Sunday, July 13, 2008

A Day in Bible-land


This was an amazing way to spend the Sabbath. I walked where people from the Bible walked. We set out from Antalya, the very harbor where Paul left from on his journey.


We traveled to Laodicea, where John accused the church of being “lukewarm”. At Laodicea they had an advance water system, with cold water coming from Colossae and hot water coming from Hieropolis. But Laodicea was neither of these—hot nor cold. They were just lukewarm. And, as predicted, the city was destroyed. (In this case, by an earthquake). He wanted them to have a fervent faith, and not take their relationship with Christ for granted. They were wealthy, and didn't think they needed God. But the city was destroyed by an earthquake, and abandoned until just recently. They are in the process of restoring the city, and we were told that if we had come during the week, the archeologists would not have allowed us to take pictures or touch their finds. Much work has been done in the last year, and we felt lucky to be able to see the city where Paul wrote at the same time he wrote the letter to the Colossians.






You can see part of the amazing Roman road that was lined with these tall pillars.

There are amazing things to look at wherever you turn. (This is Anton)

Then we went to Hierapolis, also called “Pamukkale” , which means “cotton castle” in Turkish. The limestone here makes the mountain look like a cotton, and beautiful pools have been dug out. I wish I had been able to get a picture of the woman in the bikini bathing next to the four women completely covered in conservative Muslim dress.


I loved these beautiful pools.


This is the amazing restored theater at Hieropolis. You can see the lion's cages at the bottom of the stadium. (The little squares).

I had the same feeling I do when I walk into gorgeous old European cathedrals, and they are used mostly as museums. Seems sad that a city that once had a vibrant city life, and a strong faith, is now just a pile of ruins.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow! The experiences that you are having are awesome. I love the people just because of your sharing with us who they are. thanks, Judi T.