Author: Andrew Zimmerman

We left Izmir this morning, palm fronds sweeping the side of the bus as we passed through the narrow streets. Randy gave us a rundown on archeology, Thyatira, Sardis, and the Lydian kingdom.

The words on the milestones found on the road between Pergamum and Thyatira were, “To the Elegance of Thyatira.” Thyatira was a union town, a town of trade guilds. They were tolerant of sin. Christians cannot be tolerant of every behavior. Thyatira’s love tended toward blind affirmation. We can’t affirm what God does not. Jesus’s longest letter was to this tiny trade town.

Thyatira was a great place for farm to table food, as it is today. An army town that was a gateway to Persia, it had two roads going that direction. Trades, guilds, temples, banks, money, all were centered around Apollo, a son of god. Christians who didn’t participate in the system risked losing their job, hospitalization coverage, and burial coverage.

Jesus’s criticism of Thyatira was for their tolerance of Jezebel, who was causing the people to sin. Was it tolerance of participation in the guilds? Jesus was searching their minds. Were some participating in the guilds without believing in Apollo? Were some participating in the Christian church and their heart wasn’t in it?

We visited an archeological site from the second century, and a museum with exhibits of various time periods.

After a good lunch we visited ancient Sardis. Reference to Sepharad in the Bible may be Sardis rather than Spain. Coins were first minted here. The king became wealthy, more than any other king, except perhaps Solomon.

The church of Sardis deceived themselves into believing they were still alive. They were resting in the glories of the past. There is no deception like self deception. They lived in a relativistic and pluralistic society. Were they saying something like, We need to get along better with the culture?

The Kula Salihli Geopark has some of the most stunning ruins (oxymoron?) we’ve seen yet. The pillars of the temple of Artemis were so wide it takes five people to reach around them. The massive columns are 58 feet high.

Also part of the “first and only geopark in Turkey” is a restored bathhouse and gymnasium complex.

The church at Philadelphia received no scolding. But they felt insignificant and betrayed. Earthquake after earthquake and then Tiberius shut down the vineyard business. Two questions face a believer one time or another. Is God really good? For those in a ministry, Does my life really count? If we work for the praise of men we’ll be disappointed.

It may feel like Christians are losing significance in the cancel culture that is our society. But Jesus knows the doors that are closing and the doors that He’ll open.

The archeological sites for Philadelphia are sparse. But the story of the church was inspiring.

Today we’re driving to Pergamos, about 2 hours drive from Izmir. The name of the city today is Bergamo. On the bus Randy gave us a lesson on the Greco-Roman ways of worship and their view of their gods. Their idea was to do things for the gods in the hope of obtaining something in return. The message of Jesus was so different, with God’s unconditional love.

We visited the Acropolis of Pergamos. We saw a temple that was built to worship Trajan the emperor and the god Zeus. Nearby was the steep seating area of a theater. Marketing new ideas starts with first getting people to laugh at the idea. Entertainment was and still is the way culture is changed and shaped. There was also a temple to Athena. This was a seat of pagan worship, but we don’t know which one was specifically known to the Christians as Satan’s seat.

The Christians at Pergamos were under pressure to conform to the culture. Antipas was a faithful martyr. A white stone signified pardon from a death sentence, with a new name given, including the name of the one who pardoned.

We visited the Basilica of St John. A temple had been constructed to an Egyptian God. Later a Christian church building was constructed inside the temple. Today part of it is being used as a mosque.

Our third and last site for the day was the asklepion. This was the place to go for healing after one had exhausted all of the simpler methods such as blood letting, amulets, spells, etc. The patient would live here, hoping Asklepios would reveal through a dream what was needed for a cure. A doctor at the healing center would then apply the treatment.

There was a theater on the premises. One of the methods of healing used was having the patient act out his dreams on stage.

What is the purpose of your worship? To win things and blessings in return? What God or gods are we expecting to meet our needs?

We left the hotel at 7:15 this morning. Of course, back home that’s 12:15 AM so it seemed quite early. Taner wanted to allow plenty of time for check-in for our flight to Izmir.

Our flight took us across the Sea of Marmara, the only inland sea contained within a single country.

Our first excursion in Izmir was the Kadifekale, or velvet castle. It was built in the 3rd century BC by one of Alexander’s generals.

It was easier for Alexander to take a city that was dead and make it come to life again than to build a new city.

Izmir (Smyrna, the dead city made alive) is a port city on the Aegean Sea.

At the Agora of Smyrna we heard the lessons from the letter Jesus wrote to the early Christians who lived here. They would face tribulation in three ways. First, by poverty because they wouldn’t worship the emperor. Secondly, they would lose the Jewish exemption to emperor worship because of lies by those who called themselves Jews. Lastly, they would face imprisonment or death. But they were not to be afraid of the coming persecution.

We visited the Church of Polycarp. Not because of any historical significance of the building, but as a meaningful place to recall the story of this martyr. He was the third bishop of Smyrna.

During the evening I snapped a few photos of the harbor.

We visited the Spice Market first thing after breakfast. Taner, our guide, told us it gets quite busy during the day and we’d want to beat the crowds. We made a few finds, including zaatar for hummus and Turkish delight.

We visited the Blue Mosque but were a bit disappointed because it is under renovation. We walked over to the Hagia Sophia. This amazing structure was built in only five years, finishing in 537. For one thousand years it held first place as the largest cathedral in the world.

Some of the church councils, including formalizing the canon of scripture, were held here. The dome is almost 100 feet across and 180 feet high.

In 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, the Hagia Sophia became a mosque. In 1923 it was made a museum, but in recent years it has once again become a mosque.

Tomorrow we leave Istanbul and fly to Izmir. Do you know the Bible name for this city?

Turkey bridges the continents of Europe and Asia. We started our Seven Churches tour with some cultural experiences in Istanbul to feel the collision of East and West.

Our first stop was the site of the ancient hippodrome of Constantinople. This was where the horse races took place.

• 

One of the columns was a transplant from Egypt. It was originally constructed by Pharoah Thutmose III. Interestingly, he was succeeded by his second son instead of his first born. Almost like his first born mysteriously died about the time of the Exodus.

We visited the Aya Irini, an ancient church building. It was at this church the Second Ecumenical Council met in 381 to discuss the nature of Christ, and His relationship to the Trinity. We saw the separate gallery for the women. Randy also discussed the two year process of becoming a Christian.

Next we walked to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. We saw frescoes from the Ishtar gate of Babylon, among many other things. Unfortunately, the third floor was closed for renovation, so we didn’t get to see the sign from Temple Mount, and other artifacts from Israel.

The artifacts are from many countries. The Ottoman empire at one time controlled much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the Ottoman capital.

• 

Our last stop was the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. The Eastern way is to engage the customer, even by bargaining. The Western way is to emphasize the acquisition of material things.