So there went his solitude. Athanasius describes the scene when the pilgrims one day broke down the door to his cave. Antony emerged. First time he'd been seen by anyone in twenty years."Antony came forth as though from some shrine, having been led into divine mysteries and inspired by God. This was the first time he appeared from the fortress for those who came out to him. And when they beheld him, they were amazed to see that his body had maintained its former condition, neither fat from lack of exercise, nor emaciated from fasting and combat with demons, but was just as they had known him prior to his withdrawal.
"The state of his soul was one of purity, for it was not constricted by grief, nor relaxed by pleasure, nor affected by either laughter or dejection. Moreover, when he saw the crowd, he was not annoyed any more than he was elated at being embraced by so many people. He maintained utter equilibrium, like one guided by reason and steadfast in that which accords with nature."
We will definitely go to Ephesus. This is the facade of the old Celsus library in Ephesus. It was originally built in Roman times, and was one of the largest libraries of its day, housing thousands of scrolls.
The place in Ephesus we can be sure Paul visited is the theater, for he caused a riot by preaching there against the sale of silver figurines of the Greek goddess Artemis. The city's importance was reflected i
n the temple there to Artemis. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and almost four times as large as the parthenon in Athens. Not much is left of it today.
