In the footsteps of the early church: Miletus December 8, 2011

Miletus is briefly mentioned in the bible as the place where Paul says good-bye to the Ephesian elders and warns them of challenges to come and where he leaves one of his travelling companions to recover from an illness.

With 100,000 inhabitants, Miletus was smaller than Ephesus, but still an important town. It was a centre of philosophy and science.

It is a bit disorientating to try to picture the original setting, as the sea has moved so much. At one point we are walking through the harbour, which two small ponds as the only reminders of the past. (The site looks apparently very different in winter, when some of the paths we are now walking on would be flooded.)

As usual, we visit an ancient theatre and are shown the remains of temples, but to me the most impressive building is the bathhouse. I have always pictured bathing as an intimate affair, but the remains of the three large halls with their high ceilings give the impression that bathhouses were places were politics was made.

Another challenging place to live for God…

In the footsteps of the early church: Ephesus December 8, 2011

Ephesus used to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire and housed 250,000 people. Today it feels like the same number of tourists are milling about. Hard to believe that numbers can drop down to as little as 10 tourists in winter.

At first I wish it was winter right now, as it is hard to focus among the competing voices of the different tourists guides. In the end, the crowds help to picture the hustle and bustle of a place like Ephesus.

One of the most impressive ruins is the library of Celsus, which was finished a few decades after the book of Revelation was written. The library once held nearly 12,000 scrolls.

I imagine that there would have always been a lot of traffic in the area, especially given the huge market place next door and the theatre and harbour just beyond it.

Seeing the location brings the biblical story of the Ephesian riot to life:  The silversmith Demetrius, who feels his business of manufacturing figurines of the goddess Artemis is threatened by the apostle Paul’s missionary activities, rallies together his fellow workmen. The enraged crowd surges towards the theatre. Some people don’t even know why they have come to the arena!

(Nothing much has changed. Crowds still draw further crowds. I notice that my eyes get drawn to a play that is performed on Harbour Road. Part of me wants to immediately investigate what is going on…)

It is sobering to learn that while Paul had a lucky escape, in later years Christians were fed to the lions in the arena…

In Revelation, Jesus describes the Ephesians as hard-working and orthodox in their beliefs (they seem to have listened to Paul’s earlier warnings that false teachers would try to infiltrate the church).

There is evidence that the church was still renowned for its doctrinal purity in the 2^nd century – maybe a reflection of the leadership they had enjoyed for the first 100 years or so  (the apostle Paul, his protégée Timothy and then the apostle John).

However, in Jesus’s eyes, works and doctrine need to have the right foundation. He challenges the Ephesians on their motivation: He wants their love, not just their service…

Comparing the different churches in Revelation, it seems that Ephesus and Thyatira had the opposite strengths and weaknesses and needed to learn from each other, as truth and love need to go hand in hand to avoid both harshness and sentimentalism.

It’s sobering to think that at some point all the historic churches mentioned in Revelation completely lost their way. Archbishop Trench reports that by the Middle Ages, the congregation in Ephesus had shrunk to 3 Christians who appeared to be ignorant of their rich heritage…

All that remains of the temple of Artemis, is one pillar that has been re-erected to give an indication of the original height of the temple.

It takes a lot of imagination to picture the original temple which was once celebrated the world over – a reminder that anything man-made, no matter how impressive, ultimately has a limited shelf-life…

In the footsteps of the early church: Laodicea December 8, 2011

Laodicea is around 10 km from Hierapolis.

It’s easy to see why the Laodiceans may have been so self-satisfied. The town was very rich (lots of marble) and lying in a beautiful location. Even though the sky is overcast, we can still make out Pamukkale just across the valley. I imagine it was a popular spa resort for rich Laodiceans.

The town was a banking centre and so rich that it did not need imperial funds when it was destroyed by an earthquake.

It was also famous for its medical school, especially its eye salve, and its trade in black wool. Once again it strikes me how tailor-made to the local situation Jesus’s words to the church are: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.” (Revelation 2:17f)

Jesus’s comment about the Laodiceans being so lukewarm that he was about to spit them out of his mouth also fits perfectly: Hierapolis had the healing water of the hot springs and Colossae, 12 miles south-east of Laodicea, had refreshing mountain streams, but once the water got to Laodicea it was lukewarm and sludgy. (I have read that the remains of the aqueducts still show thick layers of calcareous matter…)

In the footsteps of the early church: Hierapolis December 8, 2011

Hierapolis was already a spa in 200 BC due to its location right next to the hot springs of Pamukkale.

We climb past the extensive necropolis, which contains over 1,000 tombs, to the ruins of the octagonal St Philip Martyrium. There is some debate of whether it was built in memory of the apostle Philip or the later disciple Philip the Evangelist.

We are told that Philip converted 80,000 pagans in Hierapolis before being martyred. I want to hear more: How did the conversion of so many people happen? What is the symbolic significance of the octagon? But as usual, all is shrouded in mystery.

One thing I am pretty certain of: Whether it is Philip, the apostle, or Philip, the evangelist, who was originally buried here: Both would have probably found it strange that such a large memorial was built commemorating death. I can almost hear them murmur: “You are missing the point. Never mind my death. Jesus has offered me life after death, and he is offering the same to you!”

In the footsteps of the early church: Philadelphia December 8, 2011

26 miles south-east of Sardis, is modern-day Alasehir, which was originally named Philadelphia, the “city of brotherly love”.

In the first century, Jesus said that He had opened a door of opportunity in this city, even though it contained “the “synagogue of Satan.”

I imagine that the letter to the church brought great encouragement to a place that had only recently been destroyed by a massive earthquake and was still suffering from aftershocks.

Once again, Jesus stresses the importance to not be deceived by outward appearances. The church in Sardis may have looked good, but it was the church in Philadelphia, which was spiritually alive.

Nowadays, this is no longer true. All that remains of its Christian heritage are the ruins of a Byzantine church. Like Thyatira, it is a fenced-in area in the middle of a busy city.

 

There is even less information here than in Thyatira. A big banner reads “St John’s church”, and this is about it. Only on the way out do I see a tucked away sign that says something about the church ruins being from about 600 AD.

 

Outside the church ground is yet another minaret. Wherever we go, the general message is that Christianity is a relic of the past, just like paganism…

In the footsteps of the early church: Sardis December 8, 2011

Sardis, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, lies 30 miles south-east of Thyatira.

One section was built on top of the hill on a natural acropolis that is rising 1,500 feet above valley floor and so nearly impregnable.

It is dominated by the ruins of an imposing Artemis temple and of a small basilica that has later been built at the back of the temple ruins.

Our guide says it is a sign that Christians felt they had triumphed over paganism, but it doesn’t look like a lasting triumph.

I read that the Christians had carved “light” and “life” on the Pagan temple walls, but all I can find is a pillar with faint cross etchings.

Once this place may have spoken about light and life, but now the place feels dead, a pile of ruins in admittedly beautiful countryside: mountains, fields, green hills.

Down in the valley, a gymnasium has been reconstructed. The outside high walls without windows look imposing, but somehow bleak.

Next door are the ruins of a big synagogue that was apparently sponsored by the Romans as a “thank you” for loyal service. I imagine a link between this and the Jewish persecution of Christians – the Jews may have felt that their commercial interests were threatened.

However, there is no evidence in Scripture that this was Sardis’s struggle. On the contrary, it appears that the Christians blended in all too well with their environment. John Stott describes it as maybe the first church in history which is dominated by people who are Christians by name only…

A call to prayer goes out, and the first words send shivers down my spine. They sound like “Watch out!” A warning Sardis clearly has not heeded.

The city itself had fallen twice to surprise attacks despite its advantageous position, so Jesus’s challenge in Revelation to be watchful perfectly fits the local circumstances…

In the footsteps of the early church: Thyatira December 8, 2011

Thyatira lies 40 miles south-east of Pergamum.

In the first century, Thyatira was famous for its dyeing industry and had more trade guilds than other contemporary cities in the Roman province of Asia.

It is known from the book of Acts that one of the first Christian converts from Thyatira was a businesswoman named Lydia, who dealt in purple cloth.

At the end of the first century, “Thyatira not only rivalled Ephesus in busy Christian service, but exhibited the love which Ephesus lacked, preserved the faith which was imperilled at Pergamum, and shared with Smyrna the virtue of patient endurance in tribulation.” (John Stott)

 

However, there is an issue of debauchery among some of the second generation believers.

 

Now all that’s left of the old Thyatira is a fenced in pile of ruins right in the middle of a busy city. (Commerce still seems to be important.)

 

There are the ruins of a basilica somewhere among the ruins, but nothing has been labelled, so it is anyone’s guess of what is what. (There is a column with a cross, but the cross is carved sideways, so it looks more like later day graffiti…)

In the footsteps of the early church: Pergamum December 8, 2011

A lift and cable car take us to the top of the acropolis where the old ruins of Pergamum have been excavated 55 miles from Smyrna. (“Posh” Pergamum is positioned on a hill more than 1,000 feet above the Caicus valley plain, creating a natural fortress – hence its name ‘citadel’.)

Most (or all) of the early Christians would have probably lived in the valley below. There seems to have been one advantage of being poor: Less chance of getting mad through lead poisoning. (Aqueducts were reinforced with lead pipes at those points where the water pressure was so high that it would have burst ordinary pipes, and lead pipes tended to be used throughout palaces…)

Pergamum would have once been an impressive city with its imposing temples and a theatre with a seating capacity of 10,000 (and the steepest seating of any theatre that has so far been found in the ancient world). Its library tried to rival the one in Alexandria and once housed 200,000 books (parchment was invented in Pergamum when the exporting of Egyptian papyrus was stopped). There was also a famous healing centre dedicated to the God of healing, Asclepius.

Unfortunately, the German archaeologists have “cleared” a lot of the interesting artefacts and taken them to Berlin – like the altar of Zeus, which many think was referred to in Revelation as “the throne of Satan.” (It seems to be the general habit of archaeologists to take the originals back to their home countries and just leave replicas!)

I can imagine that it was easy to be either intimidated or side-tracked in a place like this. In the first century, Jesus commended Pergamum for their faithfulness in the face of opposition, but rebuked them for their slipping moral standards…

In the footsteps of the early church: Smyrna (modern-day Izmir) December 8, 2011

As far as the eye can see, there are hills upon hills of tightly built houses, interspersed with the towers of minarets. We later learn that the whole town was burned down in the 1920s and that the bits of the old city wall that are left are now hidden in an area controlled by gangs.

It comes as a bit of a shock to see no clear evidence of Smyrna’s glorious past. It once described itself as the “pride of Asia.” Even though the city was rich, the church in the first century appears to have been poor, facing persecution from both the Jews and emperor-worshipping pagans.

John Stott thinks that its famous 2^nd century martyr Polycarp was already a member of the Smyrna congregation when the book of Revelation was written and would have drawn encouragement from Jesus’ words in the letter to Smyrna: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

Now there is no sign of the church that Jesus once described as spiritually wealthy.

I can’t help but pray for revival, as we gather to pray for Turkey.

Different heavenly ladders December 8, 2011

I stepped way out of my comfort zone this year by joining the ‘Wild Women’s  Conference’ in Llanelli.

When the hollering, shrieking, laughing and stampeding around me get too much, I close my eyes and try to find a quiet place within.

“Remember Jacob’s ladder?” I flip through my prayer journal. Ah, I get it: God takes the initiative in encounters.

“And I also decide the type of encounter”, God whispers…

I am still struggling to connect with the visions other women are describing, like the body parts waiting in heaven for their rightful owners.

There is the quiet voice again: “Have you never had visions?”

“Yes, Lord, but they were kind of ordinary. Hands, butterflies, a city in the sky, the sports arena at the final heavenly parade.”

“Would your atheist work colleagues consider these things normal?”

“I guess not… But I don’t do physical manifestations. All this lying on the floor and shaking uncontrollably like in an epileptic fit… Ok, I admit it. I do get goose bumps when a message connects with my spirit… “

The conference is a reminder that it is  God who initiates the timing and type of our encounters. Jacob did not ask for a vision of heaven. Neither did Moses request a burning bush. Elijah did not expect to hear from God in a still small voice, but I don’t think he could have coped if he had encountered God in an earthquake instead. And neither could I.

I used to think that the still small voice can only be heard in silence. I learn that it can also be heard in noise – but you have got to really want to hear to fight outward distractions.