Miletus

Biblical Text

Miletus appears twice in the New Testament.

• Acts 20:15-38: Paul had completed his third missionary journey and was on his way to Jerusalem. Hoping to reach Jerusalem before Pentecost if possible, he sailed past Ephesus without stopping (Acts 20:16). After arriving at Miletus, he sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus. The address he gave on this occasion is regarded as the only speech in Acts that Paul delivers directly to church leaders. Paul looks back on his past ministry, carried out with humility and tears, and declares that he does not count his life dear to himself for the sake of the ministry he has received (Acts 20:24). He then charges the elders to take heed to the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers, and warns them against false teachers who will come in like grievous wolves (Acts 20:28-30). Finally, he passes on the words of Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), a saying not recorded in the Gospels. When the address was finished, they all knelt down and prayed. The elders wept bitterly, grieved most of all by his words that they would see his face no more, and accompanied Paul to the ship.
• 2 Timothy 4:20: Paul writes that he left Trophimus at Miletus sick.

Background

Miletus was a Greek city in the region of Ionia, located south of Ephesus near the mouth of the Maeander River. In antiquity it was a commercial center with several harbors, and it is also known as the city where early Greek philosophers such as Thales were active. As silt carried by the river accumulated, the coastline gradually receded, and the ruins now lie inland, some distance from the sea. In Paul's day the city belonged to the Roman province of Asia.

Interpretation and Issues

• Elders and overseers: The same men are called "elders" in Acts 20:17 and "overseers" in Acts 20:28. Presbyterians cite this as evidence that elder and overseer (bishop) are a single office. Traditions that maintain a distinct office of bishop, such as Anglicanism, read the passage as reflecting the early church before the offices had become differentiated, or they support an episcopate handed down from the apostles on the basis of other passages. The passage is frequently discussed in debates over church polity.
• Why Paul bypassed Ephesus: The text states only that Paul was pressed for time. The explanation that he avoided Ephesus because of the riot described in Acts 19 is conjecture on the part of interpreters.
• Paul's later movements: Paul told the elders that they would not see his face again (Acts 20:25). Yet 2 Timothy mentions another visit by Paul to Miletus, which is difficult to fit into the narrative of Acts. The traditional view, therefore, is that Paul was released after his first imprisonment in Rome and traveled again. Scholars who hold that Paul did not write the Pastoral Epistles himself explain this passage differently.

In the Korean Church

The Miletus address is widely read as a text on the proper conduct of pastors and church officers. Acts 20:24 in particular is often quoted at ordination services, pastoral installation services, and services commissioning missionaries. Acts 20:35 is frequently used in sermons encouraging offerings and almsgiving.