NEWSFLASH: Christians Live Under Rocks

Underground City

Over the past couple of weeks our group has traveled cross-country and stopped at many historical biblical sites. We’ve seen the places where Paul walked, gladiators fought, and athletes competed. However, one of the coolest places I’ve seen while in Turkey is the Underground City near Cappadocia. Yes, a city that is entirely hidden from the sun at about thirty meters deep. Though archeologists believe it was built sometime between the 8^th and 7^th centuries B.C.E., it is not certain exactly WHO originally built it, as it seems that it could have been either the Phyrgians or the Persians.

Getting used to the caves on the first level - the ceilings are a little low!

Regardless of who originally built the caves, they were eventually occupied by Christians who were avoiding persecution by Romans, Persians, and other groups who opposed the early Christians.  Amazingly enough, these caves were spacious enough to be occupied by as many as 5,000 people at a time, which gives a good idea of just how big they were. Though portions of the cave have collapsed at this point in time, the first five levels have been open to the public since 1969, allowing us to see what it may have been like to live as a hunted human being in a religiously-intolerant land. It is important to note the caves were not meant to be lived in continuously; during the times they were under attack, people were able to live in the caves for up to six months at a time. These structures were not viewed as permanent homes, but rather a temporary hiding place while enemies prowled.

The first level is only the entrance to the cave, so we’ll start with the second floor. Because so many people were living in such tight quarters, life had to be communal and open. Food was therefore stored in a common area with access to everyone. Prior to actually living in the caves, people would store up food ahead of time so that the supply would not run low while hiding. During the time they were in the caves, farmers would go out at night and collect food from the fields in secret so they could avoid being seen. Based on what we saw in this cave, grain seems to be the most common and easy food to store for longer periods of time.

One of many food storage rooms in the caves. The dents in the floor would have been used to hold containers of wine.

When it came to cooking in the kitchen, which was on the fourth floor, cave-dwellers made sure to only cook at night so that the smoke would not be visible outside. Since smoke would obviously be a health issue, they cooked maybe only once or twice a week so that the smoke wouldn’t become overbearing. Though they did have an impressive chimney that went almost as deep as the original caves, the ceiling in the kitchen area was notably blackened from the smoke that didn’t escape right away.

A section of the kitchen. The black walls aren't that appealing, but I'm sure the food was delicious. Or as delicious as cave food can be.

Food was not the only thing that got its own cave level, however, as we saw at least two wine cellars (levels three and five) within the five floors we visited. Don’t worry, early Christians weren’t passing the time away by getting drunk all the time. As our cave-guide informed us, wine back then was much lighter and less potent than what we drink today. And, rather than drinking to get drunk, the real purpose of the wine was to keep warm in the chilly caves. Wine was also a somewhat easier alternative than water, as the wine may have been cleaner and less potentially hazardous to one’s health. 

One of many wine cellars! The hollows in the wall were used to hold even bigger containers of wine.

As you would expect, living quarters were kind of cramped – the maximum number that could be fit into a one-room house was eight people. Each family that lived in these “houses” had their own chamber-pot, which, when its contents were mixed with limestone and salt, would then be thrown into the fire as a means of disposal. The richer families would live near the surface of the caves, while the poor would live at the bottom. If you’ve seen the movie Titanic, just think of Rose living in the suite versus Jack sleeping near the boiler room.

The beautiful Julia Dematatis explores the narrow and winding tunnels of the cave.

As you can hopefully tell from the pictures, living in these caves would have been an adventure!

Caravanserai

The main gate to the caravanserai

The other place we visited today was one of many Caravanserais (as you can see, the word “caravan” makes an appearance there). “Serai” (pronounced "Sir-I") means palace, and caravan, as we know, is a group of people traveling together from one destination to the next. In the 13^th century, the Seljuk Caravan was travelling from China to Turkey (and everywhere in between) on the famous Silk Road. Because the caravans were constantly on the road and in possession of so many valuable items, they were vulnerable to attacks from bandits who wanted to steal their goods. The solution? Build stone fortresses every 15 kilometers all the way from Turkey to China. This particular caravanserai was built in the year 1229 and though there has been some reconstruction on the site, it's still clear what this would have looked in the 13th century. On the inner gate are two small carvings, a flower and a star. The flower symbolizes life, and the star represents the universe. Together, these symbols mean that everyone is welcome in the caravanserai.

If you look closely, you can see the star in the left corner above the arch, and the flower on the right side above the arch.

These “caravan palaces” were safe havens for everyone who needed protection. Safety wasn’t free, however, as each caravan needed an expensive document signed by the Sultan which allowed them to stay at any one of the caravanserais. Whatever the cost, the benefits of staying in the caravanserais clearly outweighed the cost of being robbed. Though caravans were welcomed at any caravanserai, it wasn’t like staying at a hotel. Each caravan was responsible for providing food for themselves and their animals, and couldn’t rely on the guards of the caravanserai to get food for them.

The structure of the caravanserai was simple, an outdoor room similar to a courtyard was used in the warmer months, and an enclosed room was used for the Winter. In both the Winter and the Summer, animals and humans shared the same space for eating and sleeping. Each caravan was made up of about 30-40 people, and up to 100 animals could also be in that group. To be honest, the inner room still smelled like animal excrement to me, but that was probably just all the pigeons that have taken up residence there.

The enclosed Winter room. It smells slightly of damp things and pigeon poop.

One corner of the outdoor/summer room. I'm not entirely sure what the point of this staircase is.

The Silk Road clearly has some historical importance for the world at large, but for Turkey specifically the Silk Road is the means by which it became famous for its silk rugs. Marco Polo was responsible for bringing the silk worm to the Anatolia region in Turkey, and for then teaching the Turks how to utilize them. Without the caravanserais, it is doubtful that some of these caravans would have been quite as successful in trading and traveling, and presumably, cultural advancements would not have happened.

All in all, these were some pretty cool places that we got to visit in the past couple days, and I'm pumped that I got to share them with you.

Rachael Haqq

Blue Eyes - The Windows to the Soul

Gözler. Which translates into the eyes, a way of saying that you are the apple of my eye. The eyes are the windows to the soul. Eyes alone show so much emotion; passion, hurt, love, lies, and truth.  

Here in Turkey, eyes symbolize so much to the people. Everywhere you go you can be sure that you will see evil eyes. These blue eyes are thought of to scare away evil spirits and bad vibes, especially if you purchase something new or receive something new you place an evil eye on it. For example, if you buy a new car, you hang an evil eye from the rear view mirror. Or if you give birth and have a new baby in the home, you put an evil eye on them. The Turkish people believe that if you do not do this something bad will happen. Your car will break down, or your baby will get sick.  This is thought because you failed to deter the evil with the eye.

The Blue eyes are found in nearly all of the vendor stands that we've visited.

I noticed this immediately once we came to Turkey. Evil eyes were everywhere! There were charms, key chains, necklaces, bracelets, and pretty much everything that they can place an evil eye on will possess that bright blue eye.

At one place we visited, Cenk showed us an evil eye tree. He joked that this is how evil eyes are grown. The evil eye trees are quite a sight to see. The branches are covered with different types of ornaments that have evil eyes. These trees reflect the sunlight and just look absolutely beautiful.

Sarah in front of one of the Evil Eye Trees

One thing that I have definitely noticed is that my eyes get a lot of attention. I have very blue eyes which are not easy to hide. Unless I have sunglasses on my eyes are constantly exposed. At one point on our trip, a shopkeeper told me the story behind blue eyes. He told me that my eyes bring good luck and that I am lucky because I do not have to carry an evil eye with me at all times. But he told me that even with my eyes evil can still penetrate and get to me. So to be careful I should carry an evil eye just in case. This is when he told me to wait and that he had something for me. When the shopkeeper came back he held a small pin with an evil eye charm on it. He told me to carry it with me in order to have good luck always.

My blue eyes have captured attention in the shops I have visited. When I went into the jewelry and onyx shop, the jeweler who was talking with me told me I brought good luck to his shop because I had such beautiful blue eyes. He told me that his shop was protected from evil intentions because of the evil eyes he had placed in the room but my eyes brought a new protection to the shop because evil can sometimes get used to the evil eyes that are already located at those locations and break through it.  The jeweler told me that my eyes were going to help with protection as well as ensuring everyone purchasing items would be receiving what they desired. 

These blue eyes really stood out to me because of my own blue eyes.  I was told that I would be receiving a lot of attention, but I did not realize the full extent to which people upheld the belief of the evil eyes.  That actually quite shocked me since I was not expecting to draw attention with something as simple as my eyes.  For example, during my home stay I noticed an evil eye beside the doorframe.  I assumed that this was to deter those who would desire to break in or intrude on the family.  Another thing was that pretty much everywhere you go and purchase something are the little pins that you will likely receive from the shopkeeper that has an evil eye charm with a little animal charm on it as well.  These are given out in order to ensure that we, as the shopper, are not leaving with bad vibes that would cause others to avoid that specific shop. 

This trip has really opened my eyes to a lot of ideas and concepts I never would have thought of before.  This trip has made me very grateful for the things that are available to me in the United States.  I will never complain about tap water again and always will be thankful for the toilet that has been provided to me.  The beauty of the country and evil eyes can be rather intriguing; however, I have to remind myself that you can not place your hope and safety in a symbol and instead remember that God is always there to protect and watch over us no matter where we might be located on this earth.  

Thank you Turkey for the life changing experience I have received

By Sarah Newton

Konya/Iconium

On our drive from Pamukkale to Konya, we passed by Lake Eğirdir.

By Michelle Curtis

Yesterday we drove across rolling hills, through fertile fields, and past sparking lakes, beautiful red rocks, and snow-capped mountains, on our way to Konya (ancient Iconium). The beautiful countryside seemed as if it would go on forever until suddenly we came over a hill and Konya, a city of 1.2 million people, lay before us, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Konya from our bus--though this picture fails to capture it, the skyline was dotted with far more mosque minarets than we've seen in other city skylines.

Cenk informed us that Konya is one of the most conservative cities in Turkey, and I felt that in many ways from the vast predominance of headscarves among the women to the loud call to prayer that drifted through our hotel window at 4:15am this morning (a full two hours before the rooster’s crow came mutedly through the then closed window!).

Women in head scarves working hard at tearing out the grass that has started to creep up through the pavement at the Mevlana Cultural Center in Konya where we learned more about the famous Whirling Dervishes.

Backbreaking and tedious work in hot clothing

 St. Paul's church steeple

It was amazing to catch a tiny glimpse of the rich religious history of Konya during our short stay there. In the first century, when it was called Iconium, Paul and Barnabas visited there on the first missionary journey (Acts 14). As Cenk reminded us—one sentence is 92 miles of walking from Psidian Antioch (where we were yesterday) to Iconium/Konya. While we completed the trip in a few short hours on our comfortable bus, Paul and Barnabas would have spent many days walking. I imagine they knew this beautiful land of Anatolia quite well. The remains of the church they founded are small, but we did drive past the only church of Konya today (that our guide knows about)—St. Paul’s church, which is only about 30 people.  

 

Michelle taking studious notes at the center.

But Christian history is only a small piece of Konya’s history. It was also the capitol of the Seljuk Empire (the Seljuk period was 1071-1300). The Seljuks are a Turkic people who were already Muslim when they came to this region in the eleventh century. Today, Konya is well known as the birth place of the Whirling Dervishes (a Sufi Muslim sect) founded there during the Seljuk period. Mevlana, the founder, came to Konya with his father, a sultan, in the thirteenth century. On the basis of philosophy, Mevlana believed that everything in the universe is turning, and this led him to create a tradition of meditation through turning. This became the Whirling Dervish sect—an extremely tolerant sect of love, music, purity, and decency. They believe “the whole meaning of the Koran comes down to decency.”

The Museum of the Whirling Dervishes

 

Figures inside the museum to help visitors imagine life inside the monastery

Today we visited the museum to the Whirling Dervishes (the fourth most visited site in Turkey!), a thirteenth century monastery that was converted into a museum during the 1920s when Turkey became secular. There we learned about Whirling Dervish life during the time they lived in the monastery.

 

Cenk demonstrating the hands and posture for us at Mevlana Cutural Center.

The Whirling Dervishes dedicate their lives to God’s messages. Their ceremony of whirling represents this: right hand raised to heaven to receive a message from the Creator and left hand facing the earth to give this message to the people. And all the while, they turn like the stars. All of their ceremonies finish with a special prayer for all the prophets (including Moses and Jesus) because they are the real messengers. Cenk made very clear that these ceremonies (not performances) are meditations, not dances. And we are very much looking forward to seeing one tomorrow night!

In the past, Whirling Dervish ceremonies were not a public spectacle. The Dervishes earned their living through begging. But now, begging is illegal in Turkey, so along with working other jobs such as clerks or waiters, the Dervishes earn part of their living through allowing tourists like us to pay to witness their ceremonies. Today Whirling Dervishes exist throughout the world. Many benefit from the wisdom of their founder Mevlana (the book of Rumi contains some of his teaching) and both Sunni and Shia Muslims respect him. Around the cultural center built to commemorate Mevlana, it has a quote from him in more languages than I could count: “Either seem as you are or be as your seem.”

Michelle takes a picture of the words at the Mevlana Cultural Center

 

It is amazing to me to pass through a city with such rich religious history of which I’m sure Paul’s journeys and the birth of the Whirling Dervishes are only tiny pieces. To me, Konya is a reminder of Turkey’s incredible diversity, both past and present. After being in the modern, liberal city of Izmir last weekend, where my host spoke perfect English and knew far more about American TV and movies than my roommate and I put together, Konya almost felt like a different country. And even this one city has provided a home for many different empires, religions, and people groups throughout its history. It gave birth to the Whirling Dervishes, who offer an opposite extreme to the fundamentalist sects of Islam that we generally hear about on the news. It reminds me that countries, religions, and people groups are complex, so I must be careful about how I generalize about them.

To commemorate a philosopher and a sect that values transparency, the center was appropriately surrounded by clear fountains of water. Our students' shadows cast reflections as they pass by

Gratefulness, Anger, and God

By Haley Lerner

I wish it were easy to describe what it has been like to travel around this beautiful country for the past two weeks. I wish I could describe the feeling I have walking along ancient Roman roads. I wish I could describe the amazement of understanding biblical references by actually being here. I wish I could describe the freedom of the crystal clear Mediterranean. But words don’t seem to be enough.

I am so grateful to be here. I am so grateful to have stories to tell my friends and family when I return. Stories like ones that involve extremely embarrassing things like tripping over a stupid Roman road.

In a skirt.

While all 27 of my fellow classmates, professors, and travelers were right behind me.

But this wasn’t just any road—this one led to the Asklepion, an ancient place of healing. So when our wonderful tour guide, Cenk, poured water over my hand to remove the embedded stone, he technically healed me at the Asklepion.

Pretty cool, right?

            I am grateful for the friendships I have made and deepened here—the people to whom I get to talk about real things like God and biblical truth and weird American culture and boys. But I am also grateful for the people I am getting to know and the amazing experiences we get to share.

#oscarselfie

            I am grateful that we get to travel with scholars who have dedicated their lives to this book we call the Bible and aren’t afraid to say that it matters. I am grateful for their love for scripture and the new ways in which I am beginning to love it again too.

Dr. Yeatts' first glimpse of Patmos! Too cute not to put in.

            I am grateful for the work archaeologists have done to put these cities, gymnasiums, temples, and libraries together so we have a chance to step back in time to see just how immense and magnificent these structures once were.  

The library in Ephesus

            I am so grateful for the ability to travel and see the world. As we got off the boat at Samos, I remember being so tired. I was seasick from the boat, hot from the scorching sun, and frustrated with customs. As we were waiting for our tour bus, I couldn’t help but notice a group of people, mostly men, being led around by guards in masks, inspecting them like one would inspect livestock before purchasing it. As it turned out, they were refugees, probably from Syria, to seek asylum in a country not being torn apart by violence and war.

            It struck me how we could both be standing only 50 yards away from each other and be in two completely different worlds. We both had just stepped off a boat into an unfamiliar country that speaks a language that looks and sounds nothing like our own. Suddenly, my problems seemed so miniscule. Here I am, standing on this island for school, a word that carries a privilege very few ever get to experience, and there they are, doing whatever they can to escape from a country where the risk of death is in every corner.

I was grumpy getting off that boat.

They were probably terrified.

This whole idea of “birth lottery” has troubled me for a very long time, but in the Messiah bubble, it’s much harder to understand what that actually means. But when I looked down at the American passport I was carrying—

The modern equivalent to "Roman citizenship"—

The tiny blue book whose privileges I only receive because I happened to be born in the wealthiest country in the world—

I was angry.

I am still angry.

I am angry that my biggest problem right now is dead camera battery and only a crappy iPhone camera with which to take pictures.

I am angry that I get an $80,000 education while most women don’t even have the right to their own bodies.

I am angry that I was born as a member of the “Empire” that gives me the privilege of jumping on a plane and flying across the world while others live in constant fear of death.

As I travel around Turkey and learn about its history and its culture, I do so as humbly as I can because that is all I can do right now.  I could continue to rant about this dichotomy in my head that says “I am so grateful” but “I am so angry” and try to deal with this global phenomenon we call injustice, but this is not the time and place to do so.

One, because this post can only be 1000 words.

And two, because I don’t really know how to go about solving it.

So while I am in Turkey, I want to learn as much as I can. I want to engage in this culture and make myself a global citizen so that hopefully I can figure out how to be a constructive member of humanity in the future. Dwelling on the frustration of my own privilege is not going to do anything right now, but anger is a powerful emotion. I pray that it continues to challenge the way I live.

But I don’t want to make it seem as if my experience here has been predominantly negative. In a country that is torn between religious fundamentalism and secularism, headscarves and feminism, I cannot help but find God, front and center, in all of what I have seen and done.

In the middle of the Mediterranean, where the beach is but a speck along the skyline

In the piercing chant of Arabic over Istanbul calling the faithful to prayer

In the craziness and buzz of a Turkish bazaar

In the white cliffs of intricately deposited calcium

In the beauty of bilingual worship

In ancient caves where Jesus—burning eyes, star wielding and all—appeared to John

In an intricate underground city, where other Christians hid in fear of their own persecution

There is God.

Turkish Hospitality: A review of my homestay and the story of catching icecream across the street

Turkey is a beautiful country full of breathtaking vistas, archeological ruins, amazing cities, and much more.  While all of those subjects are interesting, and I could definitely write about them, I have to say the Turkish hospitality is great.  In fact this is my favorite thing about Turkey.  The attitude and demeanor of people in Turkey is what has impacted me the most on this trip.  

c

Our smiling tour guide Cenk

First everyone smiles in Turkey.  Everyone is so happy to meet you.  During my homestay I roomed with Reuben, Eric, and Logan.  We were staying in a small apartment on the sixth floor in busy Izmir.  Our family welcomed us immediately.  Hal and his wife Gurl and their unbelievably adorable little girl Zenip were so excited to meet us.  Through a series of unfortunate events, we arrived much later than planned for our homestay.  Despite this the whole family had stayed up to meet us.  Hal’s mother had even come over earlier in the night and stayed just to meet the “Americans.”  The family had prepared an amazing home cooked meal for us and had kept everything piping hot. 

Hal was very open with us about his family; one of the first things he told us was the meaning behind their names.  Hal means eternal, Gurl means rose, and Zenip means treasure.  In our introductions Hal also told us that his wife was pregnant and due at the end of June.  These little details are so different from how Americans meet each other.  In the States when I meet a family for the first time, they typically go over their names and launch into a conversation about work or school or business of some sort.  The feeling I got from Hal and his family was that he genuinely wanted to get to know us.

Another great thing about the homestay was how Hal wanted to serve his guests to the Nth degree.  He didn’t want us to have to do anything.  He was always asking if we were satisfied and if there was anything he could do to make the stay better.  Towards the end of the homestay, I was running low on clean clothes.  I asked Hal to use his washer, he told me I wasn’t allowed to use it and that his wife would do it for me.  He also wouldn’t use my detergent because he wanted to serve me.  It was a humbling experience.  One little detail that I noticed at every meal was that he would serve his guests first, and he wouldn’t even serve himself until he saw us eating the food and had received verbal confirmation that we were all set and that the food was good.  He didn’t want us to do a lick of work.  The first meal he and his wife cleared the table, and it was only after we insisted that he allowed us to clear our own spots at future meals.

Our wonderful homestay family.  I already miss them.

During the homestay another fantastic thing that I wasn’t expecting was hanging out with Hal’s daughter Zenip.  She was hilarious and brought a smile to all of our faces.  Zenip and I had a blast. After we overcame the initial shyness, Zenip opened up into her crazy fun-loving self.  Zenip didn’t speak any English which made communication between me and her very limited.  Hal told me that she didn’t understand that I didn’t understand her; thus so she spoke fluent Turkish to me, and the only words I could respond with in Turkish were “very good,” and “Yes.”  So while I have no idea what she said, she ended up showing me her Barbies, playing with her plastic laptop and phone, playing catch with a stress ball, riding her bike (through the cramped apartment) and my personal favorite of drawing in my journal. 

Speaking of drawing, Zenip and I drew some pretty fantastic drawings.  Zenip’s favorite picture was a classic picture of my personal creation, the Smarmy Gator.  Through the homestay I did learn two new words, Timsahs satici .  Because there is no direct translation for the word “smarmy” Timsahs Satici translates roughly as Alligator Salesman, the closest I could get to smarmy gator.  Zenip would burst out laughing every time I said this.

Zenip drew a picture of me and her holding hands.  Her house is in the middle and her parents are the two floating "people."

This was my picture of what an "alligator salesman."  Zenip loved this picture.

On the first night in Istanbul, I had another encounter with Turkish Hospitality.  Taylor, Sarah, Jarod, and I were watching some locals light Turkish lanterns (mini hot-air balloons) and launch them across the Bosphorus straight.  We got caught up watching this spectacle and lost Dr. Ramey and our tour guide.  Turns out this wasn’t all bad.  The four of us ended up at Cold Stone Creamery.  Not only was I glad to see a Cold Stones but also the man running the icecream parlor turned out to be awesome.  When we walked in he asked who had the best reflexes amongst us.  Somehow I was nominated, I don’t think I have great cat-like reflexes but never-the-less I was nominated.  The man told me that if I could catch icecream from across the street I would win a free icecream.  I darted across the street, almost got my legs taken off by a mop head, and waited on the opposite sidewalk.  The man walked out with his icecream scooper and a huge scoop of icecream primed for launching.  He asked if I was ready and then lobbed a chunk of icecream over the busy street.  Holding the icecream cup in 1 hand I reached out…and totally snagged the icecream…but only for a few milliseconds.  Not remembering high school physics and Newton’s laws, the icecream hit the cup and then bounced out of the cup.  The shop keeper laughed hysterically and then called me over and offered me another shot.  He took another scoop of icecream and repeated the whole process.  This time I caught the icecream and triumphantly returned.  Now the shopkeep congratulated me and told me I was the 24^th person to catch icecream across the street.  Assuming I would eat the icecream I just caught, I got ready to dig in.  But the man swiped it from my hand and dropped it into the trash.  He then made me an icecream of my choice, and everything was better. 

I write this long story only to highlight that this kind of thing would not happen in the States for free.  This man gave away 3 ice creams for free.  He just wanted to have a good time.  People in the States just aren’t this friendly.  He then told me his name was Ahmet; he asked what I was studying and told me to enjoy Istanbul.  In return for his generosity, I gave him my Messiah College wrist band.  He was so happy with the gift, he immediately put it on his wrist and smiled telling me he would wear it all the time.  In a few days our group will return to Istanbul for a few nights, and I plan on stopping by and hanging out with Ahmet (P.S. I do have a video of this; however, YouTube is banned in Turkey, so I will have to wait till I am back to post the video).

Now I have all kinds of other crazy awesome stories of Hospitable Turkish people, but I will have to save some stories for when I return to the States in person.  I am loving every second of Turkey and had no idea it was so amazing.  When I get back, be sure to ask about the shopkeeper who thought I was a celebrity and the flesh eating fish pedicure I received.

A beautiful sunset over Kusadasi.

Another beautiful sunset, this time over Assos.

Daniel Postema

Psidian Antioch -- Examing Challenges of Early Christian's and how the Apostle Paul Addresses Them

by Jason Guerrera

Psidian Antioch, one of sixteen cities named Antioch by Selucid ruler Antiochus, was not so much a rich city as it was a strategic point for armies to garrison and was a city frequently visited by Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel. Following Selucid control, the city became a large Roman garrison under Augustus, who stationed as many as three thousand soldiers here. The city was a major intersection between Ephesus in the East and Apamea in the West. Additionally, Antioch’s city plan was constructed by Hippodamus of Miletus, who developed a “grid” pattern that can be seen in many American cities today, e.g. New York City. Two major roads, the Decumanus Maximus, which is 320m long and ran from east to west, and the Cardo Maximus, which is 400m long and ran from north to south, serve as the foundation for this grid.   

One of the excavated roads in Psidian Antioch.

Paul and Barnabus visited the city first in 42 A.D., where his first and longest sermon is recorded. Paul’s presence in this region has major significance because, much to the chagrin of the Jewish community, Paul was successful in reaching many of the Gentiles, also known as “God-fearers” or “God-worshippers.” Before being expelled from the city, Paul responds to the Jews who protested his message, “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the God-fearers” (Acts 13:46). This is also significant because it shows that Paul’s message is not just reserved for Jewish people—anyone who accepts the Lord’s message can receive the blessing of eternal life.

The layout of one of the first churches established in Psidian Antioch.

The Augustus temple in Psidian Antioch is by far the most impressive construction in the city. The temple was constructed by Tiberius, and it’s construction is typical of temples dedicated to an emperor: they’re the highest point of the city, demonstrating the importance and significance of the emperor. It’s a two story construction that utilizes doric columns on the bottom and Ionic columns on the top, further showing Roman superiority over other cultures. Aside from its construction, the presence of emperor temples represents an ongoing issue in Roman culture. The temples of the Emperor, like temples dedicated to Greek or Roman gods, are sources of important resources required to live. 

A digital reconstruction of the Augustus Temple in Antioch.

Sacrifices in the temples were one of the only sources of meat in ancient time, but Saint John condemns eating food that’s been sacrificed in the temples as it’s considered tainted meat. Fountains that provide drinking water are also carved to idolize the emperor as a sign that the emperor is the source for water. Likewise, though Romans allow the practice of other religions, all must burn a pinch of incense in the temple of the emperor and declare that Caesar is Lord. Refusing to burn the pinch of incense is seen as a form of treason for not pledging allegiance to Rome. All of these cultural norms present serious challenges to Christians in the first century as not burning the incense and declaring Ceasar is Lord is a major source for Christian persecution. Choosing not to take meat from the temples or water from the fountains leave one without basic needs for survival. This is a non-issue for Jewish people as they’ve been granted an exception from burning the incense. They assist in prosecuting Christians in order to preserve that exemption since they believe that Christianity is a threat to their privileges within Roman society.

What the same Augustus temple looks like today.

          Paul addresses these challenges in several unique ways. Instead of presenting Christianity as something that is going to completely change the way people live, Paul starts small by planting seeds. Instead of banning slavery out right, Paul instead tells people to love others and to treat others the way we want to be treated. These basic premises, when followed to their conclusion, will effectively bring about the same result. By doing it this way, introducing Christianity to Roman culture becomes much easier as it’s not seen as something completely radical. Evidence of Paul’s pragmatism can be found in Acts 11:19-24 when he plants his first church in Antioch in 43 AD. I admire Paul’s strategy in taking on a culture, which at this time is rife with sinful practices. Seeing Antioch in person and the extremely dangerous terrain that had to be traversed by Paul to get here was very humbling because it introduced a new perspective to the dangers and difficulties Paul must have faced during his journeys.

Dr. Ramey teaching about Paul's first missionary journey within the church ruins that some archaeologists think cover the very synagogue in which Paul would have preached in Psidian Antioch