April 22 – 25, 2013
Istanbul, Turkey
Greetings from the thriving city of Istanbul – home of 16 million people and more history than I previously appreciated. It’s been a fun few days. I left church on Sunday and – thanks to a Lufthansa ground strike in Germany – skipped slowly across Europe until I eventually landed in the 3,000 year old port city of Izmir. Why Izmir? Well, it’s the birthplace of Homer, the third largest city in Turkey (pop. 4M), a beautiful coastal town on the Aegean Sea and probably a few other things. But the reason I’m here is because Izmir is the new name of the biblical town of Smyrna – which is one of the Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. I’m here doing some advance work on a possible church trip that visits some of the seven churches, retraces part of Paul’s steps and weaves in some of the most important moments of church history.
If you are surprised that Turkey is a place of great biblical significance you’re not alone. It goes unappreciated because Turkey is not called “Turkey” in the Bible, it’s called “Asia Minor.” But, trust me, a lot happens here. This is where Paul was born (Tarsus) and where several key biblical cities (e.g., Galatia, Ephesus, Philadelphia, et al) are located. And it remains important for the early church – by way of note, all seven of the first church councils (Nicene, Athanasian, Chalcedonian) were held here. (Istanbul used to be called Constantinople).
I’ve not been to Turkey before so my learning curve is steep. The people have been very welcoming, the coffee very strong and the weather quite cooperative. Here are a few highlights:
Pergamum: On the first day we visited Bergama – the modern day site of Pergamum.
- Two thousand years ago it held the second largest library in the world and one of the most famous hospitals. In fact, it’s because of Pergamum that the American Medical Association has snakes in their logo. (Have you ever wondered about that? Why in the world would pharmacists and doctors have logos with snakes? Well, it started here.)
- When Jesus addressed the Church in Pergamum (Revelation 2) he talked about it having “Satan’s throne.” We are not 100 percent sure what that means, but we saw lots of temples to emperors (Trajan) and the like.
- There were several large outdoor theaters built here – including one at the hospital. They are spectacular but not exactly up to code.
Ephesus: Wow! Over the last 100 plus years they have unearthed about 30 percent of the ancient Ephesus. I was unprepared for how much they have found and reconstructed. It includes another library – the third most famous in the ancient world but one of the most spectacular set of ruins in the world today. It also includes a stadium where Paul likely preached – or at least tried before the riot broke out that got him run out of town. (A few years ago they started holding concerts here again after a gap of hundreds (a thousand plus?) years. Ray Charles was the first. Elton John played here a couple years ago. Our guide said that he attended a concert a few years ago with 17,000 people and part of it was unamplified because the acoustics are perfect.
I visited a carpet store that employs 1,500 women (no men) in hand weaving silk and wool carpets, toured the famous Blue Mosque, walked through several museums and a palace, and in addition to having some great Kebabs, I’ve eaten at The Pudding Shop made famous by Bill Clinton’s visit during his presidency.
By way of parting comments let me say that:
- The economy here is growing. Turkey – the “next China” – seems to be building everywhere. Both Istanbul and Izmir are getting new airports. Tourism is climbing by 1M per year.
- The current government is moving in a more Islamic direction. This place is much freer than other Islamic countries I’ve visited, but – depending on whom you listen to – that appears to be changing.
Well, I’ve kept you long enough. We are heading out for a bite to eat and then to bed, though my guide has warned me that if a certain soccer team wins this evenings game against a Belgium team, “no one will sleep in Istanbul tonight.” I’m guessing that includes jet-lagged pastors from Chicago.