Hi All!

A few days ago, I left Istanbul and headed south to Izmir. Izmir (biblical Smyrna), is on the western coast of Turkey, and very near to a couple of very interesting biblical sites. On the way, I drove through Iznik (ancient Nicea). Nicea was the city in which the first and last ecumenical Councils were held. These were the Councils which were attended by bishops in both the east and the west, before the split of the church in the 11th century. In Iznik, you can still see the remains of the church in which the seventh, and possibly the first, Council was held. The city walls are also remarkably intact.

Since arriving in Izmir, I've toured Izmir (biblical Smyrna), Sardis and Ephesus. All three are interesting, although Ephesus is the largest and most extensive. The remains of the Roman Forum here in Izmir are relatively sparse, but they have preserved the underground, vaulted basement parts of ancient stoas, which you can walk around in. Sardis reminds us that there was a large Jewish community throughout this part of the world even before New Testament times. The large and prominently located synagogue there (which held over 1000 worshippers) is the largest biblical era synagogue found outside of the Holy Land.

Ephesus is huge, and parts are very well preserved, including the Theater which is mentioned in Acts 19:23-41. The same cannot be said of the Temple of Artemis, which is barely visible. However, in the first century, it was a huge building drawing thousands of pilgrims from throughout the Roman empire. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The tourist traffic generated by the temple was one of the reasons that Ephesus thrived, and when Paul and his companions began preaching against pagan worship, it upset the apple cart.

In the first century, Ephesus was perhaps the second or third largest city in the Roman empire, with a popluation of around 250,000 in the first century when Paul was there. It was the capital of the Roman province of Asia, and continued to be a thriving commerical center until around the 7th century when the river that fed into the harbor finally silted up the harbor enough that it was no longer viable as a port city. Today, Ephesus is 5 miles inland.

Unfortunately, I found out yesterday that I have to drop the Island of Patmos from my travel plans. The ferry schedules won't work with my schedule, so I'll have to plan a Greek Island cruise sometime in the future and include it then! Tomorrow, I'm going to head to Pergamum, which along with Ephesus, Smyrna and Sardis is another of the seven churches to whom John of Patmos wrote in the Book of Revelation.