Our perception of Paul’s world

It’s hard to believe we’ve only really been at this four two days. We’ve already seen so much and been bowled over so many times by the sights we’ve seen.

This morning we left Antalya and drove all morning through the Taurus mountains. This was a phenomenal drive. We wound through the mountains, higher and higher, until eventually we were in a snowy winter-wonderland dotted by villages and forests. Some of us remarked on how this shifted our perception of Paul’s world. Paul would have had to cross those mountains at some point in his journeys, and while he likely didn’t go during winter, Roman citizens would have experienced snow. This was something many of us (who imagine all Romans as wearing sandals and togas) had never considered!

After an early lunch, we drove through the city of Denizli to stop quickly at Colossae. Though an important site in the New Testament, the city hasn’t yet been excavated, so it’s just a very large hill now. But we stood at the bottom and had a presentation from Dr. Weima on Paul’s experiences with Colossae, and the other two cities in this tri-city collection, Laodicea and Hierapolis.

From there it was on to those two cities. Laodicea has only been under excavation for about thirteen years, but is already a large and impressive site. It was home to the earliest known church, dating sometime before 325 AD, as well as a number of other larger churches, one of which has already been excavated.

Hierapolis has been open to the public as an ancient ruins site for many years now, and was decidedly the most developed and touristy site we’ve seen thus far. It’s a very large site, and known especially for its thermal springs, large theatre, and is the burial site of the Apostle Phillip. Many of us trekked up the hill to see the tomb and monument to the Apostle. In both Laodicea and Hierapolis, it was moving to seen ancient Christian ruins – churches and tombs and monuments. So often I at least think of ruins as only being Roman secular or sacred sites. It’s easy to forget that the church had a large and profound presence.

We were blessed tonight with the gift of a hotel that makes use of those thermal hot springs from Hierapolis, so many of us enjoyed swimming and relaxing in the thermal baths this evening. It was the perfect rejuvenation and relaxation after lots of travelling, a busy two days, and for those still trying to get over jet lag. Tomorrow’s another busy day, so thanks for praying for us and following along with our journey.

-Laura