Rhodes

           I can't believe we are in Greece now! Turkey has been amazing and I'll miss it dearly. We developed a wonderful family with Cenk and Mehmet! Cenk was not only knowledgable but became a wonderful friend to our group. He would not hesitate to answer our questions about something silly like the location of a Karoke Bar. Cenk connected with us on a personal level and got to know all of us individually and catered the tour to what we enjoyed like Starbucks! Ha. I could tell he spent a lot of time thinking about when and where to travel because we avoided the large tourist groups by going on odd days, which was nice because it almost felt like a private tour of the entire archaeological site. Nothing ruins a peaceful view of what would of been a harbor from an ancient theatre more than loud noisy tourist groups. Even though sometimes we were that group. haha. Also, I loved how he would recommend what to eat so we got to experience all of what Turkey had to offer. Cenk was so great! Wish he came to Greece with us! 

           Greece has been beautiful thus far but it is quite different from Turkey. I'm not sure if it is because we are in a very touristy area so the people are not as welcoming an inviting, but so far we have ran into some not so pleasant people (ie our first greek tour guide). We stayed in relatively small towns and cities in Turkey that seemed more quaint. Whereas in Rhodes we are in a very popular hotel that has tourists from all over the world. It also seems to have a more beach and nightlife feel versus our more historic stays in Turkey. Nevertheless, I'm sure I will enjoy Greece just as much. I do love a good beach! 

           Another astonishing difference between Turkey and Greece is the religious culture and background. In Turkey, I finally was able to tune out the frequent Islamic that were played over the loud speakers but Rhodes has a steep history in Christianity. 

           We visited the old town where the Grand Masters Palace is located was where The Knights of Rhodes resided. When the Crusaders took Jerusalem, the Order of the Knights of St. John gained in strength and became more of a military organization under the authority of the church. 

           Contrasting to Turkey when we learned a lot about the conquest and rule of the Ottoman Empire, it was interesting to hear and see the history of the Crusades. Especially because in our readings of the Bible, we read that Christianity was a new religion and a minority within a pagan society so viewing the Christian prominence within this town was intriguing.  

Assignment 12

  There exists many resonances between the inscription about Augustus on Priene and the retelling of Jesus' birth in Luke 1-2. Both births and the blessing's that will come were told by a religious authority; Augustus' by the high priest Apollonius of Menophilus Azanitus and Jesus' the Angel Gabriel. They told of the good fortunes that were to come and the restoration of order in society. Specifically, the inscription said the Augustus would end the war and the Bible claims that Jesus will deliver them out of the hands of evil. The most specific mention of a gospel term was Savior. Each text claims that their people will be saved not only during the current generation but those to come. However, an important distinction to make is that Jesus' offers salvation in the next life not just here on earth. Jesus' will not only correct the world, but remit their sins. Augustus, an earthly king, can only solve societal matters.

  It's interesting to see the two comparisons between the texts, but also the contrast within the Bible itself. We have been studying emperor worship and I have voiced how it is hard for me to imagine worshiping a earthly ruler but the inscription and it's mirroring of our christian image of Jesus Christ makes me understand how it was possible. 

Assignment 11

          The relationship between the Christians and the antagonistic imperial culture around them was very evident in the story about Paul and Thekla. The teachings of Paul were considered extremely radical during the Roman Empire because it overturned the society they were living. Imperialism created a vast empire that was united and protected by the emperor and his army. People began to worship the Emperors as Gods themselves; viewing them as their Savior and Shepard. The Trajan Temple in Pergamon clearly demonstrates this because it is on the highest point of the acropolis, larger than Zeus' and Athena's temples, and had a lion perched on top with water flowing from its mouth symbolizing the power of the emperor and how he is providing for the people of the city. 

          Conversely, Paul taught that Jesus Christ was our true Savior and Shepard and that we should fear God above all things. In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote how a person cannot love two things, because he will begin to hate the other. True believers could not worship both God and the Emperor. Choosing the Emperor means not having to live in fear on earth and choosing God would mean to be persecuted but in exchange for eternal salvation.

          Christians during this time would conceal their beliefs by having special symbols that marked their faith. At this time the cross was not yet a widely used Christian symbol, but instead a more asterisk looking mark was used. They would etch it into the marble walls of buildings and on the roads of cities to help other Christians know they were here. Roman citizens obliviously would use these marks as games. Being a Christian during the first century was dangerous and the Apostles that traveled to teach risked persecution even more.

          Thekla was so devoted to Paul's word that she sat by the window for days and listened to his teachings. Theocleia, mother of Thekla, was worried that his words would overturn the city of the Iconians because Thekla was engaged to Thamyris but now refuses to marry him: "they wept fearfully, Thamyris indeed for the loss of a wife, and Theocleia of a child, and the maidservants of a mistress: there was accordingly much confusion in the house of mourning." Thekla was an intricate cog in the wheel of society and her decision created mass chaos. Society teaches women to obey their husbands, but Christianity believes God rules over man. Theocleia feels as though she had lost a child because Thekla will not fulfill her duties as a woman by not marrying and having a family. The maidservants are lost because they have no one to tend to and have no sense of duty either. 

          Paul was blamed for persuading the multitudes into embracing Christianity, which will destroy the imperial life they live. He was soon kicked out of the city and Thekla was sentenced to burn in the theatre, (which supposedly was the theatre we sat in at Ephesus). God saves her by putting out the flames with a dark cloud full of rain and she is released. a man named Alexander later fell in love with her and when she would not have him so she was thrown into the stadium with wild beasts. God protected her by surrendering all the lions and had them lick her feet. When Alexander released wild bears on Thekla, God had the lioness protect her by killing the bear. This can also be an interesting metaphor about how the empire used lions as the symbol of their power, but God was able to overcome this power. 

          It was really cool to see these images come to life in the cave that the archaeologists recently discovered on the mountains outside of Ephesus. It is not certain whether this was the cave that Thekla later resides in for 72 years, living a life of asceticism. However, the frescos of Thekla sitting in the house listening to Paul and Theocleia looking on in worry are still stunning and beautifully depict the story.

Aphrodisias and Laodicea

          The ancient city Aphrodisias was a place of myth for so long until the 1950s, Ara Guler, a turkish photographer, took shelter from a severe storm in a village called Geyre in Turkey. The next morning he woke up and walked outside to find two ordinary villagers smoking cigarettes on an extraordinary bench made of marble and had carvings of dolphins, a symbol of fortune tellers during the classical era. With the rain not clouding his vision, Guler found pieces of roman ruins scattered throughout the village, halfway buried into the ground, recycled parts into the new houses, or used as grape mashers. 

          Guler snapped iconic photos that are exhibited at Aphrodisias today and submitted them to his archaeologist friend, Kenan Erim. Erim, students from NYU, and other turkish archaeologists uncovered the entire city; it's stadium, theater, agora, and pool. It's truly amazing how much time and effort the archaeologists commit to these sites. Cenk, our tour guide, explained how the archaeologists must slowly dig and swift through all the dirt looking for smaller ruin pieces. This takes a lot of patience and certain weather conditions, which limits the amount of time they can accomplish this task. The dirt must be completely dry, which means they can only work in the summer, so uncovering sites can take decades, or even longer to uncover. Not only do the seasons limit the archaeologists, but also their area of speciality. Each archaeologist may specialize in a certain era of that particular location, and when they discover a different era outside of their specialty then they must call upon their colleagues that do. 

          Simply finding the location and then digging carefully through meters of earth itself is very difficult, but then the archaeologists must resurrect the ruins. It's like having a life-size puzzle with enormous stone or marble pieces and maybe half of them missing. Dr. Moore, one of our accompanying professors, had visiting the site just five years prior and said that amount of progress that he had witnessed was amazing. From being just a small pieces here and there in a small village, to being piles of stones scattered about, then to having the grand entry way of the city restored to life is quite astonishing. 

          Many considered Aphrodisias to have the best sculpting school in the world and this was demonstrated throughout the city. The friezes that cover the walls of the ancient buildings had sculptures of various faces, which exhibited all the work of the students of the city. Every face was unique as was each student making it. 

          As an athlete, what impacted me that most was these stadium. My heart found joy in knowing that even in the earlier centuries sports brought people together from near and far to witness truly amazing god-given talent. Sports not only give you a sense of pride, but it brings people together: whether your an athlete, a fan, or a coach. The stadium at Aphrodisias was immense and comparable to some large high school stadiums in the U.S today. Although the city itself was not very large, the stadium was built to support the surrounding cities coming to watch the events taking place. It was 198m long or one stadia, which was the standard measuring unit back then. Not only was the stadium steeped with athletic history, but of gladiator and chariot racing. 

          Afterwards, we visited Laodicea whose people were mentioned in the bible, "And unto the angle of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: i would tho wet cold or hot. SO then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will sup thee out of my mouth (Revelations 3.14-3:16)." Cenk our tourguide explained that the water that ran through the city came from a nearby town that had a hot spring and by the time it reached Laodicea it was lukewarm. The Bible is using the water as analogy to the faith of the Christians of Laodicea, saying they are neither true believers or non-believers. In I thought it was interesting to see the physical analogy that the Bible references and it reminded me of part of Dante's Inferno. Virgil places these people in the Vestibule, which isn't actually part of Hell. During their life, they chose no side, so they are neither good nor evil and therefore have no real place in hell. The souls in the Vestibule are constantly chasing a wavering flag that can never be caught. As the chase the flag, they are stung by hornets and wasps, while their blood leaks from them feeding the worms and maggots they run across.

Assignment 10

              When we arrived in the city of Bergama, we first visited the Asclepieion or the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of healing. The people of the ancient Pergamon would go there to receive a holistic healing process. The natural spring would flow into the Aslepieion and the doctors used these natural resources to cure their patients. The hot and cold water would flow separately into two areas and were utilized for hydrotherapy, where the patient switches between the two temperatures of water for pain relief. This technique is still used today in advanced treatment rooms for athletes. After long workouts and weight lifting sessions, the Baylor Track and Field team alternate between the hot and cold jet tubs every two minutes to flush out the lactic acid. How this works is the hot water relaxes your muscles and then when you switch to the cold water it constricts the muscles and releases the lactic acid into your blood vessels like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. For this reason, it is so important to drink plenty of fluids before and after workouts to excrete the lactic acid waste. 

               This is just another great reminder of how people back then were not so different then people today. This idea makes learning history a better experience because you can relate to the figures you are studying versus them just being some random person in time. Soon we will be part of the history books and future space living, car flying, teleporting people will read about what we did during this century. Isn't that cool to think about how people might look at buildings we see on a daily basis and study them and try to uncover our culture. This relates back to our discussion about the Hagia Sophia and how it is hard to imagine worshiping in such a grand church and to share fellowship with people in the community there. However during those times maybe the church was just a church and not a magnificent architectural masterpiece filled with cultural history. 

               Back to to the Asclepieion, the holistic nature of the healing process that it encompasses was the most fascinating to me. The idea of health as the mind, body, and soul was very prevalent during these times. In order to increase morale, the Asclepieion had a Roman theater, temple, and a library. There was an underground tunnel that the patient would slowly walk through and steam would rise within the dark walls with opium while the doctor would walk along the outside of the tunnel and speak encouraging words. Positive affirmation is so powerful that successful athletes go to sports psychologists to practice it. Every Monday, the Baylor track team has a devotion for the week and I firmly believe that it impacts not only our morale but our performance. 

               I hope that western medicine soon adopts a more holistic style, not only for our own personal health to improve, but our lifestyle. I feel that we rely to much on prescription drugs and for doctors to just cure us instantly. Often we worry to much about our physical health, but neglect our mental or spiritual health. I believe that all three are connected and if one is lacking, then all three will decline. When all three of these things are actively working together, then our lifestyles changes dramatically for the better and our overall health skyrockets. 

               After visiting the Asclepieion, we took a cable car up to the Acropolis. The view was once again stunning and the ruins were amazing to visualize the life the citizens must of enjoyed here. The structure of the Temple for the Emperor Trajan was astonishing, especially the base that can withstand up to a 9 richter scale earthquake. The bible writes, "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live- where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who has put to death in your city, where Satan lives (Revelations 2:12-13)." During this time the Christians were a minority in a pagan society and persecuted for their beliefs. Being physically present on top of the acropolis and imagining the majesty that it must of exuded from the top of this mountain, made this passage in the bible come to life to me. Satan's throne, what powerful words, but meaningless when you are just reading the text. Actually seeing the ruins and understanding the grandeur of the acropolis gives the words significance. As a Christian, it made me grasp the difficulty it must of been to be a minority in a vast empire. It's admirable to think about how the Christians could be so firm in their belief and faith while being persecuted and surrounded by awe-inspiring temples, but still not question their own God. 

Assignment 6

The fall of Israel based on the texts we have read would be contributed to the people breaking the covenant with God. The Lord is angry because they have been worshiping other gods, forsaking the poor, being promiscuous and vain, and priests are ruling by means and not virtue. The people of Israel would send their prayers and praises to Baal, but in time of need they would cry for God's help. Israelites did not fear the Lord, but only wanted his deliverance and blessings: "Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord of our God is the salvation of Israel (Jeremiah 3.23)." 

Then when God does deliver the people of Israel, they worship their own work and do not humble themselves before God, which angered him more. Israel was then destined to fall by an army up north and its people would scatter around the world and become servants and strangers in a foreign land. God would not hear or answer their prayers until they amend their ways. If the Israelites can acknowledge their transgressions and cleanse themselves from their filthiness, then the Lord will give them a new heart and the spirit of Himself. 

"Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loth yourselves in yourselves in your own sight or iniquities and for your abominations (Ezekiel 36.31)," which reminds me of the gothic period in western Europe. The more solemn time in history, where Christians felt that because of the original sin we are naturally sinful so we must repent in order to receive salvation. Worshipping seemed less hopeful and fear of the Lord ran deep within followers. However, soon came the enlightenment and people began to find hope because the new scientific discoveries and intellectual movement remind the people they were created in God's image and can do great things. The new worship style was more celebratory and glorified God by doing good works in his name: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God (Isaiah 61.10)." 

I always seem to relate the relationship to man to God as a child to a parent, not only because the Bible reiterates that He is our Father and we are his children, but because that is how I personally view it. The fall of Israel is similar to an under appreciated parent with a bratty child. As hard as it is to let the child go, you know you have to because it is what is best for them. I think it was hard to see mankind suffer and try to ignore his prayers, but it's what made us appreciate God's blessings and love. When you continue to try to nurture someone that takes you for granted, then the problem just get's worse. 

My cousin, like the Israelites, has lived a blessed life with a good home and family. His parents would do anything for him and care for him deeply, which he knew and he took advantage of this. He lied, twisted words, and played the victim in order to get attention and people's sympathy. Then he started to just do whatever he wanted and disregarded other's feelings because he knew that everyone still loved him and would help him regardless how many people he hurt. If he needed money, he wouldn't hesitate to ask, but then would go around saying that he earned all the money from working long hours at his job, which he didn't even had. Or if he got in trouble somehow he would always blame it on someone else, "Someone put the drugs in my car," or "my teacher doesn't like me, so that's why I failed." He never took responsibility for his own actions and by nurturing him constantly we were just fueling the fire. My uncle kicked him out of the house, but continues to still help him and give him money. Nothing will ever change until they give him some tough love and let him learn on his own how good he has it. 

I think that is what God was trying to accomplish with the fall of Israel. I mean you don't know what you have until you lose it, right? But when the people have repented their sins and opened their hearts to God then He "will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you then at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 36.11)." 

Assignment 9

Morning breakfast over the terrace of our hotel in Istanbul at 6:30am was both beautiful and dreadful, but our four hour bus ride to the boat ferry across the Dardanelles was plentiful amount of time to catch up on some sleep and reading. Turkish people always take a tea/bathroom break every two to two and a half hours and it was a fun stop to participant in a local tradition. All the buses pulled into this cafe/diner/market place with several tables and chairs. There was not quite a waiter or a cashier. We just followed the locals to this window where all the waiters were making two and busily passing them out to those sitting at the tables. It was a little overwhelming because the waiters would turn to you and ask you what you wanted to order, so I stood there timidly there for a while till I got the nerve to ask for erma cay, or apple tea. Then the waiter/barista asked me for one turkish lira and place it on a pile of money casually on a dish. Shortly, a waiter came by with my apple tea to my table and I was able to enjoy the delicious turkish drink. Although it is so similar to apple cider, I have a tendency to call it that.

I have noticed in a lot of the store vendors or services are very casual about their business. When we were buying antique arabic calligraphy paintings the other day, the man made change for my large bill from his own wallet when the cash register was out of money. 

Also, I thought it was strange how all the products were just placed out in the open. For example, when walking up to the Athena temple the road was lined with street vendors with their products out in the open. My first initial thought is how we have always been warned about pick pocketing and theft in Turkey or anywhere outside the U.S, but why aren't these street vendors worried about their products. Someone could easily just grab it and run. Sometimes I would see the salesman sleeping in the back of their store hut or not even present at all. Then I thought, maybe it is because of the fellowship because the citizens of Turkey. I wouldn't want to rob anyone personally, but especially not my fellow Americans. Also, I would assume that all the shop keeps around are friends and would look out for each other. I noticed that even though they sell the same products sometimes, they don't seem competitive. In other countries I have visited the adjacent sales person would convince you to look at their products instead and jockey for your business. 

Perhaps the high levels of practicing Muslims in Turkey make it more morally sound than other countries. I understand that they still have petty theft, but it doesn't seem like they do it to each other. I could be totally wrong because I have not researched it. However, I could understand there being a correlation with the religious practices and not trying to sabotage your fellow Muslims. In the Bible, especially the old testament, it seemed like an Us against Them mentality which could be said for all religions. Crusades and terrorism can be considered extreme cases of fighting for what you believe to be right and devour those who you think are wrong. 

Anyways, we visited Troy right after the ferry ride which was quite an experience in itself considering we didn't know where the bus was and watched it drive off the ferry without five of us. I think the coolest thing about Troy was that the myth became more real. I actually stood in the spot where Priam watched Hector was slain and looked out where his body would of been dishonored and dragged across the dirt. 

We could also see the layers upon which Troy was built. One on top of another a new city would rise and cover the old, forgotten one. I thought this tied back into our discussion of sacred spots because it seems odd that you would build a city nine times on top of another. Why? Why this spot? If anything this spot was terrible because it was right on the harbor where invaders came through to come inland. 

Then we ventured to Assos where the ruins of the temple of Athena are on top of a hill with breathtaking views. Looking at the land of Lesbos was surreal because I always read about it in greek mythology and actually seeing it made the stories come alive. As scaling the Athena Temple in Assos and climbing on the ruins to take silly pictures made the greek mythologies of the God's more understandable to me. Sometimes it's hard to grasp how people as intellectual as the Greeks were to believe in such overtop myths about the Greek Gods. However, standing on top of the hilltop seeing the temple ruins and imagining the majesty of what it was while overlooking the sea and surrounding islands makes the idea more tangible. The favor and mixed up emotions of the Gods were very real to the Greeks and were not to be played with. Could you imagine hulling all those rocks and stones up that hill in order to build a grand temple? I had trouble just walking up it with my backpack, but it was worth the view for me and for the ancient Greeks it was worth the protection of Athena, the goddess of wisdom in war.   

Maybe that's what the miracles and the prophesies meant to the Jews in the Old Testament. Although they went astray and angered the Lord, the hard evidence of God's power and loyalty to them was enough to make them believe again and walk in his path (well at least for a generation or two). Perhaps that's why sacred relics are so important to every faith and anything really. When we were in the Blue Mosque there was a an exhibition with Islamic artifacts like Muhammad's beard and Moses' walking stick, which are far fetched but people did stand reverently in front of them. I think to some it was a encouraging to them to see their beliefs with their own eyes. Faith is really about knowing what you can't see, but it doesn't hurt to actually see and feel the truth behind it all. I know that is not possible, but even something as small as Muhammed's beard can keep faith and hope alive in a lot of people.