Day 08 -Western Coast: Priene, Didyma, Miletus

The day began at the ruins of the ancient City of PRIENE. This area was first inhabited in the sixth century BC but abandoned after silt filled their harbor. The area was re-inhabited but abandoned, again, after major earthquakes. This was possibly the first city created using Greek planning which included a grid system of streets.

Our first stop in Priene was a theater that was built in the third or fourth century BC. We know it was a Greek theater because it was built into the hillside and has a separate stage. It had a capacity of 6,500 people.

From the theater, we moved to the church where Mark Shetler provided a lesson from Philippians 2:1-11. He said that we have been speaking about the importance of individuals being elevated above others and the worship of gods and emperors. There was a separation of those who were lifted up and those down below, and even the oppression of those deemed not as important. He asked us four questions:

                1             What does this tell us about Jesus?

                2             How does this passage challenge my view of myself?

                3             How are we supposed to live out the Christian Life in our world today?

                4             Why was unity so important to Jesus?

Mark then led us in communion followed by the singing of Amazing Grace.

Ozan showed us the remains of  the Parliament building of Priene, before moving to the Temple of Athena. He said we have been talking almost every day about the book, The Ten Books of Architecture, written by Vitruvius Pollio, in the first century AD. Vitruvius wrote that every architect should study this temple because it was the best one ever built. It was designed and built by Greek architect Pythius.

The temple had doors at the front, on wheels, which would open automatically at various times of the day, through a pulley system, to make people think the god was showing herself.  At certain times of the day the windows would show light on the face of Athena. This temple was placed in the middle of the city and was the most important building in the city.  They couldn’t complete the Acropolis because, after the loss of the harbor and the earthquakes, most of the people left.

The architect who built this temple also built the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus as the Tomb for Mausolus, the Carian king, which is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Ozan reminded us, as we looked towards the Aegean Sea, that the entire farmland was once water, but became land due to silt buildup. Later we would see a map, in a museum, that depicted how the water had been receding since 1500 BC.

Somehow, Mexican eels made it all the way to Lake Herakleia, just east of Miletus. Flamingos, and so many other birds live in the Delta, that they call it a bird paradise. In fact, 420 different species of birds are visible in this country.

Next stop, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma. During the winter this temple area was shut down. In fact, we are the first GTI group to see it. Photos of this site, taken in both 1765 and 1900, revealed that the columns we see standing today were still standing then. They had not been reconstructed. Originally, there were 122 columns in the Temple of Apollo.  This temple was built in the ionic order. 

This temple is dating back to the first century BC. This was not a town or city, just a temple. Nothing has been excavated at the site, they have just cleaned it up. The temple columns are about 45 feet high.

People came here to ask questions of Apollo. They made animal sacrifices. This temple and most Apollo temples were female-controlled, passing from mother to daughter. They were the only ones able to enter inside. As with the Athena temple, the square stones here were all equal in size and shape. There was a pool in the middle of the temple, where the priestess would move her foot in the water and then predict the future. People were trying to find clues for what would happen in the future.

Mark had a second teaching opportunity before we left the temple. He told us that people came to this temple to get a message from Apollo, to get a spiritual message, to have an interaction with the god.

For us as believers in Jesus, he asked, how do we hear from God? We don’t have to go to a particular place or even church to experience God. God’s spirit is always with us. We are blessed in so many ways to be able to have the freedom to worship. He then asked us to consider two questions:

1. How has God been speaking to me on this trip. What has he been saying?

2. What am I going to say to people when they ask, “How was Turkiye? Many of those people who ask may not be believers.

After lunch at the Havana Restaurant, we drove to MILETUS.  This area was settled around 5000 BC.

We sat in a Roman theater, identified as such by the arches, as Jesse taught from Acts 20:18-38 and Philippians 3:13-14. He explained that this is a very Important place in scripture. He asked us why Paul came here.  This was Paul’s Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus had told him that the rest of his life was going to be difficult as he headed for Jerusalem. There was only hardship ahead but Paul was “all in.” Paul sent for the elders of the Church in Ephesus to meet him in Miletus.

Paul told them tough times are coming to them, also. Keep watch, remain vigilant, protect the flock, he told them.  Likewise, we need to help others stay on track, going in the right direction, as well. What grieved the elders most was the statement that they would never see him again.

If we can get to the same point that Paul did, where all we can think of is, “What does Jesus want me to do,” and we are following his leading, when we are focused only on the Gospel, then, that is the best life lived. We need to remember that even Paul, when facing tough times and death, didn’t do it alone. He called the leaders of Ephesus to come and pray with him.

The evening cruise, originally scheduled for today, has been re-scheduled to tomorrow due to weather issues.

- Doug Voska