good yarn. This is a historical novel; it takes place within a specific time in history, includes historical characters, but also fictional-yet-plausible characters who are the focus of the story. True to the title, it gives the reader insight to 1st century Ephesus, the pagan and imperial cults prevalent in the city, and the challenges of Christians trying to navigate that world. Brief scholarly excurses are given on various issues, which do not take away from the novel itself. And again, it's a good story; there are moments of genuine tension, and a clever exploration of different approaches to faith and Christianity (which have echoes today). It also intersects briefly with Revelation.

The biggest disappointment I have with the transaction is not the novel itself, but the shape of the book upon arrival: there is a significant crease on the front cover; clearly, it was at some point bent, yet still shipped as "new." It was disappointing to receive. To be fair, I chose not to contact the seller on this issue; it is possible they would have exchanged.

All in all, though, this is a good read.
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Michael Philliber
5.0 out of 5 stars Put Aside your Chores and Charges, and Read this Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
Stop the presses! Hold your horses! Cease fire! Power off those computers, iPads, and cellphones (after you read this review and purchase a copy of this book)! David A. deSilva, Trustees' Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary and prolific author, has given pastors, professors and parishioners a delightful resource in this new 176-page softback, "A Week in the Life of Ephesus". It's the latest addition to the "A Week in the Life of" series put out by IVP Academic. And this little volume is well worth setting everything else aside and diving in!

The manuscript reads like a novella, and draws one into the social, civic and ceremonial life in Ephesus just at the time "The Apocalypse" was sent to the seven churches. This is what makes it such a uniquely valuable resource. It may not give you all the inner secrets of John's Revelation, but it will give you a believable feel for the thinking, perspectives, decisions, and cultural milieu the biblical dossier met when it arrived in that 1st Century port city. The characters are credible, the dilemmas are convincing, and the plots and ploys conceivable.

I especially appreciated three aspects of the book. First, deSilva brings out the entwining of religious, judicial, and political loyalties. Religious disloyalty was understood as political disloyalty and judicial disloyalty. In the words of the plotting pagan, Serapion, "The disappearance of piety toward the gods will eventually mean the disappearance of loyalty and unity among people and the decay of all justice. We need to cleanse our city of such pollution..." (158). In our highly specialized and dissected western ideological framework, we easily forget that this is, and was, how most of the world lives.

Further, the author gives readers a very plausible Nicholaus (the potential and imaginative founder of the Nicolaitans?). Nicholaus was the "son of Strato, of Pergamum, a Christian and junior priest of the Provincial Temple of Augustus and Roma in Pergamum" (14). This description in the list of characters in the drama, alerts readers. How could one who claimed to be a Christ-follower rationalize such conflicting roles and responsibilities. And the reader will not be left hanging and guessing. The author brings out a suitable facsimile of the character's reasoning, and how convincing it must have been, especially since "we all need to adapt if our faith is going to survive in the long term...I want to see our movement flourish rather than be swept further and further into the cracks and crevasses of society" (123). The whole rationale sounds very contemporary.

Finally, deSilva teases out what it would have cost our 1st Century brothers and sisters to remain faithful in their setting. From slaves, to manual laborers, to the wealthy, believers paid a heavy cost, and the value of John's Apocalypse for that moment is crystal clear. This volume will give thoughtful readers a greater appreciation not only for the challenges in the early years, but also the challenges many Christians face throughout the majority world, and are subtly facing us in the West.

"A Week in the Life of Ephesus" is the book to get and read immediately. Once it arrives, put aside all other chores and charges, sit down, and pour over these pages. It will take a few hours, and you will never regret it. I especially encourage pastors and bible teachers who are preparing to present sermons or lessons on the Revelation to snatch up a copy quickly. I highly recommend this book.

Much thanks goes to IVP Academic. I requested the book, and they happily sent me the copy i used for this analysis. There were no strings attached, therefore this evaluation is freely made and freely given.
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Top reviews from other countries

Jacob Cerone
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Thought Provoking
Reviewed in Germany on January 16, 2022
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DeSilva provides readers with an excellent narrative that explores the historical background of the book of Revelation. He develops his characters in such a way that allows him to explore the social tensions and conflicting ideologies of the day. He also subtly convicts 1st world readers by his description of Rome, which has numerous parallels to the never satisfied consumption of goods by the Western world. I’d recommend this volume to any one interested in making the ancient world come alive!
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