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"...a doorkeeper in the house of the LORD..."

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Today our tour guide took us through the Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.  She was excellent! 

Here are a few highlights.

Blue Mosque:  This famous landmark is a tourist attraction but also is still an active house of worship.  The mosque welcomes the public by the thousands every day, but it is closed to tourists during the five prayer times each day.  It is enormous, has massive marble columns, six minarets and was built in the Byzantine style, with a main central dome surrounded by smaller half and quarter domes.  From the courtyard we could see how the fountain enclosure, a separate domed structure, lined up perfectly with the main and lesser domes of the mosque.  If you stand in the right spot you see five domes aligned.  This was to remind Muslim worshippers of the five pillars of Islamic practice.  They are confession of faith, adhering to the daily prayer hours, practicing charity for the poor, fasting during Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Blue Mosque is so called because it is decorated inside with ornate ceramic tile with intricate patterns all dome in shades of blue.  Blue tiles were known to be a symbol for the Sultan and family, so this was a royal mosque and has a special loge for the Sultan when he was in attendance.

Hagia Sophia:  Nearby is the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) I have thought about this place for many years.  It is a thrill to see it in the flesh.  This gargantuan edifice was completed during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine.  He gave the city, then called Byzantium, the status of Imperial Capitol, equal in stature to Rome.  In an effort to make the city truly impressive he commissioned this mighty church, which was the largest church in Christendom for a thousand years.  Its architecture was new, a radical departure from the basilica styles inherited from the Greek and Roman temples.  He incidentally changed the city’s name to Constantinople. 

The church was completed in a relatively short time for two main reasons.  The exterior uses red brick, never covered by marble as was often done in Roman structures.  The theological statement was clear- outward appearances did not matter as much as what is in the heart.   Inside is another story.  Inside there is swirly-colored marble everywhere, often arranged in mirror cuts.  This method achieves the kind of symmetry you’ve seen in the wood grain in fine furniture and doors.  This stone was borrowed by the Emperor’s permission from temples, baths, and other ancient buildings around the Mediterranean.  This made building much faster because the stone was not quarried to order, but simply stripped and shipped.

I don’t know the comparative dimensions, but it feels larger than Grand Central Station or the main room of Ellis Island in New York City.  A professor once told me the entire Sistine Chapel would fit inside the nave of Hagia Sophia. I believe it.  Standing in the main worship space (there are no pews) the sheer size dwarfs the human body.  This is entirely intentional.   It’s breathtaking.

It was originally adorned with huge mosaics done in the style of icons.  Most of these were covered up during the Ottoman period when the church was converted to a mosque.  The Ottomans applied paint or plaster over the mosaics because Islam forbids images of humans or animals.  Some of the mosaics have been uncovered and partially restored.  Today they are a tantalizing hint of the building’s original splendor.

When it was converted to a mosque, minarets were added to the structure.  Since the Blue Mosque deliberately mimicked the Byzantine architecture, the two buildings both have domes and minarets so they look very similar in size and form.  As a newcomer, I first had trouble guessing which one was the Blue Mosque and which the Hagia Sophia. 

To modern Turkey this building is no longer either a mosque or a church.  It is owned by the government and operated as a historical museum.  It has the designation as a World Heritage Site.  Thousands visit every day.  As with the Ephesus site one can walk thirty paces and identify a half dozen different languages being spoken.  Today I heard English, Spanish, something Scandinavian, something Slavic and one that was oriental, possibly Korean and of course Turkish.  I think I saw some Chinese Muslims as well.  The world comes to Istanbul. 

 Topkapi Palace:  This was the palace occupied by Ottoman Sultans.  It is a sprawling complex, with a series of concentric security rings- walls within walls within walls.  The public was welcomed only into the outer most ring, with access being further and further restricted.  The Sultan’s private quarters allowed the fewest visitors. 

We only had time to view portions, and there are also portions not yet developed for public viewing.  We saw sumptuous silk brocade robes with gold embroidery and jewels.  Golden thrones, bejeweled flagons, a jewel encrusted cradle, and more rooms, gardens, and courtyards than we could count.  Best of all, the whole place is situated at a splendid elevation over the Bosporus.  The Sultan had a private veranda, now open to the public, with the grandest possible view of the famous waterway.  The veranda faces in two directions, both with spectacular views.  Even the Sultans knew it pays to have the corner office.

Resting now.  Tomorrow we fly to Cappadocia. 

PEACE
PG 

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• Hello friends,

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May 26, 2011

Today, one by one my new friends left the Golden City Hotel for planes trains and buses to other destinations.  One class member, a pastor, will be spending a few days in Spain to preach a Sunday sermon at a mission site that his congregation supports spiritually and financially.  Three of the seminarians are going home to the state of Virginia to continue their studies with more summer courses on campus.  Two are headed off to more travel through Greece and eventually, Turkey.  The young American couple who live in Jerusalem will be back there this evening.  Dr. Stutzman has another class to teach, this one in Israel and Palestine.  He is a globe-trotter.

I will be the only one left here in Athens, eagerly waiting for Karen to arrive.  We’ll see Athens for a short couple of days, then on to Istanbul and Cappadocia.  I can’t wait to see her!  Please pray for safe travels.

Today I visited the National Archeological Museum of Greece.  It is only about ten blocks from the hotel.  It was both beautiful and fascinating.  Some of the world’s great antiquities are housed there, and quite a few were unearthed within the current city limits of Athens.  There were sculptures, friezes, grave markers that can only be called masterpiece art, and lots of pottery and other items from daily life. 

They have a huge exhibit on the culture of Mycenae which preceded the Greeks.  The quality of their pottery and jewelry is stunning.  We must always keep in mind that many of these items have survived because they were carefully buried as funeral provisions for the wealthiest and most powerful of the citizens.  Probably ordinary folk did not own such finery.  The pictures included are just a taste of what is there.  It’s a magnificent collection.

Perhaps some of you have followed news about the Greek economy.  Our news is sketchy, because all the TV anchors here speak Greek.  Fast.  But we had a one day strike, a time for workers to express their displeasure over the austerity cuts announced by the government.  The municipal electric utility workers marched right past the front of our hotel in large numbers yesterday, all wearing their safety-orange clothes, and hard hats.  Most marched, some rode in the back of a huge flatbed, all shouting protest slogans.  A hotel worker told us the utility workers have not been paid for months. 

So far the protests are peaceful, and life seems to have returned to normal. 

Acts 28

The ship was a total loss.  If you and I were among those who swam or floated to shore we would call our survival a miracle.  Many shipwreck stories include the sad detail that people afloat on wreckage, or even in lifeboats survive the sinking only to the battered to death against the rocks or reefs within a stone’s throw of shore. The last few dozen yards are sometimes the most dangerous part of the journey.  They all made it!

We can vividly picture them, huddled, exhausted, fiercely hungry, and shivering in the driving rain.  The locals took pity and made a fire.  They might have been people of the sea themselves, knowing the hazards and having a natural sympathy.  Some points of land have seen many wrecks because the same wind and wave patterns affect many different ships over the years.  Perhaps they had seen other wrecks, and felt compassion. 

So it was Malta, they discovered.  That at least was on their maps, and better yet, on shipping routes.  That there was yet another Alexandrian ship present is another hint to the high levels of activity on these supply routes. Rome had essentially eliminated piracy in that era, so trade was flourishing.  It was still risky to sail, especially as winter closed in, but much safer without marauders. 

Paul is once again resilient.  The snakebite proves to be no threat.  You and I may have questions about how this can be, but the fact that the locals move from calling Paul a murderer to calling him a god gives us a glimpse into the way the ancients read the actions of the fickle gods in every event for good or ill.

Paul performs healings and earns the love and admiration of the locals, so they endow the mariners with generous provisions when the time comes to put to sea again.

At 28:15 we learn that believers have come to meet Paul and accompany him.  They came from towns on the route from Rome’s seaport of Puteoli to Rome proper.  Read between the lines.  Paul is encouraged by their presence.  Can we see a bout of discouragement?  I assume it.  In spite of his flair for the dramatic and his unbending will to preach, Paul is still a prisoner, and steps on land much closer to facing the emperor’s enquiry.  Perhaps he feels how tiny he is in the wide and resplendent realm of Rome.  Statues, temples, soldiers, all litter the land, and speak of Rome’s dominance.  Every mile marker says two things: he is closer to a judgment that is uncertain, and each of those mile markers were placed by and belong to Rome’s imperial power.  Who would not be discouraged? 

Once again, after many vows to do otherwise, Paul speaks first to the local Jewish leaders.  They have no ill report about Paul.  Paul gave his testimony, and displayed his thorough knowledge of Hebrew scripture.  As usual, the audience divided.  Some believed, others did not.   Paul expresses his frustration by quoting those daunting verses from Isaiah 6 when God pronounces judgment on a rebellious people.  Remember, this is leveled not only at Israel, but at everyone who calls upon God, but lives as though God were not present.  In other words, some of us all the time and all of us some of the time. 

The end of the book presents a mystery.  All seems well as Paul, under lenient house arrest, is free to preach, and seems under no immediate threat of punishment or censure.  Did Paul live to see Spain as he hoped?  Was his burning desire to preach and his relentless wanderlust finally stopped in Rome?  Did he fall silent due to his execution?  Tradition has it that Paul died in Rome, indeed a victim of capital punishment.  If so he was not crucified.  His status as citizen would have saved him from that indignity.  Nevertheless, he gave his life, both in living and in dying to preach about Jesus. 

Here is what I have learned friends.  Even the ruins of old Rome are magnificent.  When all those buildings, libraries, temples, amphitheaters, steam-baths, horse tracks, all those snappy soldiers, wealthy patrons, the seemingly endless pavement rolled out for the army- all of it was carved in stone.  What could be more permanent to the human eye?  Yet Paul was given a vision.  He could see that even in its unmatched splendor, Rome was temporary.  Powerless in the face of death, and destined individually and collectively to go the way of all flesh.  Paul had something more powerful and more permanent.  Rome lies in stately ruins.  The Word of the Lord endures forever. 

PG

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May 25, 2011

Today was a free day in Athens.  The class is rapidly winding down, and today’s only agenda item was the final exam which we all took at 6:00 pm right before supper.  It’s the only seminary course I’ve taken where the questions and essay items were about Paul, and the extra credit opportunity was knot-tying.

I spent some of the day shopping, or mostly looking, and noticed how even the most touristy places are right around the corner from completely local things like a bicycle repair business, or even a welding shop.  They have a different sensibility in their city planning or zoning, and it makes for a curious but wonderful kind of mix that we don’t see in America. 

I didn’t take too many pictures today, but I wanted to share one other item from yesterday.  After visiting Corinth we stopped at another seaside location that is not on the tourist maps.  There are just a few ruins remaining here including some huge cut-stone blocks in the water.  This is all that remains of the ancient harbor called Cenchrae.  ^“After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow.  When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews.”  (Act 18:18-19 NRS)

We stood on the shore at Cenchreae, looking at the few remnants of the place where Paul set sail from Greece to Ephesus.  This was the last time he saw Corinth where he had lived and worked with Prisca and Aquilla. 

OOPS Yesterday was supposed to be labeled Acts 26, so today is Acts 27.

Chapter 27 is a return to the so-called “We Passages” where the first person plural is adopted by the narrator.  “When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy…”  Some commentators take this to mean that the ‘we’ passages indicate the writing is that of an eyewitness, one of Paul’s traveling companions.  Many still assert this was Luke the physician.  One objection to this is that seafaring stories from the era often take the ‘we’ tone for their narration, adding an element of first-hand experience for the reader.  (You are there!)  Another question I bring to the discussion is whether Paul as a prisoner of the empire would have been allowed to bring along companions to record the journey. 

Having said that I can definitely say the details about the sailing are very real.  Picture a journey from southeast to northwest, from the Mediterranean coast near Israel to some point in Italy.  Prevailing winds go the opposite way, from northwest to southeast.  The square rigged sails of the day only sailed well downwind, making this journey difficult even in favorable weather.  Another phenomenon is that when a weather system is changing- bringing storms, the winds will often shift.  So they put to sea thinking the winds favorable only to have them swing around to an unfavorable direction.  The two windiest days we had were trying, white knuckled sailing even with modern equipment, and you really could not call what we saw a storm.  Paul’s ship was in trouble. 

Paul reassured the crew by recounting his vision of a reassuring angel. 

The fact that the ship was large (vs. 37 says 276 people) that it was from Alexandria (vs.6) and bound for Italy at the end of the shipping season strongly suggests it was carrying wheat.  Rome could not grow enough food locally to feed its enormous population, so the government had a constant supply of wheat coming from Egypt, carried by the biggest ships of the day.  These were not private merchant ships, but government freighters.  The Centurion would have had authority to take passage on the ship for official business.  Others were allowed to book passage so long as it did not interfere with the ship’s appointed course.

The note that the sailors lightened the ship and then prayed for day is also completely realistic and in keeping with seafaring.  Reaching land sound like a great relief, but approaching land at night with a fully loaded ship is a dangerous prospect even on a good day.  The sailors did not want to attempt it at night. 

“…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself…”  (2 Cor. 5:19)  Paul wrote those words and his life was a ministry of reconciliation.  The hand of God was on that unhappy ship because God willed that Paul should stand before the most powerful politician of the day, Caesar, and proclaim the king of infinitely greater power, Jesus, Messiah. 

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May 24, 2011

Today was another amazing day.  I haven’t said that enough.  Each day has brought wonders and new learning, but I am often blogging late at night when I am nearly asleep.  I’m having a great time in Athens. 

Today we took a day trip to Corinth.  Corinth is a fascinating place and is an important city, both for the Apostle Paul and for the entire Greco-Roman world in general. 

Corinth is situated on a very narrow isthmus between the main part of Greece and the Peloponnesian peninsula.  It became what us Iron Rangers call a portage.  Ships could save weeks of hazardous travel by putting in at Corinth and transporting goods overland a short distance to the other side.  In time, they even devised a way to haul a loaded ship overland, saving the time of loading and unloading.  It also eliminated the need to coordinate between a full ship on one side and an empty one waiting on the other.  This was the shortest shipping route between Italy and any point on the Aegean Sea. 

Naturally, since commerce was plentiful, Corinth grew into an important and wealthy city.   Corinth was the Roman Capitol of Achaea, the surrounding region.  It had amenities one expects in a city of its importance.  There was a theater that had underground waterworks so that theatrical productions could include water scenes, such as naval battles.  This water feature is unique to Corinth.  No other amphitheater is known to have had this amazing feature.  Even more amazing, it has a stone with a name that appears in Paul’s writing.  If this is the same person the Corinthian church included some people at the very top of local society. 

Since it was a double-seaport, it had the moral reputation that seaports always have.  Corinth had a temple dedicated to Apollo in the heart of the city, but the more famous and more important temple was dedicated to Aphrodite, goddess of love.  Her temple was on the top of Acrocorinth (high Corinth) at the pinnacle of a rock mountain the rises up behind the old city.

We hiked to the top of Acrocorinth to see the spectacular view where two oceans join.  There’s too much more to say, but I’ll include some pictures.

Acts 25

Festus, the Roman governor, and Agrippa, the Jewish king under Rome’s watchful eye, now hear the story of Paul’s life.  He was born a Roman citizen and a Jew.  He was educated by the most prestigious rabbi of the day.  He re-tells how he was so zealous to guard the tradition that he persecuted Christians.  Then he met Jesus on the road and became a believer in Jesus, and an outspoken evangelist.  For Paul, the gospel of Jesus is in continuity with all of the Jewish scriptures- not a contradiction to the Law and Prophets, but the fulfillment of both.  He does not see himself as the instigator of a new religion.  It is critical to keep this in mind. 

In verse 27 Paul asks the Jewish king, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe." (Act 26:27 NRS)   Paul may be indulging in flattery here, as Agrippa was thought to be entirely Roman-ized, barely Jewish at all.  It may be flattery with veiled judgment, or it may even be the way that Paul the evangelist calls upon the deepest desires of a jaded client-king- to be one with his people. 

In the end, neither of the two leaders, Festus or Agrippa thinks Paul deserves punishment, let alone death.  Both were seasoned politicians and understood that some charges are smear tactics not to be taken seriously.  Agrippa notes that Paul would be a free man had he not appealed to Caesar.  This may be a sad irony, or it may be that Paul wanted to see Rome, and speak to the emperor.  The gospel is spreading among the elite, the Jews, the common people, all over Asia Minor, and now Rome itself. 

PG

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May 23, 2011

Today we visited the old Olympic stadium in Athens.  In ancient Greece there was a sports stadium on this same location.  “Stadium” refers to a measure of distance which became standard for athletic competitions, a stade, sort of a Greek kilometer.  This measure was used for horse races, so the location for holding such a race became a stadium.  We still user this word for a sports venue. 

Having fallen into disuse and disrepair for centuries, the location was rebuilt for the revival of the Olympic games in the modern era.  Rebuilt to a splendid standard circa 1870, it was used for the first modern Olympic games in 1896.  This stadium also hosted two events for the 2004 Athens Olympics.  The archery competition was held here, and it was the location for the ending of the Olympic marathon.  Every year the Marathon-to-Athens marathon also ends in this stadium.  It is built entirely of marble- all the walls, seating, walkways, staircases- all solid blocks of real marble- not a veneer.  In the bright sunlight it is exquisite. 

Rome has always been competitive, and has always loved a winner.   In ancient Rome winning was an obsession.  Paul understood this, and offered an alternative.

Acts 25

Two years have passed with Paul no closer to freedom, or sentencing, for that matter.  Festus, the new Roman governor, takes up the case.  This account, along with other evidence, suggests that the Roman authorities were trying to placate the Jews, rather than using force to keep order.  This makes sense of the reports that two governors, Felix and then Festus, both seek to do the Jews a favor.  On the pretense of offering a fair trial, Festus offers to send Paul to Jerusalem, where people understand these Jewish matters that are so obscure to a Roman official.  Paul sees the risk involved in a Jerusalem trial, and so he invokes his right as Roman citizen to be heard by the emperor.  He knows he will remain in custody.  Paul judges that is better than dying at the hands of treacherous people who want peace with Rome more than they want new revelations from God. 

In addition, it is entirely possible that Paul wanted to meet the emperor.  Paul was proclaiming a completely new kingdom.  Rome’s kingdom was good for the few, terrible for the many, strong throughout the known world, but widely resented.   The Kingdom Paul proclaimed is good for all, not just the elite, and extends even beyond the impressive boundaries of Rome.  Lastly, Paul proclaims a gift of eternal life.  Rome’s passion for winning, for excellence, for arts, learning and pleasure all came to a screeching halt at the moment of death.   Rome had defeated many enemies, but not the last enemy. 

Paul had met Jesus face to face, the glorified Christ at God’s right hand!  Only this could surpass the glory that was Rome.  Paul may have wanted to meet the emperor to make a personal comparison between the Caesar who claimed to be god’s son on earth, and Jesus, who surpassed Rome in every way.  Paul chose to go to the emperor, not just to escape treachery in Jerusalem, but to take the opportunity to use his precious Roman citizenship to bring the gospel to the highest level of human affairs, the emperor. 

Meanwhile, Festus was frustrated in his attempt to get Paul into the hands of Jewish leaders, so he did the next best thing.  He called in a consultant.   King Agrippa was ethnarch of Judah.   (ethnic ruler- a minor kingship in the empire)  Agrippa, was one of the sons in the line of Herod.  He was nominally a Jew, though this was widely scoffed at among devout Jews.  Festus asked Agrippa to give an opinion on Paul’s case, but Paul preempted Agrippa by appealing to the emperor.  Here we see the value of Paul’s citizenship.  Even petty rulers in that day had the power of capital punishment, and yet Paul could avoid Agrippa by his appeal to Caesar.  Paul will live to preach again. 

It’s is also good to note that Paul’s story gets repeated in Acts.  Chapter  9 is the account of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  In  chapter 22, Paul explains his conversion story to the angry mob of Jerusalem- the start of this long section about Paul’s trial.  He again explains his story in the next chapter.  We the reader cannot miss the way the moment on the Damascus road claimed Paul’s entire life. Jesus makes the same claim on each of us.   

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Today is both exciting and bittersweet.  We said goodbye to our sturdy boat the Morning Star.  We left the seawall at Kea and motored, nose once again in the wind, to a place called Rafina, a suburb of Athens.  There we said farewell to skipper Alex, Sailing Instructor Dale, and First Mate Andrew.  We have come to respect and love these devoted brothers in Christ.  They work ridiculously long hours making the Morning Star work for people like us, and more often as a floating Bible camp for Greek youth.  From now on the journey is on land. 

We made it to our hotel by about 6:15 p.m. after a day of travel, packing, getting in and out of vans, and finally settling in to a delicious dinner in a rooftop dining room.  Tomorrow we start out for the historic sights of Athens.

Acts 23

Paul faces his accusers and reminds them he is a Pharisee born of Pharisees.  In verses 6-9 we see that Paul has touched a nerve by reminding the assembly of the division between Pharisees and Sadducees.  Paul’s faction, the Pharisees, believed in a resurrection after death, and also that spirits and angels are real, and may even speak to humans.  The Sadducees denied all these beliefs.  My reading is that we have a classic division which is still with us to this day.  We no longer use labels like Pharisee and Sadducee, but we can still see two strong impulses in the church.  You could use modern labels like liberal and conservative, or pietist and orthodox, but the basic impulses are very real and very much alive. 

Is our walk of faith a matter of preserving tradition?  If preservation is primary, then any claim of newness, especially anything that contradicts what has been taught before is suspect, even threatening.  If our task is only to preserve, then we react to what is new with skepticism, and even hostility.  The impulse to preserve is deeply valuable because we do have treasure from God which must be taught and defended.  Yet when the preserving impulse is pressed too far, humans can be found placing limits on what they think God can and will do.  Paul’s position is clearly in line with the belief that God might do something completely new or unexpected, and that faith is a matter of having the openness to listen and the faith to leap into something untested.

Both impulses have value and both have risks.  For the moment Paul is playing one faction against another to buy time.    

For this passage, we see Paul being ‘wise as a serpent’ with his words.  (See Matt. 10:16)  By reminding the assembly of its internal divisions, Paul accomplishes two things.  He gains natural allies by identifying himself with one of the factions.  Thus the Pharisees present may take Paul’s side, not so much to protect Paul as to make sure they don’t allow their political rivals the Sadducees to gain the upper hand.  Paul has already used his citizenship to draw the civil authorities into the dispute.  Instead of placating the Jewish leaders, he heightened the conflict.  In the ensuing ruckus he is whisked away under Roman protection, and sent to stand before Felix in Caesarea.  Paul is not afraid of confrontation, but uses these moments to gather an ever bigger audience.  He has longed to see Rome, and now his journey there begins. 

It is worth noting that by this time Paul is very well travelled.  He has seen the empire.  In Ephesus and Miletus, and Pirene (Turkey) I saw with my own eyes the remains of the empire.  Even in ruins it is impressive.  At the height of its glory, Rome was awe-inspiring.  Paul has the empire itself as a model for a kingdom that reaches to all corners.  Paul proclaims a king who rules over all.  Perhaps Paul felt it was fitting and necessary to bring the gospel of Jesus to Rome, the seat of earthly power.  Paul has bigger fish to fry than the intramural Jewish debates, but if they serve as the springboard to get him to Rome, he will jump with both feet. 

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