Page 1 of 9 Original Research The Ephesian elders come to Miletus: An Annaliste reading of Acts 20:15–18a Author: In his recent study on Ionia, A. Greaves adopts an Annaliste approach following the pioneering 1,2 Mark Wilson work of Fernand Braudel. Greaves attempts to move beyond a text-based understanding of Affiliations: sites and events by also considering the related landscape and geographical data. This study 1Department of Old adopts Greaves’ methodology in examining a text in Acts related to the Ionian cities of Ephesus Testament and Ancient Near and Miletus. Acts 20:15–18a records that Paul bypassed Ephesus, but later summoned the East Studies, University of Ephesian elders to meet him in Miletus. This summons sets up one of Paul’s most important South Africa, South Africa speeches and the only one in Acts delivered to a Christian audience. This study will examine 2Asia Minor Research Center, the landscape and geography related to this stage of Paul’s third journey as well as the journey Turkey of the Ephesian elders to Miletus. It will also look at how recently published Bible atlases have incorrectly illustrated this segment of Paul’s journeys. An Annaliste reading will bring fresh Correspondence to: Mark Wilson insights into Paul’s travel habits and his decision making related to ministry as depicted in this pericope in Acts. Email: markwilson@sevenchurches. org Introduction Postal address: This article1 attempts to elucidate a text in the book of Acts – the visit of the Ephesian elders Gençlik Mah. Fevzi Çakmak 2 Cad., Talya Apart. No: 67 to Miletus during Paul’s third journey – by way of an Annaliste reading. Discussed first is the Kat: 2/8, Muratpaşa 07100, methodology underlying this reading, which is drawn from a recent book by A. Greaves on Ionia. Antalya, Turkey The primary focus is to examine the geography and history related to Paul’s sea journey, the journey of the elders, and the sacred role of Miletus as a pilgrimage city. The study also reveals an Dates: Received: 18 May 2012 important geographical lacuna in the maps of western Asia Minor found in all atlases of the Bible. Accepted: 11 June 2013 The conclusion reviews the insights gained from this reading for understanding the pericope in Published: 09 Sept. 2013 Acts. How to cite this article: Wilson, M., 2013, ‘The Methodology Ephesian elders come to Miletus: An Annaliste reading In his recent book, The land of Ionia, Greaves (2010) adopts an Annaliste approach to his study of Acts 20:15–18a’, Verbum of archaic Ionia. Greaves builds upon the ideas of Braudel as articulated in the latter’s classic et Ecclesia 34(1), Art. #744, 1972 study The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean world in the age of Philip II. In this volume, 9 pages. http://dx.doi. Braudel (1972) presents time according to three scales: (1) long-term geographic time (géohistoire org/10.4102/ve.v34i1.744 or longue durée), concerned with people in relation to their environment, (2) medium time-scale Copyright: (conjoncture), concerned with social history epitomised in ‘economic systems, states, societies, © 2013. The Authors. civilisations and empire’ (1972:21) and (3) short-term microhistory (l’histoire événementielle), Licensee: AOSIS which is episodic and lacking in pattern.3 From this perspective, Braudel argued that ‘historical OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the events achieve significance only when evaluated in spatially extensive, diachronic contexts’ (as Creative Commons quoted in Knapp 1992:6). Attribution License. In his study, Greaves builds upon this perspective by adopting a methodology that articulates five points: (1) landscape and environment are primary backgrounds, (2) human agency within environmental constraints must be recognised to avoid geographical determinism,4 (3) literature no longer provides the ultimate point of reference against which hypotheses are tested, (4) classical archaeology is no longer a treasure hunt wherein the clues are provided entirely by the texts and (5) textual and epigraphic sources must be balanced with archaeological and geographical ones (this is a summary of Greaves’ [2010: 39–44] discussion). Greaves illustrates this using a pyramid graph (Figure 1). At the bottom he places landscape and environment; other themes and ideas are then built upon this. 1.This article was first presented in an earlier draft at the Book of Acts Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Francisco, November 2011. 2.For this article I am using the Latin spelling Miletus as used in the English translations of Acts rather than the Greek spelling Miletos Read online: used by Greaves and other scholars. Scan this QR code with your 3.Lambrianides and Spencer (2007:1–3) in their study of a similar river delta on the Aegean Coast, the Madra, also engaged with smart phone or Braudel’s three famous time-scales. mobile device to read online. 4.An emphasis on a deterministic environment and a neglect of human agency has been perceived as a weakness of Braudel’s model; see Lambrianides and Spencer (2007:2) and Knapp (1992:7). http://www.ve.org.za doi:10.4102/ve.v34i1.744 Page 2 of 9 Original Research He calls this a ‘bottom-up’ approach and objects to the fact that traditional studies begin at the apex of the triangle by Literature and philosophy examining the literary and epigraphic output of the elite. Religion and art Other evidence, archaeological and otherwise, is then fitted into the metanarrative or ‘story’ constructed from the Warfare and defense literary sources. Whilst Greaves’ approach is not necessarily sequential and an overlap exists amongst points 3–5, his point Agriculture and economy that landscape and environment are primary backgrounds Landscape and environment and that literary texts should be supplemental is a critical observation influencing the methodology of this study. Source: Greaves, A., 2010, The land of Ionia: Society and economy in the archaic period, Wiley Blackwell, West Sussex FIGURE 1: Greaves’ ‘bottom-up’ approach. The historian J. Ma (1999) reiterates the importance of geographical background, stating that: decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not lose time in Asia. For [m]uch more instructive for our purposes than ‘ancient ruins’, he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. the land still allows us to study ancient sites—specific places in From Miletus he sent a {messenger} to Ephesus to summon the elders of their relation with the geography. Western Asia Minor … still the church. And when they came to him …] (Acts 20:18b–35, [author’s survives as a physical entity, which can be studied on maps own translation]) and in the accounts of earlier travellers, or by travel to modern Turkey, as long as attention is given not just to the cities, but also to routes, plains, mountains and the ways through them. (p. 17) Around Mycale to Trogyllium After departing Chios, Paul’s ship crossed over to Samos Ma’s closing words emphasise that bodies of water and (20:15). Paul decided to bypass Ephesus because of his the passages across them must also be considered. Greaves unwillingness to be delayed in Asia and his desire to reach (2010:1) makes a comment closely related to that of Ma Jerusalem by Pentecost (Ac 20:16).5 Bible atlases are split (1999): ‘An understanding of the physical environment is not regarding the ship’s route,6 whether it went west of Samos just useful but essential when one is trying to understand any through open seas or followed the somewhat longer route ancient city.’ along the coastline of Asia Minor.7 Three factors favour the coastal route: (1) the open sea is more risky in the event Although biblical scholars are not the primary object of of a storm, (2) coasting vessels tend to stay close to ports Greaves’ critique, his points nevertheless strike a chord and (3) the port of Samos (modern Pithagorio) was on the with this guild as well. As biblical scholars seek to interpret southeastern corner of the island toward Asia Minor. The texts such as Acts, their exegesis often starts at the apex of inside route would be therefore the safest and quickest.8 the triangle. In seeking to adapt Greaves’ methodology to Ahead of Paul’s ship was a wall of stone called the Mycale biblical studies by implementing them in this study, several Mountains (Samsun Dağı) looming some 610 m overhead, preliminary observations can be made: (1) landscape and with their highest peak soaring to 1237 m. In 479 BCE Mycale environment area significant background to a biblical text, was the site of a great battle in which the Persians were (2) human agency, in the form of the early Christians, is defeated by the Greeks. Paul’s ship would have been forced important as it acts within this landscape and environment, to turn westward to sail around Mycale, and it then entered (3) other biblical texts may not provide the ultimate point of the narrow strait of 1300 m wide that separated Asia Minor reference for how a text in question is interpreted, (4) exegesis from the island of Samos (Wilson 2010:326). After passing must not be a treasure hunt wherein the clues are provided through this strait, the ship probably stopped for food and entirely by other texts and (5) literary and epigraphic sources water at Samos’s main port. After reprovisioning, the ship must be balanced with geographical and archaeological ones. next attempted to sail around Mycale. 5.As Walton (2007:53) astutely observes, two motifs dominate the description of the With these methodological guidelines established, let us now third journey – the focus on Jerusalem and a sense of divine restraint.