Day 2 in Turkey (Colossae, Laodicea, Heirapolis)

Well, day 2 started off with a long bus drive through the Taurus Mountains. We spent all morning on the bus. One of the things that really stood out as we traveled through these mountains was that Paul traveled through these mountains on the way from Perga to Antioch of Pisidia. This was a 160 mi trip, all on foot through the mountains. To add to the difficulty of the trip, these are pretty intense mountains. They reminded me of the mountains we saw in Glacier National Park this past summer. Pretty treacherous. I'm unsure of the elevation at the top of the mountains. However, there was snow up at the top and the temperature dropped from 65 degrees to about 35 degrees. So, it was pretty high up.

There's one interesting note about these mountains. In Acts 13:13 it says,"Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem." Interestingly, Paul was not very happy that John left them at this point in the journey. Paul felt like John Mark had "bailed" on him and Barnabas. In Acts 15:37-39 it says, "Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement so that they separated from each other." So, Paul was NOT happy that John Mark had ditched them on the first missionary jo0urney. Do you know why John Mark ditched them? Nobody really knows the answer but many suppose that Mark was intimidated my the mountains and the journey they would have to make through them in order to get to Antioch of Pisidia. It's an interesting thought. And, after traveling through those mountains, I can see how intimidating that journey would have been.

The rest of the day was spent at, what Dr. Weima calls, the tri-cities of the Lycus Valley--Colossae, Laodicea, and Heiropolis. Obviously, many people know that Paul wrote a book to the church in Colossae. However, many don't realize that the book of Philemon is connected to Colossae. The church of Colossae met in Philemon's house (Philemon 1:1). It's also important t realize how all of these cities are connected. At the end of Colossians, Paul talks about the pastor of these three churches. His name is Epapheras. Paul says, "Epapheras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis...Give my greeting to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea" (Col 4:12-13; 15-16). So, all three of these cities are in the same valley and only 10-15 miles apart. They are deeply connected to one another. They not only shrared a pastor, but they also shared letters from Paul with each other. What about the letter that was written to the church in Laodicea? We don't really know. There are numerous theories, but most are guesses.

Colossae is not a spectacular site. It is still unexcavated. So, it just looks like a bit hill of dirt. However, it was still pretty neat to be there and connect it to the other sites. We went from Colossae to Laodicea. This was a pretty amazing site to visit. One of the local colleges is in charge of the excavation of Laodicea and they are going "gang-busters" on the project. The tour guide said that this excavation is going 4x faster than any of the other sites. It's pretty increadible. This was a very wealthy city. You can tell that from a number of things. They had two Agoras (marketplaces). They had two theaters. They had two pools inside one of the Agoras. There are numerous other things that pointed to this as well. At Laodicea we were also able to see some early church buildings. Our guide reminded us that the church met in houses up until 301AD. At that point we see some official church buildings starting to pop up. It is pretty interesting that in Laodicea there are 20 different church buildings. We were able to see on church that was dated around 350 AD and another very larger church building that was dated in the mid 5th century.

All of this makes it pretty interesting when you read the most well known passage in the Bible about Laodicea. One of the seven sermons in Revelation is directed to the church in Laodicea. The sermons is not good for the church. It is a very strong rebuke to a prosperous city. In Revelation 3:14-22 it says, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”

From Laodicea we went to Heirapolis. This is also a pretty impressive city. We were able to see another impressive theater. We were also able to see the location, according to tradition, that the apostle Philip was martyred. There is not only a monument built in honor of him, but they also found a tomb that is credited to being his. It was a pretty cool experience. Heirapolis is also known for its large calcium deposits on the mountainside from the natural hot springs. It reminded me a lot of Mamoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. People traveled from far away in order to bath in these waters because they felt there was a healing quality to them. It's a pretty beautiful sight. The mountainside glows white as you see it from the distance.

Now, we're at the hotel at the end of the day. It's a beautiful place. And the pool uses water from the natural hot springs. Sounds like a good way to end the day and refresh the body. So, that's where I'm headed now.