Miletus

Miletus was one of the great cities of ancient Ionia on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), situated near the mouth of the Meander River approximately 36 miles south of Ephesus. In the classical period it was renowned for its philosophers (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes), its wool trade, and its extensive network of colonies around the Black Sea and Mediterranean. By Paul's day it had declined from its classical height but remained a significant harbor city.

Miletus figures in the New Testament as the site of Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders on his third missionary journey (Acts 20:15–38). Rather than visiting Ephesus and potentially being detained, Paul summoned the elders to meet him at Miletus, where he delivered his most personal recorded speech — reviewing his ministry among them, warning of coming wolves, and commending them to God and the word of his grace. He also left Trophimus sick at Miletus on a later journey (2 Timothy 4:20).