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.