fter a good breakfast in the hotel, we circled in the lobby for instructions and prayer and then were off to the Agora. It took longer to get on and off the bus than it took to drive to the location.
I feel a little out of place in this crowd. There are a bunch of people in some sort of ministry: pastors, camp directors, and other ministries, some of them here to glean ideas for leading trips of their own, some of them wanting deeper understanding of the seven churches. So they are all over the back story behind the seven churches of Revelation and can ask a lot of intelligent questions. Then there’s me, a recovering engineer, looking at all this ancient Roman architecture and seeing how it is all put together, a lot of it still standing after 2000 years. The back story is fascinating, and I am enjoying connecting the dots between the text in the Bible and the story of a particular location, but there’s little to no commentary on the engineering and construction behind all the ruins here. Those Romans were way ahead of their time when creating spaces and water systems and roads. Unfortunately, they were hard on Christians and eventually were hard on themselves as that society eventually collapsed under the weight of its own wickedness.
Architecture aside, it is neat to hear the story behind each church, and how the text of Revelation speaks directly to the culture and events of that day. Smyrna, introduced in verse 8 of Revelation 2: *These are the words of him who is the first and the last who died and came to life again.* This very much echoed the cultural memory as a city since Smyrna was obliterated and then reconstructed (dead and alive).
Pergamum: I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is (Revelation 2:13); the Acropolis at Pergamum sits on the highest hill overlooking the city, and from the extent of the ruins, it was very imposing. Is is the location of temples and altars to several gods of the day, and Roman emperors who considered themselves gods. Colossal structures built into the steep hillsides used for worship of these deities. Where Satan’s throne is...
This hill is so high and steep that getting up requires a ride in a gondola, offering a commanding view of the city below.
And then at the top, the giant temple for the honor of the Caesar. Impressive as a ruin, it must have been quite a piece in its day.
And a 10,000-seat amphitheater, the steepest one in Turkey. People walk up and down this one. We didn’t have the time.
The same amphitheater, seen from several miles away. This thing dominated the skyline.
In addition to the Ceasar-worship and a massive altar to the god, Zues, there is another ruin a few miles away. Dedicated to “healing”, this involved bringing a sacrifice to the god of healing, staying overnight on the premises and spending some time in a healing room where the person was administered gasses or psychadelic drugs and then told over and over that he would be healed. Cancer patients and pregnant women need not apply. The statistics in that day were not good for these groups and it would bring their average down.
It was an hour and a half bus ride to the town of Salihli, our stop for the night. We were fed a sumptuous meal, buffet-style and then it was time for bed. The meals have been all big spreads, so far all buffet-style, with lots of stuff that I didn’t recognize. Lunch, too, was amazing, served at a restaurant that is geared for large tour groups.
Turns out, it was a little too much. Details tomorrow.
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