Day 03 - Hierapolis & Laodicea

Jet lag has a weird way of distorting time. Thinking back on this trip, it feels like it’s flying by, yet this morning feels like an eternity ago. Perhaps that’s the exhaustion talking—but it’s the good kind, as we had a fantastic day. It began in a basket around 6:40 a.m. with several canisters of compressed propane and a blowtorch. That’s right—we started our day in a hot air balloon overlooking the Lycus Valley. Regardless, it was a stunning sight made all the more spectacular as we sailed through the air alongside a legion of balloons. Thank God for the safety of all involved—it was a truly unique experience.

Our Biblical study began in the city of Hierapolis, mentioned in the letter to the Colossians, but famous for its magnificently reconstructed theater, Plutonium (the gate to the underworld), and the location of the martyrdom of Philip the Apostle. Our journey began in the theater, where we did a deep dive into Greco-Roman theater history and customs. We learned how the theater became a tool for political propaganda and social control—not just from the powerful, but in collaboration with the very people it sought to control. Our attention was drawn to modern parallels.

The Plutonium was another vestige of paganism, but this form stretches back even before the Greeks, into the worship of Cybele, which was later merged with the Greek Hades and Roman Pluto. This worship involved some very dark practices, so much so that even Rome banned the cult when it believed it was corrupting its youth. Finally, we saw where Philip was martyred, and reflected on his faithfulness unto death, asking ourselves what faithfulness looks like in our own lives.

After a great lunch, we tackled our afternoon site—Laodicea—where we sought to unpack the letter from Jesus to His church there. We learned of its wool industry, its pharmaceuticals, its water system, and its magnificent wealth. We saw how Jesus used all these things to rebuke this church and call her to greater faithfulness— which, bless God, she did, as many churches were unearthed in Laodicea in later centuries after Revelation was written.

Now it’s time for sleep...see you next time on the sleepy blog chronicles about the most amazing trip.