PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL IN EPHESUS CAVE

EPHESUS, (ZENIT.org).- Issues of great interest were addressed at the International Symposium of Studies on St. John the Apostle, which is organized annually in Ephesus, and ended yesterday with a Mass presided by Archbishop Luigi Conti, Apostolic Nuncio in Turkey.

Austrian archeologist Renate Pillinger of the University of Vienna revealed the discovery of Christian cave paintings representing St. Paul. Thanks to opportune indications, in 1995 the cave was discovered just a few kilometers away from the city's ruins. Inside the cave, there are paintings depicting the Transfiguration and a sequence inspired in the Acts of the Apostles, refering to St. Thecla and St. Paul's preaching. Paul's portrait is one of the best preserved frescoes in the cave.

There are additional references to St. Paul in over 300 engravings that cover the different layers of paint, imploring the Apostle's protection. Although it is too early to state that the cave's discovery archologically confirms Paul's presence in Ephesus, which other sources, such as the Bible, consider indisputable, undoubtedly is an important addition to the testimony of the Acts of the Apostles and to Tradition.

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