Day 5 in Turkey (Didyma, Miletus, Smyrna)

We had  another good day today. Started off the day a little earlier because we had a little more traveling to do. Tomorrow we will be doing even more traveling, which means getting up even earlier (which also means this post will most likely be short and sweet).

We started off the day at Didyma. Again, this is not necessarily a biblical site. However, it is an important site for the ancient world. In Didyma was a large temple to Apollo--a very large temple. This temple is the fourth largest temple in the world. Many ancient rulers went to this temple in order to receive oracles from the priestesses. The most important temple to Apollo was in Delphi, however this one ranks second place. So, many people traveled to this temple from all over the world. It was amazing how large the temple was. It was completely made out of marble. The pillars were 30-40 feet high and at least 6-7 feed in diameter. We calculated that each pillar weighed a minimum of 170 tons. There is one stone that weighs over 500 tons in the temple. You walk into the temple and feel very small. It's also interesting to note that after Constantine this temple was turned into a church, kind of. Like many of the ancient temples in that day, the churches didn't have enough money to "convert" the entire temple into a church, so they just built a church in he middle.

From Didyma we traveled to Miletus. Those of you who heard me preach on January 1st may remember the connection between Miletus and the Bible. In Acts 20:17, it says, "Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him." Paul was on his way back from his third missionary journey. He had been directed by the Spirit to head to Jerusalem. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, but he knew it wasn't going to be good. So he sails to Miletus and calls for the elders from the church in Ephesus. He has some final words to tell them in Miletus.

This speech is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I read it, and re-read it, and meditate on it very frequently. Why? Because you can hear the heart of Paul the pastor in this passage. So I read it and pray, read it and pray, read it and pray that the Spirit will work in me to give me a heart like Paul. So, it was very special for me to be in this city and think about Paul's speech. A friend of mine (Brian Dunn) and I also gave a presentation to the class on this passage while in Miletus. We were supposed to give the presentation from the theater, but it was too cold. So, we gave the presentation in the bus after our visit.

From Miletus, we headed north to Smyrna, which has the modern name Izmir. Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey with a population of 3,000,000. Some parts of the city are very modern and other parts of the city are very undeveloped and poor. In the midst of this city is the ancient ruins of an Agora (marketplace). We were able to visit this location and check out the ruins. However, we also had a very special treat. Our tour guide is from Izmir and has some connections in the city. Recently there was an important archeological find at the Agora in Izmir. As they were excavating the lower parts of the Agora, they found lots and lots of graffiti on the walls, dating back to the second century. This graffiti helps archeologists enter into the world of the "everyday person" of that time period. Since the discovery is so recent, it isn't opened to the public yet. However, with our tour guide's connections, we were able to enter the area and explore for a while. It was really cool! The only thing that was very difficult about this part was that we were not allowed to take any pictures of the graffiti. Here's an article that talks a little about the discovery.

Smyrna is connected with the Bible through one of the sermons in Revelation. Jesus gave John a sermon saying, "8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:8-11). Of the seven sermons to the seven church in Revelation, only two were given a message that only had good things to say. This is one of those churches. They were being heavily persecuted and were persevering. They were physically poor, but spiritually rich. It's also interesting to note that this is the only city, out of the seven mentioned in Revelation, that has an active Christian church today.

From there, we headed to our hotel in Izmir on the coast of the Aegean Sea. It's very beautiful and the hotel is very nice. After a long day, the bed is also looking dry nice. So, that's where I'm headed. Talk to you tomorrow.