| Firstly, thanks to those kind folks who have said they missed my usual article in New Entertainer in August. I was aware that when we returned from our holiday that there would not be much time to get it composed and forwarded – what I completely forgot was the fact that I had to go to a three day church meeting in Madrid straight away after we returned. This made it impossible to meet the deadline. So – very sorry about that, and glad to be in time for this next issue!
When folk go on holiday it is quite natural on return to relate something of the experiences. Although this can be very interesting and informative, it can also be a crushing bore – have you always been able to keep awake during the showing of those holiday slides?
Having said that, I feel that one experience from our holiday I really must share with you – was the day when a group of us went to Ephesus in Turkey. The strange thing is, that we almost stayed on the ship that day, as there was always plenty to see and do on board. So we only booked at the last minute, and I am so, so glad we did for this decision was to lead for me to an unforgettable experience.
We had not been to Turkey before – my wife, Jackie and our twins elected to go horse riding, and this proved to certainly be the cooler option.
So I joined a group of some twenty others on the trip to the ancient city of Ephesus. But had I been told beforehand that it would involve walking some 6/8 kilometres in the record heat of 40 plus degrees, I guess I would have opted out. However off we went, and when we alighted from our air-conditioned coach the heat hit us like a blast from an oven – and we hadn’t even started to walk! More than one of us felt that we would never survive and would quickly return to the cool of the coach – but no chance! As soon as we were dropped off – away went the coach to await us at the finishing point! So we started off with some trepidation looking eagerly for a spot of shade on this somewhat bleak landscape with just a few trees and the ruins of this once great city. There were many groups like ours and it seemed each group spoke a different language. We were truly blessed with our guide – a local man who spoke perfect English: he was an inspiration – his commentary really made the stones of this great city come to life and he had artist’s impressions of how each part must have looked as we went around.
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Ephesus
So let’s go back to see what Ephesus was like as a strategic port in Greek and Roman times – it seems hard to believe now that in its prime, Ephesus had a population of 250,000 people. We saw just how that large population was provided with a sophisticated water system as well as sanitation to cope with the needs of so large a group of people. One of the first things that struck me was that the ruins of the Roman senate were adjacent to the ruins of the first Christian Church in the city, reported to contain the tomb of St John the Evangelist. Given the fact that the Roman Empire was very pagan in those days, how come that a church should exist right next door to the seat of government? Our guide was very keen to answer questions, and in reply to my question on this subject he explained that Christian worship was tolerated in those early days provided it did not conflict with the pagan worship of Artemis and Diana and the other pagan gods. Of course, as we know, that is just what did happen – St Paul lived in Ephesus for three years and condemned the pagan worship. He was forced to flee for his life, but not before he consecrated Timothy as the first Bishop of Ephesus. We saw the ruins of the church where that consecration took place, and I stood (without being aware of it until the guide pointed it out) on the very spot where Timothy was stoned to death by the crowd of pagan worshippers.
Later of course, Christianity was to come to the fore, and Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia Minor. It was here in AD 431 that one of the four great Councils of the church took place to establish the orthodox faith as laid down in the Christian creeds. As readers of this article will appreciate, it was the fact that this was one of the ancient shrines of Christendom that really inspired me – to walk in the footsteps of those great New Testament saints was inspiring to say the least – I was literally walking in the steps of the Master!
But of course Ephesus had so much more, and excavations are going on all the time, mainly by archaeologists from northern Europe. One of the signs of the times was a very large crane, such as those all around the Costas which lifted very heavy equipment in use. One of the other parts that really impressed me was the huge amphitheatre, a crescent-shaped theatre that could seat 25,000 people. We were told that this arena has perfect acoustics. In spite of the heat we were invited to climb to the very top of this theatre, then from far below, our guide spoke in a normal voice and we could hear every word! Some years ago Sir Elton John gave a concert here – no microphones, no speakers, but everyone heard!
So after about 4/5 hours of intense heat and long walk, we arrived to find our lovely air-conditioned coach and what a relief that was! We then went the short distance to the house where St John and the Blessed Virgin Mary were reputed to live in their old age. This was also a little church, and I lit a candle for us all.
Then came our lunch break – a very pleasant meal surrounded by steam locomotives – the largest collection of these in Europe, we were told. As a steam railway fan, here I was very much in my element!
So back to our ship after a truly amazing experience! I am quite sure I shall now view The Letter to the Ephesians and Acts chapter 19 in a very different light!
If you have not had opportunity to visit this wonderful place please do so, I promise you will not be disappointed!
Until next month – God bless |
