Day 29

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 29, September 28, 2009

 

            Today is
our 35^th Wedding Anniversary, what a wonderful way and place to
celebrate!  I’m up early and am served
coffee in the Library downstairs.  I do
some research on Rhineland, talk to receptionist and come up with a plan for
the day.  Have to wake everyone up so we
can get going.

            We go
downhill to Oberwesel and board a boat going southbound (slow, since Rhine flow
north).  It is a hazy, but pleasant
day.  Susan befriends Brenda (and Robert)
from Montreal, whose 25^th anniversary is tomorrow. 

            Can you
say “castles?”  Every five minutes there
is another one on one side of the river or the other.  Did these people watch out for each other, or
did they fight with each other?  One, “Rudeshime” is known as the castle
of the Robber Knight, who apparently terrorized the neighborhood.

            We order Rhine wine to drink on the
boat on the Rhine river as we gaze at (and take pictures of) castles, orderly
vineyards, quaint towns and passing boats. 
The working boats often have cars behind the bridge – wonder how they
get them on and off?

            We arrive at Rudeshime, find a place
on the street for lunch, and head for cable-car.  We ride uphill, just over vineyards to top of
mountain to see the huge monument, Niederwald. 
Go back down, find ferry and cross to Bingen, where we catch a train
back to Oberwesel.

            Castle restaurant has fixed menu on
Mondays, so we decide to go into Oberwesel for dinner.  Luck out at historic Weinwirtschaft where we
have another good German dinner, local red wing (look for  Toni Jost wines in the States), and chat with
“crazy” owner who gives us a mask for our anniversary, made by her girlfriend.

            An anniversary to remember, for
sure.  Thanks again to everyone who
helped make it possible – you continue in our prayers.

Peace,

  Bob

 

           

Day 27 & 28

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 27 & 28, September 26 & 27, 2009

 

            Saturday
was the Heidelberg Herbst festival – people everywhere.  Beer, brats, bands, etc.

 

            Sunday,
9/27

 

            Election
Day in Germany.   No coffee early in the
morning.  Cleanup after festival is
almost over.

            Decide
to check out of hotel early so we can go to Church up the street.  Turns out to be “Inter-cultural” Sunday.  There are 28 congregations represented, and
taking part in the service.  It lasted 2
½ hours, but was wonderful.  Pastor of
the Church (Lutheran) is a woman.  Church
is very old, but many of the appointments are modern, and the organ is really
something.  Procession is with organ
only, and organist pulls out all the stops. 
Service is basically “Morning Prayer.” 
After opening sentences we sing “Morning Has Broken” in German.  African choir sang an introit, Psalm 8 was
read in six different languages, with a piano and string quartet from a Korean
Church playing inbetween.

            Tears
came to my eyes at this point.  Here I
am, sitting with my family in Heidelberg, Germany, in an old Church, with
people from 28 Christian congregations, as the sun is streaming through massive
tall windows, and 7 hours from now, St. Paul’s, Franklin will be starting its
Sunday.

            The
organist taught us a simple tune, that we then sang as a 2 part round, then
again as a 3 part round.  A reading from
Philippians 2:1-4 in German was followed by 
“How Great Thou Art,” with the first two verses in English and the last
verse in German.  This was followed by 12
children, who looked younger than eight-years old playing African drums (they
got a standing ovation).  We had hoped
for Communion today, but we got even more!

            We ate
lunch and hit the road for the Rhine Valley, and the magical Schoenburg
Castle.  We celebrate the eve of our 35^th
Wedding Anniversary with a wonderful dinner, in a wonderful place, with our
children – what more could we ask?

  Peace,

    Bob

P.S.  We have not had great internet access, so my
blogs have not had pictures inserted.  I
have put pictures in the albums that coincide with the day numbers of the
blogs, so at least you can see a  little
of where we have been.

Day 26 & 27

Bob’s Sabbatical

Days 25 & 26, September 23-4, 2009

 

            After
checking out of hotel, Susan and Sarah make a quick shopping trip into Murnau
before we head toward Heidelberg.  Thank
goodness for GPS.  Again, more farms,
cutting hay and silage.  Wood piles for
winter are most impressive.  Many of the
farm houses are actually part of, or connected to barns.  2^nd floor porches have cutouts of
various designs.  Stop in Rothenberg ob
der Tauber, an old walled city.  Nice
lunch, then on to Heidelberg.  Slow
going, with lots of road work.  On the
way we realize our reservations are for the wrong two nights – hope they have
room for us tonight!  They do, even if
they face a side street, which will be very loud during the festival this
weekend.  Christopher arrives, and we end
up with Italian dinner.

            The next
morning I go for early coffee run, while others sleep.  Flea-market already in street in front of
hotel, and up the street vendors of all sorts setting up for Heidelberg Herbst
festival – brats are cooking and beer already flowing.  That’s where we have lunch.  Not sure what we’ll do for dinner.  Head to Rhine river tomorrow.

Peace,

   Bob

 

 

           

Day 25

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 25, September 24, 2009

 

            Get
Chris to car place, and he is on his way to Luasanne.  Sarah wants to visit castle in a town about
an hour away.  Off we go.  On the way we seen more clean, green
farms.  No wonder the Speicher brothers
who farmed my Grandfather’s place kept it so neat.  They were Pennsylvania Dutch (from German
immigrants who spoke Deutsch, hence the name). 
As we near the town and the Alps, we see more and more tour buses.  Arrive at town, and it is full of tourists.  Actually two castles in town.  We decide to eat lunch, and drive into
Austria on the way home.

            In the
middle of the Alps we find green valleys, tall trees, steep rocky
mountainsides.  I have now been in
Israel, Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Germany and Austria on this trip!

            Sign in
hotel has been advertizing Fiddlers tonight. It is in a little burg just down
the road.  We get there and find Irish
pub with Haufbrau beer sign out front. 
Today is the 250^th anniversary of Guinness, so I have one to
celebrate this historic event.  Susan and
Sarah not up for Irish food, so we head into Murnau, happen onto Spanish place
run by English woman, and have a wonderful dinner.

            Peace,

            Bob

 

 

           

Day 24

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 24, September 23, 2009

 

            Murnau
is a gorgeous little town near the base of the Alps.  We went downtown to a pedestrian section with
cafes, shops, etc.  We ended up eating
Greek (go figure?) food for dinner.

Yesterday, Wednesday, we took a train into
Munich for Octoberfest.  I think this is
one of the main reason Chris came with us.  At
first, we were disappointed – it looked like any  city fair – rides, booths, etc.  Then we realized we were in the “Family
Area.”  Looking further we saw a huge
ferris wheel, and a ride that carries people way up in the air, they spins they
around.  Finally, we saw the large,
barn-like structures (8 or 10), each with the name of a different beer on top.  We went inside the first one we came to –
1000’s of people drinking beer out of what I mistook for a pitcher.  All kinds of food.  This is the Octoberfest Chris came for.  A band started playing, people in lederhosen
and dirndls were singing, dancing on tables. 
We went to another “barn,” more of the same.

            After
about 4:00pm, most of the space is rented/reserved.  I think it is like getting tickets to UT
football – one waits for a long time to get really good seats.  We head downtown for dinner at the Haufbrau
House, the other place in Munich Chris wanted to see.  The bottom line, our time in Munich was spent
on that high cultural experience, beer.

            Still
having difficulty posting pictures, but will do my best when we get better
connections.

Peace,

  
Bob

Day 23

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 23, September 22, 2009

 

            I’m
sorry to have gone “quiet” for a couple of days.  We have been very busy.  Huba Nagy’s cousin, “Pearl,” has really given
us the grand tour of Budapest.  On Sunday
she showed us around the Buda side of the Danube, and yesterday we did the Pest
side.  We started really early yesterday
because she made reservations months ago for a tour of the Parliament
building.  It was truly
unbelievable.  We have seen Churches,
monuments, buildings old and new, and have managed to eat well also.

            We are
sitting at the Budapest airport waiting for a delayed flight to Munich where we
will rent a car and drive to Murnau.  I
had some trouble again with the pictures, but will try to get some posted in
the next day or so.  Tomorrow we head to
Octoberfest.  Susan, Chris and Sarah are
still dealing with jet-lag, otherwise, we are doing great.

Peace,

  Bob

 

 

           

Day 20 - continued

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 20, (continued) September 19, 2009

 

            I forgot
to mention our dinner last night.  We
went to a seafood place under a bridge. 
Mehmet,

our guide went earlier in the day and picked out two large
sea-bass.  The restaurant stuffed them
with shrimp and mushrooms, then packed them in about a 3-inch layer of
salt.  They came, flaming,

to the
table.  It was a wonderful end to our
time together.  I have added a few more
pictures to Day 19’s album.

   I think Susan,
Sarah and Christopher just landed in Budapest! 
I’ll get there in about 3 hours.

Peace,

   Bob

 

 

           

Day 20

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 20, September 19, 2009

 

I have been at the airport for
two hours, still two more until flight to Budapest.  Susan, Chris and Sarah are somewhere over the
Atlantic, or maybe even closer.

As I sit here, reflecting on the
last two weeks, I continue to be excited by the challenges my new experiences
of St. Paul present to me and to we who bear his name in Franklin.  It strikes me that Paul was especially good
at two things.  He was a prophet, and he
was a pastor.  Our mission statement, to “Proclaim
the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to care for all,” fits perfectly with Paul’s
own mission and ministry.  He proclaimed
the Good News of Jesus Christ, not just those he knew well, but to gentiles and
anyone else with whom he came into contact. 
I hope that we too will find ways to share our faith as positively and
as persistently as Paul did.

Paul was also a pastor – he cared
for the people and churches in the places he went.  His letters reflect his love and concern that
they not quarrel among themselves over minor matters, but that they find ways
to grow in love and service.  We too are
committed to “care for all,” which we do in so many, many ways.  If Paul were writing to us, he would say, “keep
it up!”

If I do not add something to
this site as regularly as I have been, it will be because we will be having
some great family time.  I promise to be
thinking about you – but not too much.

Peace,

 
Bob

          

           

Day 19

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 19, September 18, 2009

 

            Today is
our last day on the “Paul and the Early Church” course. It is hard to believe
that we are finished already.  My head is
spinning.  I will have to go back and
read my notes several times over to get things in order.

            We are
within walking distance of the Church of Hagia Sophia (now a museum) and the
Blue Mosque, so we set out after breakfast. 
Both places are packed with tourists, and the town continues to be in a
state of constant gridlock, from what I can tell.

            Hagia
Sophia is the third building on this spot. 
Constantine’s son built the first, 
which was badly damaged in riots caused by John Chrysostom’s
preaching.  The second was also damaged
and destroyed.  The current building was
finished in 537.  Justinian was driven to
outdo Constantine, and succeeded.  He is
quoted as saying about this church, “Solomon, I have outdone you.”  It was the culmination of Paul’s efforts, the
efforts of those who followed him, Constantine and others.  It hosted the 2^nd and 3^rd
Ecumenical Councils of Constantinople. It is where Pope Leo’s emissaries
excommunicated the Eastern Orthodox in the middle of a liturgy in 1054,
bringing about the break between Eastern and Western Christianity that
continues today.  It was looted by
Crusaders in 1203, made into a Mosque in 1453 (note the large round signs), and
turned into a museum in 1935 to keep the Christians and Muslims from fighting
over it.

            The dome
is one of the largest in the world (higher than the bridge we drove over
yesterday), and Emperors have been anointed there.  On the second floor is the Womens’ Loge where
Theodora watched the liturgy, as well as many women after her.  The final mosaic is near the exit and depicts
Jesus flanked by Constantine and Justinian. 
Constantine is on the right, presenting Jesus with a model of the new
city, Constantinople.  On the left,
Justinian is presenting Jesus with a model of the new Church, Hagia Sophia.

            The Blue
Mosque, still functions as a place of worship. 
The name comes from the tiles which came from the area of Nicea, and are
mostly blue.  It has 6 minarets, as does
the Mosque in Mecca (they are the only two).

            Next to
the Blue Mosque is a long, mostly open space called the Hippodrome.  The obelisk that looks rather modern is
actually from 1600 B.C.  It has long been
a place of entertainment – chariot races, parties, dancing (Theodora is said to
have danced on stage here).

            After
lunch, I went for a walk.  Made it to the
Grand Bazaar, which is just what it is. 
Streets with shops (some very high-end carpet, clothing and jewelry), as
well as booths, food, etc.  It was
packed.  We meet for our closing
Eucharist at 5:45, then dinner.  About
half our group has to leave at 3::00am tomorrow to get to the airport.  I don’t have to leave until 7:30am."

            I will
be meeting Susan, Christopher and Sarah who leave today to join me in Budapest,
where Huba Nagy’s cousin will show us the sights.  This course has been a great experience, and I
look forward to sharing it with you in the weeks, months and years to
come.  A Priest from New Zealand who is
about my age commented, I wish for my sake and my congregation that I had done
this years ago.  I could not agree more.  I cannot thank our staff, vestry, and so many
people who have made this possible for me, and for what it will mean for all of us down the way.

Peace,

  Bob

 

 

           

Day 18

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 18, September 17, 2009

 

            Our “Paul
and the Early Church” course is in the home stretch.  We left Bursa this morning to head for
Istanbul, our last stop.  It was an
interesting day.  We stopped at Nicea,
which sits on the edge of a beautiful lake. 
Constantine, the Emperor who first legalized Christianity, had a “lake
house” there (he lived in the city he named for himself, Constantinople – now Istanbul).  In 325 he invited Bishops from his Empire to
come to the Lake house for the Council of Nicea, or what became known as the
First Ecumenical Council.  He has been
quoted as saying that “strife in the Church is worse than war.”  He basically was concerned about the strife
in the Church of his day, and said to the Bishops assembled, “work it out
before you go home!”  The result is what
we now say every week, the “Nicene Creed.” 
All that is left of the Palace where the council met are some pieces of
a wall that jut out into the lake (it really was a “lake” house).

It was very moving to spend some
time there, thinking about that council, and what it has meant to the
Church.  General Convention in Anaheim it
wasn’t!  The council also came up with 20
“canons,” or statements about clergy discipline and church life.  The last one was, “Stand up to pray.”  So it is not just my preference, or the
pitiful kneelers at St. Paul’s, but the Council of Nicea that instructs us to
stand when we pray.  One of the reasons
given was that standing is symbolic of the Resurrection.

            We also
visited the remains of the Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Nicea.  It was the site of the 7^th (and
last) of the Ecumenical councils, held in 787 A.D.  the last time St. George’s was here, there
was no roof on the building.  Our leaders
were much impressed with the restoration work being done.

            Nicea is
an area of huge olive groves.  Also,
there are some local olives that are as large as plums.  I tried to get a picture of what seems
typical in much of Turkey, a tractor going down the road, with a man driving
and a woman, all dressed in robes and head covering riding on the wheel cover
next to the man. I could not get one from the bus.  The other visual image I have (but no
pictures) is of fields with women bending over picking tomatoes or whatever –
no men.

            From
rural Nicea we drove (and took a ferry) to the teeming city of Istanbul.  At 14 million people, it stretches for over
100 kms.  2000 families per day are
moving there.  Today is the last day of
Ramadan, the Muslim feast time.  It took
us forever to get to the hotel because the town is like nothing I have ever
seen – people everywhere!  We took a ride
in a boat on the Bosporus, which splits the city in half.  It runs between the Black Sea and the Sea of
Marmara.  It is also the dividing line
between Europe and Asia.  [I see that I misspelled
Bosporus in the photo album for today – please forgive me, but I am not going
back to change it on all those pictures].

            We also
visited Chora Museum, which was built in the 6^th Century A.D. just
outside the city walls.  Most of it’s
noted frescos were added in the 13^th Century.  It has suffered damage from earthquakes,
crusaders, and was turned into a mosque in about 1505.  The mosaics and frescos are stunning.  One of the noted mosaics is of St. Paul.

            While we
were on the boat trip on the Bosporus, Mehmet, our guide pointed out Calcedon
in the distance, behind some shipping cranes. 
That means that we have either visited or at least seen the places where
the 7 Eucmenical councils of the Church were held, beginning in 325 in Nicea,
and ending there in 787.  In between were
councils in Constantinople (3), Ephesus, and Calcedon.

            Although
I came to learn more about Paul, the course was also on the early Church.  I have a whole new appreciation for how we
have come to where we are now.

  Peace,

    Bob

Day 17

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 17, September 16, 2009

 

            Today
was a travel day, for the most part.  We
began with seven skits on the Nicene Creed. 
We were in seven groups of four, and each group had been assigned a
phrase from the creed to do less than a 5 minute skit or presentation.  My group’s skit lasted less than a minute –
is anyone surprised?

            We then
headed East on some country roads, seeing tractors, sheep, cattle, fields of
corn, hot peppers, poppys (government controlled crop now), olive and fruit
trees.  Along the way Steve talked about
the Emperor Justinian, who wanted to be greater than Constantine.  He built bigger, better buildings, i.e. the
Hagia Sophia, expanded the empire, etc.  He also called what is now known as the fifth
Ecumenical Council, Constantinople 2, in 553 A.D. to allow Christians to settle
some differences over the humanity/divinity of Jesus.  He and his wife are depicted in the mosaics
at Ravenna, Italy.  Perhaps Susan and I
can get there in October?

            Other
than lunch, which was more of the same, our only stop for the day was the ‘Green
Mosque” in Bursa, where we are staying tonight.  It was built 1n 1420 A.D.  It’s name comes from the green tiles used
inside.  Built by Sultan Mehmet, (same
name as our Guide), it is another reminder of how strong the Muslim faith has
been in Turkey, in spite of Paul’s and others’ efforts.  The Sultan’s balcony, where he would worship
and also hold private meetings is above the entryway.  It is not usually open to the public, but
because this is the Feast of Ramadan for Muslims, it was open today.  Mehmet told us that this is the first time a group
from St. George’s College has been able to go up to into it.  One of the reasons for the fountain
downstairs was to cover any conversations the Sultan may have been having
upstairs.  On either side of the main
area there are two things that look like columns, but are hollowed out so that
they are loose.  They are there to warn
of earthquakes.  If they start rattling,
people get out fast.

            Tomorrow
looks like a full day.  We will end up in
Istanbul (ancient Constantinople) for our last two nights.  It is hard to believe this time is almost
over, but I do look forward to being with Susan, Christopher and Sarah on
Saturday in Budapest.

    Peace,

      Bob

           

 

 

 

           

Day 16

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 16, September 15, 2009

 

            Paul had
a lot of competition.  I’ll come back to
that thought.

 

            We
started the day with a lecture on “Paul and Women.”  I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say
that I feel a little better about Paul and his ideas on women.  He was actually rather radical for his time,
and some of the quotes many of us cringe at come from letters he may well not
have actually written.  Even the things
he surely wrote were written to specific situations and contexts, and it
probably is not fair to use them as his general attitude toward women.  Some modern critical scholarship concludes
that Paul, like Jesus, was pretty much ahead of his time with regards to women,
and that not too long afterwards, the Church became more patriarchal again –
fitting more into the norms of the culture of the day.  I’ll be glad to talk some more about this
when I return.

 

            We
headed north today, passing through Izmir, the ancient city of Smyrna, where
Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna was martyred in155 A.D.  When his captors came to arrest him, he
offered them food.  When told he could
avoid being put to death by making an offering to the Emperor, he is said to
have replied, “for 87 years Jesus has been faithful to me, I will not abandon
him now.” (my paraphrase).

 

            We
stopped at a Turkish rug factory for a wonderful bar-b-que lunch and tour.  This is really a kind of co-op where Turkish
women are taught the ancient trade of rug making, are supported, and whose wares
are marketed for them.  The Turkish
government supports this, and similar programs. 
We saw the cocoons being heated and then the silk thread being spun.  We watched rugs being made.  It was fascinating, to say the least.

 

            We went
on to the Acropolis, built in about 3000 B.C. 
It sits high on a hill, and was never conquered by enemies.  Water came via an aquaduct from across the
valley.  Water from a spring went down a
trough, which narrowed – allowing it to gain momentum.  A series of ups and downs continued the
process, until the water finally reached the cistern in the middle of the town.

 

            We then
went across the valley to Asclepion, a healing center dating from the Second
Century A.D.  Asclepion was the son of
Apollo, and was known as the god of healing. 
Only those with mental disorders were allowed in. Every kind of therapy
was available, including hydro-therapy, mud pools, dream therapy, theater, and
who knows what else.  The two snakes
continue to be symbols of healing to this day.

 

            Which
brings me back to Paul and his competition. 
We are blessed to be in a time and place where Christianity is
relatively easy.  We take our faith “in
stride,” and often do not give it as second thought.  Paul, on the other hand, lived in a world
where this new faith he was preaching was not well received, and where society
already had well-established faith systems that did not always welcome him or
his message.  The Jews generally did not
welcome him, the Greeks had their own Gods and system of worship, (just look at
these temple ruins I’ve been visiting), gentiles, pagans and others could not
quite believe that they might be welcome in this new community.  I continue to gain respect for Paul’s
persistence, his willingness to talk to anyone, welcome anyone, and be
enthusiastic about his faith.  I pray
that we in Franklin who carry his name may find the same enthusiasm and
persistence in sharing our faith and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Peace,

    Bob

           

           

 

 

           

Day 15

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 15, September 14, 2009

 

            On the
schedule, this was to be a day of rest, after what was presumed going to have
been a long day-trip yesterday to Patmos. 
[English majors, diagram that sentence!] 
On Saturday, because of our visit to “Mary’s House” and rain later in
the day, we did not make it to Ephesus, so we re-scheduled that for today.  That was fine with me, since I did not come
on this course to take days of rest.  We
did delay breakfast, and boarded the bus at 10 am.  Ephesus is only fifteen minutes from the
hotel.  We ended up spending 3 ½ hours at
Ephesus.  Saturday, we arrived so late,
that even without the rain, we probably would not have spent 2 hours there, so
in the grand scheme of things, this schedule was much better (though I could
still have done without “Mary’s House.”

            The restoration
of Ephesus began in 1951.  It is one of
the largest restoration projects ever.  There
is Hellenic town below what has been restored, but because of the significance
of Ephesus, no deeper digging has been done. 
There has been a city of Ephesus in the area since 8000 B.C.  It has been moved several times.  As I mentioned the other day, Ephesus is far
more significant in the development of the early Church than just Paul’s letter
to the Ephesians.  The fact that he lived
there, taught there, wrote letters to other Churches from there, was even
imprisoned there, and established more than a few “house” churches combined to
make a huge difference in the spread of Christianity.  Ephesus was a large port city, linking trade
routes from the East and the West.  John
the Evangelist also lived there, and probably wrote his Gospel, as well as his
letters of John.

            Go to
the picture album for today for pictures. 
Basically they look like any other restoration project.  The Library is probably the most famous
structure.  The theater could seat 24,000
people.

            Less well
known is Ephesus’ significance as the site of the Third Ecumenical Council, the
Council of Ephesus in 431.    The major
issue was considering the place of Mary, mother of Jesus.  For centuries after Jesus’ death, Mary’s
significance grew.  She became a model of
obedience and purity.  Icons often
picture her holding the baby Jesus in one hand and pointing a finger toward him
with the other.

            At
Ephesus, the ruins of the Church of Mary are being restored.  It is also known as the “Council Church,” where
the Emperor and Bishops gathered in 431. 
Unlike “Mary’s House,” this is indeed the place where the meeting was
held. There is also a pretty impressive Baptismal Font here!

Peace,

   Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

Day 14

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 14, September 13, 2009

 

Today is Patmos day.  Wake-up at 4:4 am, and boat is pulling away
from the dock at 6:30 am.  A four-hour
ride ahead of us, supposedly.  It took 5
hours.  There was rain early, but also a
rainbow.  We had our Sunday celebration
of the Eucharist while at sea (I figure it was at about 8:00 pm Central Time,
Saturday night for you!)  Clear and nice
by the time we get to Patmos.  How very
different from Turkey. Typical Greek (I assume, since this is the first time I
have ever set foot in Greece) island. 
White houses, beautiful ocean color, etc.  There are only 3,000 residents, most of whom
depend on tourism.  The port town, Skala
is the largest.  The island is divided by
an isthmus at the port.  Most of the
northern part of Patmos is uninhabited.

Patmos is the island where St.
John was exiled to for about 18 months when he was about 65 years old.  While there he had little to do but pray and
think, since he was too old to work. 
Tradition has it that he prayed in a cave, one time for 10 days straight
and that is where he had his vision/experience which led to his writing what is
now the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation.   It is “apocalyptic” writing, meaning that it
seeks to “pull away a veil” or open a door to deeper understanding of the end
times.  It is highly symbolic
writing.  As Steve said to us today, it
has been one of the, “most used and abused books of the Bible.”  People continue to try to use the signs,
symbols and numbers in it to predict all kinds of things.

 
We go to two very different monasteries, both built about the same time
(late 11^th Century) by two different orders of Greek Orthodox
monks.  The first and smaller is the
Monastery of the Apocolypse, built as part of the entrance to a cave, said to
be the one John prayed in.  The second,
at the top of the hill, is the Sanctuary of St. John the Divine.  It was built as a fortified Monastery, and a
town grew up around it, which is now the capital of Patmos, Chora.  Both are very ornate, typical Orthodox
structures with icons, candles, etc.

Due to our late arrival, we had
a quick lunch and got back on the boat. 
There was a problem with one of the engines, and we ended up being towed
for almost an hour by a sister-ship to our boat.  They apparently had called for help on the
way over.  The link between the two boats
were ropes tied to a used tire.  Our
engineer got the engine going again, and after another 5 ½ hours, we returned
at dusk to Kusadasi.

It was quite a day.  We had rain, rainbows, sun, choppy seas,
Eucharist at sea, the beautiful island of Patmos, two beautiful monasteries,
good lunch, no shopping breaks J, and a one-hour tow. 
We left before sun-up, and returned after sun-down.   If I am ever exiled, please send me to Patmos.

 

           

Day 13.1

    As your pastor, I should be making things clearer, not muddying the waters!  John the Evangelist did not write the account of his Revelation on the hill near Ephesus.  He did that at Patmos (read more tomorrow).
     It was the Gospel according to John, written while he was back in Ephesus and that the Church there commemorates.  Also, the three letters of John were probably written from there.
      Mea Culpa.
        Peace,
           Bob

Day 13

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 13, September 12, 2009

 

            We ended
up with a rainy day, and did not make it to our major destination,
Ephesus.  We have rescheduled Monday,
which was to be a “day of rest,” so it will only be partial day of rest.  Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 5:45 am to
board a boat to Patmos, and will return about 7:00 pm (that’s why they
scheduled the day of rest on Monday!).

            After
breakfast (not among the best we have had – they advertized “Tang” as the
juice, here where we have been passing groves of orange trees.  We headed to “Mary’s house,” a small chapel
that was built over the place some say Mary lived near Ephesus after Jesus’
crucifixion.  Our group of Roman
Catholics apparently persuaded St. George’s to add this to the schedule, and we
had a Mass at the Franciscan House next door. 

            Next was
the highlight of the day, The Basilica of St. John.  Tradition has it that John and Mary came
together to Ephesus.  John is said to
have written The Book of Revelation from this hillside.  The Basilica was built later to commemorate this,
as well as the site of his burial.  At
Christmas you will probably hear references to my visit here.  John’s prologue to his Gospel, “In the
beginning was the Word…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” took on
new meaning as we sat in silence in that place. 
One of the pictures is of a grape press (maybe we should make our own
wine at St. Paul’s?).  Another is of the
Baptistry.  Note that there are steps
down, and then up again.  The person
being baptized would enter from one side, be baptized, then step up into their
new life in Christ.

             We then went to lunch at a traditional Turkish
restaurant.  Most of us sat on pillows,
with small tables in front of us.  Food
kept coming and coming, all of it wonderful. 
There were at least nine courses, and two kinds of bread, as well as
what apparently is the only beer around, Efes. 
Pictured are: Steve Need, Dean of St. George’s, me, Philip, one of the
Priests from Toronto, and several of the Toronto group.

            By the
time we finished lunch, it had begun to pour down rain.  We waited about half an hour, and it became
clear that it was not going to let up, so instead of Ephesus, we were taken to
a leather place, where we were treated (?) to a fashion show, and an hour and a
half to shop.  Shopper that I am not, I
was more than a little frustrated.  After
my initial hesitancy to go to Ephesus, I was really excited about the trip,
only to be disappointed.  The weather is
supposed to clear, so hopefully we will have a good visit on Monday.

            This is
a very patriotic country.  We drove
through many small villages today, and there are Turkish flags everywhere.  I realized that I have not seen a mailbox in
front of any house or business.  I’ll
have to check into how people get/send mail.

            Off to
dinner, then early bed for early rise in the morning. If you do not hear from
me tomorrow, it will be because of the long day!  We will celebrate our Sunday Eucharist while
on the boat to Patmos. Know you are in my prayers - especially on a Sunday.

Peace,

 Bob

           

Day 12

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 12, September 11, 2009

 

            Have I
mentioned the coffee issue?  Over here,
it is hard to find brewed coffee.  Most
places offer “Nescafe,” which is exactly what you think it is.  Sometimes it comes out of a machine that
mixes it automatically, other times, it just gets spooned in the cup, just like
one does at home when one is truly desperate. One does not pay good money for
Nescafe at home.  One pays good money, or
drinks tea (nope!) or turkish coffee (too sweet) in Turkey.  Pray for me.

            We began
our day at the ruins of the city of Heirapolis, built in the 5^th
Century B.C.  It was a large, wealthy
town, and people spent lots of money on their tombs.  Some are big enough to live in
comfortably.  A couple of us
climbed a pretty steep hill to get to the ruins of the Martyrion of St. Philip.
 It was well worth the climb, especially the
view of the valley from the top.  In the
photo album from today, you will also see a couple shots of the calcium
deposits from the hot springs, today from the top.

            After
lunch we headed west, thru the Lycos Valley (Paul probably traveled a different
route).  We passed through many small
towns.  One of the things that has struck
all of us is the number of solar water heating systems installed on roofs.  I have pictures of one on a house in a
village, and another of urban buildings with entire roofs covered with
them.  They pay for themselves in a year
or less, according to Mehmed, our guide. 
I’m not sure the Historic Overlay would allow them on homes in Franklin,
but they sure are much-used here.  The
other thing I have seen a lot are outdoor fireplaces/bar-b-que’s on people’s
outside porches.  They are “built-in,
with chimneys, etc.  Charcoal is one of
Turkey’s biggest exports.

            The big
learning for me today was putting Ephesus in perspective.  I have been a little skeptical about spending
several days in Ephesus.  I know that it
is one of the most significant excavation sites in the world, but I was afraid
it would be more tourist than pilgrim oriented. On the bus, Steve asked us what
came to mind when he said, “Ephesus.?” 
I, and several others, answered, “Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.”  His response was, “Many scholars do not think
Paul wrote that letter, so why would that make Ephesus significant?”  He claims that Ephesus was the most
“neglected” city of early Christianity. 
What is significant is that Paul was in Ephesus when he wrote 1^st
Corinthians, and perhaps 2^nd Corinthians.  According to Acts 19, he lived there for more
than two years.   There are some scholars
who think that all of Paul’s letters were written from Ephesus.  Also, there is a tradition that John, the
“beloved disciple” and Mary, Jesus’ mother came to Ephesus after Jesus’
death.  We’ll have Eucharist tomorrow at
“Mary’s house” in Ephesus.  The tradition
also says that John grew old there.  It
could be that he actually wrote his Gospel, as well as the letters of John and
Revelation while in Ephesus.  No way to
know, but all this means that Ephesus was a major influence on early
Christianity.  It is just one of several
places where Christianity was well established by the early 2^nd
Century, which is amazing all by itself.

            As we
neared the coast, traffic picked up, towns and cities were closer together, and
it was clear that we were in a more tourist-oriented area.  Turkey is a vast country, and I still cannot
believe Paul traveled (walked) as far as he did.

Peace,

   Bob

           

Day 11

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 11, September 10, 2009

 

            Woke
from really good sleep (no Mosque nearby to provide 4:00 a.m. call to
prayer).  After breakfast we had a
meeting to talk about Paul’s concept of law and Salvation.  I’ll spare you the details.  I did take notes, so ask me when I get back
if you want to know more.

            Today we
are headed for the ruins of another biblical town.  This one is Laodocia.  It is mentioned in Revelation 3:3ff as one of
the 7 Churches of Revelation.  There is
no mention of Paul ever having been there, but it is right in the middle of the
area he travelled, so one must think that he knew the town.  One of the pictures from the ruins is of  part of a column that has a cross carved
above a carving of a menorah, so there were Christians there sometime. 

            We left
Antalya, which is a city of some 1.5 million people.  It is on the Mediterranean Sea (I took a swim
last night).  It reminds me of Miami
Beach.  Hotels and Condos line the
shore.  As we drove out of town, we
spotted a McDonalds and a Starbucks – this place has arrived!

            We
climbed high into the mountains again. 
Paul would have walked downhill from where we are headed (but from
Ephesus, he had to get to the top first – we head for Ephesus tomorrow).  There is a winding valley that goes up
through the mountains, which is the way Paul would have gone.  Our bus was in low gear a good part of the
way.  Find Paul’s letter to Philemon
(just before Hebrews).  It is the
shortest letter in the New Testament, but shows Paul’s ability to write and get
something done.

            Ladocia
was first built in the Third Century B.C. 
It became a Roman city in 133 B.C. 
It was finally abandoned about 600 A.D. because of earthquakes that
damaged buildings.  It is only recently
been the focus of archeological restoration (one of our group was here 10 years
ago, and could not believe the difference). 
One of my pictures is of a team digging what
may have been a home along the main street (just after I took the picture we
were told not to take pictures of active digging because the team wants to be
the first to publish any new findings – I don’t think this picture will scoop
their story!)

            Tomorrow
we visit another ancient city, then head for Ephesus, stopping along the way at
the site of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Seljuk.

Peace,

  Bob

I have uploaded, I hope, more pictures from days 9 and
10, along with Day 10 blog – real one

Day 10 - for real

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 10, September 9, 2009

 

            I had
trouble with internet access (my computer), and spent so much time fiddling
that I never wrote my blog.  I did
finally get my wireless working, so I’m typing this on the bus on Thursday
morning – a challenge on a bumpy road!

            Steve
reminded us of the difference between a tourist and a pilgrim.  A tourist passes through places, places pass
through a pilgrim.  That takes on more
meaning now that we are actually going to places Paul went.  The next few days we will be “backtracking”
Paul’s first missionary journey.  Today
we head south towards the Mediterranean Sea. 
We will go to the ruins of Perge, a city where Paul spent some time. 

            Very
fertile up here – orchards of apples, pears, plums, and peaches.  As we dropped out of the mountains, we
stopped beside a lake and had broiled trout for lunch.  We arrive at the ruins of the city of Perge
(Acts 13).  It dates from pre-Hittite
time, and was the home of Apollo.  We
enter past what is left of a stadium that was not even here when Paul stopped
through.  It is hard to believe that so
much has come and gone since Paul walked this way.  To prove that I am not sitting in the back of
the house in Franklin making all of this up, here is a picture of me at Perge, standing in what
would have been the marketplace, next to a sign for a butcher.  It has a knife and a hook (like they use to
hang meat on).  Paul may well have sold
some of his own tents or leather in this market.

            Steve
talked about Paul and his attitude about slavery.  It is important to note that our
understanding of slavery as it existed in the 19^th Century is not
what slavery was like in the 1^st Century.  Also, Paul expected the imminent return of
Jesus, so people should not try to make drastic changes in their
circumstances.  Many slaves were fairly
well treated, and many were able to buy their freedom by the age of 30.  When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 7,  emphasis was on one’s calling, so work on
one’s spiritual life since the end is near. 
Then Paul turns the image around and writes, “You have been bought with
a price,” in effect saying that ALL become slaves – to Jesus Christ.

            On to
the hotel, with dramatic view of the Mediterranean.  Several of us go for a quick swim before
dinner.  Paul never had it so good!

Peace,

   Bob

 

Day 10

Technichal difficulties today. Hope to have fixed soon.  We are not anywhere near the bad floods, etc. otside Istanbul, but keep those folks in your prayers.

Peace,

   Bob

Day 9

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 9, September 8, 2009

 

            One of
the things about this course is that we are putting Paul into a context that we
can begin to understand.  He was
basically Jesus’ age.  Current dating
places Jesus’ death in 30 A.D.  Paul’s “Damascas
Road Conversion” probably occurred within a year of that date.  Paul spent the next 35 years proclaiming
Jesus the Christ on what are called 4 “Missionary Journeys.”  We covered some pretty barren territory in
the bus today – imagine what it was like to have walked that distance?

Today we actually went somewhere
that Paul himself went.  We are in the
area of Galatia, and Paul wrote a letter to the “Galatians,” but no one knows
exactly where the Church(s) were.  He
did, on his first Missionary Journey, come to Antioch in Pisidia (not the
Antioch in southeastern Turkey).  We
toured the remains of the town that Paul stayed in, made tents and other
leather items in, and where he gathered friends.

            On our
way from Konya, we went through the Lake District, and stopped in Beysehir,
whose lake is the 3^rd largest in Turkey.  We went to a 3^rd Century Mosque,
which has beautiful wood interiors.  An
award-winning singer chanted for us inside. 
As I am typing this, I am listening to chanting from a minaret at a
Mosque only a block away from my window. 
Since there is no air conditioning, I fear this will be a long
night.  This is Ramadan for Muslims,
which means th ey do not eat during the day. 
Towns, like Beysehir, have late-night festivals.  I hope that is not true here.  In Konya this morning we were awakened by a
street drummer at 3:30 am (to remind people that they only had a half an hour
to eat before the daily fast began.  Then
at 4:00 a.m. the loud speaker from the nearby minaret woke us with the first
prayer of the day.

            We then
went to a Hittite Shrine that dates from the 12^th – 11^th
Century B.C.

 

 

 

 

Day 8

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 8, September 7, 2009

 

            After
breakfast this morning, we met to hear Stephen Neel, who is the Dean of St.
George’s College and our leader on this trip, talk about, Paul, what manner of
Man?”  He noted that Paul was Jewish by
background, Greek by education, and Roman as a citizen and culturally.

Paul was well-versed in letter writing as an
art-form.  Steve raised an issue that
some theologians are beginning to explore, that Paul was not born in Tarsus,
but from Galilee.  Luke, in Acts says
that Paul was from Tarsus, but Paul never says so himself.  Also, Jerome, a 4^th Century writer
mentions at one point that Paul was from Galilee.  There are no other sources, so Luke seems to
have the upper hand until something more definitive is found.

            On the
bus, Steve introduced the 7 ecumenical councils that began with Nicea in 325
and ended with Nicea 2 in 787.  These councils
effectively formed the basis for Christian belief about Jesus, the Holy Spirit
and the Church.  The seven fit together “like
Chinese dolls,” he said.  We will be
talking more about them later.

            Our
first stop was at Sultanhani Caravanserai.  This was a caravan stop built in the 13^th
Century by a Sultan so he would have a safe place to stop on his travels.  It would also have been used by other travelers
– merchants, traders, etc.  Inside the
main gate is the Summer section, including a Mosque in the middle where the
Sultan would stay.  At the far end  is an entrance to a winter section.  This would have been the Grand Hyatt of the
day.

            After
lunch we stopped at another caravanserai, being restored.  It was the Holiday Inn Express of the
day.  They are using stones from other
old buildings, including a Church apparently, since there were some crosses in
them.

            Next we
headed for Konya (formerly Iconium, one of Paul’s stops on his first Missionary
Journey.  This is the first place we have
been where he also passed through.  We
went to the tomb of Rumi, the Mystic who started the Dirvish sect (Whirling
Dirvesh).  They
continue to be a very spiritual “order” who practice great patience and
spirituality.  There were two rosaries on
display, one had 990 beads, and the other had 1700.

            Then finished
with Mass at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, built in 1910, though there was
one there before, but not back to the time of Paul himself.

Day 7

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 7, September 6, 2009

 

            Today
was an interesting day of contrasts and similarities.  We are in Cappadocia, which is famous for
horse breeding.  They once (still – I
haven’t seen any?) were the white horses that the Romans once sent their troops
to be trained on and brought back as the elite horses in the Roman Legion.

            Cappadocia
is even more famous for the three “Fathers of the Church.”  During the 4^th Century, Basil,
Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa (Basil) all lived in this area.  These three “Cappadocian  Fathers” greatly influenced the Church, and
especially the understanding of the holy Spirit.  Note that the title of the course I am taking
is “St. Paul and the Early Church in Turkey.”  Most of our focus will be on Paul, but this
area has had other influences on the Church as well, and today we spent some
time thinking about that.

            Soon
after Paul died, at 73 years old in 66 AD, the Christian Church began to suffer
various forms of persecution until after the Emperor Constantine issued the
“Edict of Toleration” in 313 AD, then embraced and made Christianity legal
after seeing a sign of the Cross.  In 325
the Council of Nicea made it the official religion of the realm.  We reflected today on what it would cost to
be believers in a time and place where our faith was declared illegal, and
where one could be put to death for professing it.  Few of us in our day have been put in such a
position.  Paul, and others who planted
Churches, and passed on their faith to others gave a great gift by laying a
foundation that would last through centuries of persecution.  Unfortunately, after Christianity became
legal, it did not always live up to our Lord’s title, “Prince of Peace.”

            Anyway,
today we visited or saw three very different types of community.  We saw one place where people literally cut
their living quarters into the sides of hills – communities of thousands of
people who “hid” in the hills.  It was
called “Goreme.” (see: http://www.goreme.org/
)

 There were many
chapels, with paintings and frescos. 
Much of the damage was done during the Crusades.  Some restoration was done by the Greek
Orthodox in th 18^th and 19^th Centuries.  We saw where people, even today, live inside
basalt cones, “fairy huts” because of the likeness to fairy hats, and we went
to one of 6 underground cities which have been found in this area.  There are probably many more.

            The
common thread throughout these various patters of living is security.  The communities built into the hillsides were
done so to hide from invaders.  The
people who lived in the domes hoped they would be passed by, and the
underground cities were built specifically to be secure from Arab
invaders.  The place we visited was built
in either the 5^th or 6^th Century AD.  It could hold a thousand or more people.  We had to crawl through some of the passages,
and they were prepared to stay for long periods of time.  A thousand people could live there, in
sleeping quarters, worship spaces, kitchens, dining rooms, storerooms,
etc.  I was intrigued with the security
system.  There was a stone “door” which
could only be opened from the inside.  It
is a large round stone, set at an angle, so that there is no way it can be
moved from the outside.  It can be easily
pushed open or closed from the inside. 
There is a 6”/6” hole in the center, so that they could shoot arrows at
attackers, who would then pile up and block the way for further intrusion.  See: http://www.anadol.com/kaymakli.htm

 

            The
lesson, or question for the day is, “What is the cost of discipleship?”  What would we face, stand up for, stand
against in order to proclaim our faith?

 

            I’m
having a big problem with pictures.  It
takes forever to upload them.  I will try
to continue to put some in the blog, and some on the Album section of the blob
site, but I cannot wait for hours to upload 20 pictures a day, so I may just
put a few up, and figure out another way to share them later.  Thanks for your patience, and keep me in your
prayers, as you are in mine.

Peace,

  Bob

Day 6

Bob’s Sabbatical

Day 6, September 5, 2009

 

            Today
our work began.  Holy Eucharist at 6:30
am.  Celebrant was a Roman Catholic Jesuit from Toronto (where 19
of our 31 students are from).   Very
similar to our Eucharist, and no problems with non-Catholics receiving.  I do look forward to an Episcopal Eucharist
soon!

            After
breakfast we met for a lecture.  Stephen
Neel, the Dean of St. George’s, and the leader of this course talked about St.
Paul, and especially the many mis-conceptions that surround our understanding
of him.  Without going into detail, Steve
said that Paul was a more positive, passionate and pastoral person than we
often perceive him.  Out of the 27 books
in the New Testament, 13 letters bear his name. 
In fact, the only ones that most scholars believe are his are Romans,
Galatians, 1^st and 2^nd Corinthians, Philippians, 1^st
Thessalonians and Philemon.  Actually, he
probably did not sit down and write any of them, rather dictated most of them,
so what he said and what got sent may well have been very different.

            We will
be following Paul’s footsteps in Turkey. 
He traveled much further.  Steve
maintains that the best way to understand Paul is to read his letters.  Steve also cautioned that reading in modern
English has its pitfalls.  He gave us two
images:

1.      Reading
Paul’s letters is like listening to one end of another person’s telephone
conversation – we really don’t know the whole context.

2.      Reading
Paul’s letters is like reading someone else's mail – he was writing to someone
else, not us – in another context and another language.

 

So, anytime we try to quote
Paul, or put words in his mouth, there is much room for  mis-interpretation.  What we will be concentrating on the next two
weeks is, What did he write, what was the context, and what did he mean?

 

We went on to the Ankara
Museum.  They have artifacts dating from
pre 10,000 B.C. Turkey’s geographical
location has meant it has been an important player in the development of
civilization. Here is a picture of the way Turks lived in 7000-6000 B.C.    Note that the living space was completely
enclosed.  The only entry was through the
roof.

 

One of the dramatic changes in
culture occurred c. 2000 B.C. when the pottery wheel was introduced during the
Assyrian Trade period.  Turkey was an
important part of the trade routes from the East to the West.  Pottery became a common form of “money”
during this period.

           

We boarded the bus and headed
south.  Along the way we stopped at the
salt lake, the second largest lake in Turkey. 
This time of year it is dry, and is like our Great Salt lake.

 

This is a vast country.  In the days ahead, I will be reflecting on
how in the world Paul could have traveled as extensively as he did, formed the
relationships he did, kept up with the Churches he founded and tried to deal
with the many conflicts this new Faith brought forth.  Our assignment last night was to think of one
word we would use to describe Paul.  Mine
was “tenacious.”  On the bus today, our guide,
Mehmet, said that his word for Paul would be “switch.”  Mehmet went on to say, “You know, when you have
a new house, and everything is installed, wiring and fixtures in place, you
still have to throw the switch.”  That is
what he sees St. Paul’s role in the development of Christianity.  Jesus, born, lived and resurrected, but Paul
was the one who got the movement going.

We are in what was once known as
Cappadocia, where some of the earliest Christian intellectuals lived.   Then on Monday we will begin tracing the
steps of Paul’s first missionary journey.