Ephesus

But when he had to give his opinion about Polynotus or whoever the painter might be, and about him only woke up and was attentive and had plenty to say ion no indeed i have never known such a person socrates or did you ever know any one in sculpture who was skilful in expounding the merits of daedalus the son of or of Eppius, the son of Panopius, or of Theodorus, the Samian, or of any individual sculptor, but when the works of sculptors in general were produced, was at a loss, and went to sleep, and had nothing to say? Ion, No, indeed, no more than the other.

Socrates, And if I am not mistaken, you never met with anyone among flute players, or harp players, or singers to the harp, or rhapsodes, who was able to discourse on Olympus, or Thamaris, or Orpheus, or Pimeus, the rhapsode of Ithaca, but was at a loss when he came to speak of Ion of Ephesus, and had no notion of his merits or defects? "'Aion, I cannot deny what you say, Socrates.

Nevertheless, I am conscious in my own self, and the world agrees with me in thinking that I do speak better and have more to say about Homer than any other man.

But I do not speak equally well about others.

What in the name of goodness can be the reason why you, who are the best of generals, as well as the best of rhapsodes in all Hellas, go about as a rhapsode when you might be a general? Do you think that the Hellenes want a rhapsode with his golden crown, and do not want a general?" Ion, why, Socrates, the reason is that my countrymen, the Ephesians, are the servants and soldiers of Athens, and do not need a general, and you and Sparta are not likely to have me, for you think that you have enough generals of your own.

Socrates, my good Ion, did you never hear of Apollodorus of Sisychus? Ion, who may he be? Socrates, one who, though a foreigner, has often been chosen their general by the Athenians, and there is Phanostenes of Andros, and Heraclides of Clasomene, whom they have also appointed to the command of their armies and to other offices, although aliens, after they had shown their merit.

And will they not choose Ion the Ephesian to be their general, and honor him, if he prove himself worthy? Were not the Ephesians originally Athenians, and Ephesus is no mean city? But, indeed, Ion, if you are correct in saying that by art and knowledge you are able to praise Homer, you do not deal fairly with me, and after all your professions of knowing many glorious things about Homer, and promises that you would exhibit them, you are only a deceiver, and so far from exhibiting the art of which you are a master, will not, even after my repeated entreaties, explain to me the nature of it.

you have literally as many forms as Proteus and now you go all manner of ways twisting and turning and like Proteus become all manner of people at once and at last slip away from me in the disguise of a general in order that you may escape exhibiting your Homeric lore and if you have art Then, as I was saying, in falsifying your promise that you would exhibit Homer, you are not dealing fairly with me.

The Apostle Paul understood this revelation.

That's why, in Ephesians 3, he prayed for the Christians at Ephesus for God to grant them, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

He wasn't praying this for himself.

He was already living in this reality.