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Welcome to Ephesus Guide |
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Ancient Ephesus Information |
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Biblical Asia Minor ( 13nights/ 14 days) Biblical
Tours, Religious Tour |
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Day
1: Istanbul.
It
was here at Antioch on the Orontes that believers were first
called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). Visit the cave where they met
in secret. Paul and Silas departed from here on the second
missionary journey (Acts 15:35-36). Discover the impact of
leaders such as Ignatius of Antioch and John Chrysostom. In Acts
2:9, pilgrims from Cappadocia were assembled with the thousands
in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when they received the
initial baptism of the Holy Spirit and heard the Apostle Peter
preach his powerful message. We will travel to Cappadocia scenic
Ihlara Valley, where early Christians carved some 3,500 cave
churches from the tufa rock. The beauty and quaintness of these
chapels, with numerous wall paintings and Christian symbols, is
astonishing. Persecuted Christians - tens of thousands of them -
escaping into the earth to flee Arab invaders in the tenth
century, tunneled out more than twenty underground cities of
refuge here in Cappadocia. Such cities, with carved rooms for
kitchens, sleeping quarters, stables, and chapels for worship,
descend five to ten stories into the earth. At Kaymakli, one of
the best preserved of these cities, you will enjoy your own
guided tour into this amazing region. Overnight in a Cappadocia.
mbolic
of this region, where you will enjoy the Valley of the Fairy
Chimneys and Goreme’s breathtaking Open Air Museum. Watch the
potters at their craft, in the famous pottery producing town of
Avanos. Finally, savour the natural wonders of the Citadel of
Uchisar and Zelve Valley. Overnight in a Cappadocia.
Drive
to Antioch of Pisidia, where nearly the whole city came to hear
Paul preach during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:14-52).
The marvelous excavations include the ancient church and the
great first-century Temple of Augustus. Today, you will travel
the Royal Road that once connected Ephesus with distant Babylon.
Visit the unexcavated site of ancient Colossae by the village of
Honaz. The Apostle Paul wrote one of his prison epistles to the
church at Colossae, a city situated on the Lycus River. At
Hierapolis (Pamukkale), enjoy the “Cotton Castles” of brilliant
white calcium rock formations and hot-water travertine's, where
hot mineral waters emerge from the earth and cascade over
cliffs. As the water cools, the calcium precipitates and
clings
to the cliffs, forming snowy white travertine's (waterfalls of
white stone), which give credence to the name Pamukkale, meaning
“cotton castle” . This enchanting place is one of the natural
wonders of Asia Minor. The churches here in Hierapolis,
Colossae, and Laodicea once flourished under the ministry of
Epaphras (Colossians 4:12-13). Overnight stay in Pamukkale.
Laodicea
(Rev. 3:14-22) will take you back to the first century. At
Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-12), your Bible will come alive as you
read it in light of firsthand study. This city was located along
the important trade route that linked Pergamum in the north with
Laodicea to the south. In A.D. 17, an earthquake devastated
twelve Asian cities, including Philadelphia, and for a time the
people lived in fear of aftershocks. Philadelphia was rebuilt
with help from Emperor Tiberius. At Sardis (Rev. 3:1-5), your
thoughts will turn to the Old Testament period following the 586
B.C. destruction of Jerusalem. That was the time when the phrase
“rich as Croesus” originated. Croesus (560-546 B.C.) was the
king of Lydia, and Sardis was his capital. Gold was discovered
in the Pactolus River at Sardis and it was here that coinage
began, as we know it. Cyrus and the Persians defeated and
captured Croesus for all his wealth and made Sardis the
administrative centre for the western part of their empire. The
fabled Royal Road connected Sardis with the Persian cities to
the east. Sardis was the hardest hit of the twelve cities
destroyed in the earthquake of A.D. 17. Emperor Tiberius,
according to the Annals of the historian Tacitus, gave much
relief towards its rebuilding. Your visit to Sardis will include
the imperial court and the ancient Jewish synagogue. You will
rest in the shade of the Temple of Artemis, while studying in
the light of prophetic Scripture. Finally, enjoy dinner at one
of Smyrna’s famous keb
ab
or seafood restaurants. Overnight stay in Izmir.
never
did me any wrong: how then can I blaspheme my King and my
Saviour?" Still standing is part of the agora built by Emperor
Marcus Aurelius in the third century. Today, Smyrna is the
country's major Aegean port and third largest city. Drive to
Miletus, home of ancient philosopher Thales (640-546 B.C.), one
of the fathers of Greek geometry, astronomy, and philosophy. It
was here, in the first Christian century, that the Apostle Paul,
on his third missionary journey, called for the Ephesians elders
and preached a powerful message to them (Acts 20:15-38). It was
also here that Paul left his friend Trophimus, who was too ill
to continue (II Timothy 4:20 ). As a port at the mouth of the
Meander River, Miletus was a natural outlet for Phrygian trade.
Like the one at Ephesus, however, Miletus’s sea harbour
eventually filled with silt, and commerce dwindled. The city's
remote quietness makes it special to devout students of
Scripture. Its ancient ruins include the marvelous 15,000-seat
theatre. Nearby, at Didyma, visit the massive Temple to Apollo,
one of the most impressive sites in Anatolia. Ordinary people
did not reside in ancient Didyma. This was home only to a
priestly family whose oracle came from Delphi and who lived in
luxury, as they guarded their temple treasuries supplied by the
people they deceived. Continue to Kusadasi for overnight.
Ephesus
(Rev. 2:1-7), major port city on the Aegean, was the commercial,
political, and religious centre of all of Asia Minor. After a
lunatic completely burned the Temple of Diana (Artemis) on the
night that Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C., the
Ephesians worked for 120 years to complete a magnificent
reconstructed temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient
world. The city became part of the Roman Empire in the second
century B.C. As a Roman capital of Asia Minor, Ephesus boasted a
population approaching 250,000 people. The Apostle Paul's first
visit to Ephesus was brief—during his second missionary tour
(Acts 18:19-21). His second visit lasted about three
years—during his third missionary tour (Acts 19:1 to 20:31).
Luke’s account of the worship of Diana appears in Acts 19:34-35.
The Great Theatre (stadium) mentioned in Acts 19:29-31 could
seat 25,000 people. Walk the marble-paved street with grooves
made by chariot wheels. See the Fountain of Trojan, the Library
of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Visit the Chapel of the Virgin
Mary (Double Church), where the Third Ancient Council convened.
Enjoy St. John's Basilica (built on the site of the Apostle
John’s tomb) and ponder the remains of the Temple of Diana.
Finally, enjoy a visit to the Ephesus Museum. Overnight
Kusadasi.
Today,
we will visit our final two of the Seven Churches of Revelation.
At Thyatira (Rev. 2: 18-28), you will see the ruins of an
ancient commercial centre, located in the fertile valley where
the trade route passed. One of the town's cloth and dye
merchants was a woman named Lydia, who conducted business as far
away as Philippi, where she became the first European convert to
Christianity, during Paul's second missionary journey (Acts
16:11-15). A most memorable experience will be Pergamum, with
its acropolis and Great Theatre, the steepest of the ancient
world. Revelation 2:12-16 describes the city as “where Satan’s
seat is,” a reference to the altar of Zeus, where we pause for
reflection on the fulfillment of Scripture. Nearby, visit the
Red Basilica; once a pagan temple, it later converted into a
Christian church. Finally, walk thru the Pergamum Asclepion, the
famous medical centre of antiquity. Overnight in Pergamum.
Apostle
Paul's second missionary journey, it was from Troas that he
received the “Macedonian call” to Europe. This is where Luke's
account changes from “they” to “we” (Acts 16:6-12), indicating
that he joined Paul's team at Troas. Returning from Macedonia
during his third journey, Paul was in Troas for a week, when the
young man Eutychus fell from the third loft as Paul preached.
Paul soon walked some thirty miles to Assos, where we will
follow the apostle’s footsteps to the old city walls (Acts
20:5-14). You will walk the old marketplace of Assos and see the
council chamber and Temple to Athena. Continue on to Bursa for a
visit to its centuries-old silk market. Overnight in Bursa.
Creed.
Enjoy Nicea’s St. Sophia Church, where the Seventh Church
Council convened in 787. Continue to Istanbul for lunch at the
Spice Bazaar. Istanbul, the world’s only city that spans two
continents, was originally "Byzantium;" it became
"Constantinople" in A.D. 330, when Emperor Constantine renamed
it for himself and built a palace here. It became "Istanbul" in
1453. Experience the unique markets, peddlers, and stalls
selling almonds, pistachios, iced drinks, and black coffee - a
vigorous anthill of Turkish life. Relax on a Bosphorus cruise on
a private boat. Finally, enjoy an orientation drive of the city.
Overnight in Istanbul.
the
Ottoman Sultans. In the first court of this palace stands the
Church of St. Irene, the city’s cathedral church until the
Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) was completed in 360. After
rioters burned both churches to the ground in 532, Emperor
Justinian rebuilt them to their present grand scale. Upon
entering his newly built Hagia Sophia for the first time,
Justinian exclaimed, "Glory to God that I have been judged
worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon, I have outdone you!" Enjoy
your visit to the Hagia Sophia, where the 5th Church Council met
in 553. For a thousand years, this was the largest church in
Christendom. When Mehmet the Conqueror made it a mosque in 1453,
he
added
four minarets (prayer towers). The building has not been used as
a mosque since 1935, when it became the Museum of Byzantine Art.
The four minarets remain. Conclude your day with a visit to the
Grand Bazaar, an ancient covered market of some 4,000 shops.
Overnight in Istanbul.
ancient
and Biblical sites where you have walked and studied. A farewell
meeting at hotel lobby and hope to see you next time for more.
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