Pastor Rigsby regularly quotes Charles Lee Feinberg, the founding dean at Talbot Seminary, who said, “you can cover any amount of material you want, as long as you are willing to leave out enough.” What follows is my feeble attempt to write what I wanted to say when we returned from Turkey, Greece, and Rome. Unfortunately, I have not perfected “leaving out enough,” because this Summary will come to you in two parts.
28-29 Half past six—everyone expected for Talbot Bible Lands’ LAX departure was present this unusually warm December 28th. Our flight included a brief layover in London. While British Air masterfully transferred the passengers, our luggage remained.
30 The lack of fresh clothing was easily ignored because we were in the only city in the world that straddles two continents, Istanbul. After exploring the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Archaeological Museum we were headed to the airport for a short flight to Adana.
31 On the last day of 2006 we visited the quaint little town of Antakya (Antioch-on-the-Orontes in the Bible is home to one of the earliest churches outside of Jerusalem). We saw typical mosaic floors from first century houses in the area. The Seleucia Pieria harbor is where Barnabas and Paul set sail for Cyprus.
1 The next morning we returned to Paul’s hometown, Tarsus, then ascended through the mountain pass known as the Cilician Gates where he walked into the interior regions of Biblical Galatia. Near sunset we climbed the tel at Lystra, Timothy’s hometown.
2 Pisidian Antioch was our first full-scale archaeological stop, where we walked among the ruins (including a synagogue) and viewed the museum displays.
3 We needed a good night’s rest in Antalya because the plan for the next day was Perge (larger than life statues in the museum and the colonnaded street where the statues once stood), Aspendos (best preserved Roman theater with a “skene”), and Side (a reconstructed Roman bath).
4 We packed our bus for today’s long ride, a perfect day for rain. But first we stopped at “Paul’s Place,” a coffee shop where the proprietors talk with their guests about Jesus Christ. On the road, rain turned to snow. There was more than enough at the summit for a snowball fight! By that evening, those thermal pools at our hotel in Pammukle were even more inviting.
5 Another adventurous day found us first at Hieropolis in the necropolis (ancient cemetery) and the travertines (unusual cascading formations created from hardened calcium deposits). Laodicaea’s clogged terracotta pipes are featured prominently. There is a cold-water stream near the tel at ancient Colossae.
6 A promised “surprise stop” included Magnesia and Starbucks. The account of Paul meeting the Ephesian elders at Miletus was read in the theater. The Oraclur Temple at Didyma was rebuilt by Alexander the Great. On the terraced hillside of ancient Priene we learned about the bouleterion and watched the sun set.
7 One highlight after an entire day in Ephesus is the massive theater. The terrace houses gave us a glimpse of how and where the church would have met. The Temple of Artemis (Diana) was one of the ten “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” The foundation of the third century Basilica of St. John remains and his burial under the altar is identified.
8 Moving on to Izmir, we walked through the remains of the commercial agora then had a free afternoon. Some took the ferry while others shopped. In the evening we met with a pastor who talked about the state of the church in Turkey today. It is estimated that 5000 of Turkey’s 72 million citizens know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
9 Next to the synagogue remains in Sardis is the reconstructed gymnasium façade in what is now an open field. By contrast, the remains at ancient Philadelphia are best viewed from atop a hill.
10 Ancient Thyatira is completely surrounded by the modern city, covering about one square city block. At Pergamum we learned a little about ancient healing practices in the ascleipius.
11 Our last full day in Turkey we hiked through Assos to the harbor where Paul would have set sail to Macedonia. But it was at Troas where Paul saw in a vision the man calling for help. Troy was at one time believed to be mythical, but Heinrich Schiliemann’s excavation proved Homer’s account in the Illiad to be accurate (which set in motion most modern archaeology).
