Kusadasi, Turkey

Trip Start Oct 03, 2008

Trip End Nov 02, 2008

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Flag of Turkey Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey
Tuesday, October 28, 2008

28 October - A warm sun shines down on us as we walk along paths, through doorways and sit with the Apostle Paul. The small river once meandered here, so the Greeks called the town Ephesus. We stroll with Hakan our tour guide among ancient restorations on the same pavements that Paul walking among the same structures he lived among for some years here long ago. It was here that he first began the use of anointed cloths. Paul re-baptized a dozen of John the Baptist's disciples here, probably at the town's ancient seashore long ago filled in with silt and now extends for miles covered with olive, fig and mulberry trees. Paul's teachings generated enough antagonism with the Jews here that he moved services to the schoolhouse of Tyrannus. The magnificent temple to Diana was once legendary throughout the Eastern world but was exposed as a fraudulent god by Paul. Nearby, the great amphitheatre was flashpoint to a near riot when local idol making silversmith Demetrius riled up fellow craftsmen and against Paul whose teachings about Diana threatened their livelihood. The nineteenth chapter of Acts details the altercation that ensued, including a two-hour chant of "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Friends and officials prevented Paul from entering the theater while Alexander reasoned them to calm. Soon afterwards Paul departed this place, as did we. However, we followed him to another ancient Agean Sea port nearby where he again met with the Ephesian elders. In ancient times the large river there had a large meander past the seaside town and thus it got its name, Miletus. Due to the prominence and wealth of these two cities, drawings of river meanders became popular symbols of good luck that continue in Turkish culture today. It was here that he met the Ephesian leaders again and motivated them to remain godly in their pagan environment. Miletus city today is some 15 miles from the coast, the silt long ago having filled in the vast ocean inlet following the Romans' cutting of the forests in the mountains above. As our bus drives through the ancient sea, Miletus rises as a curious bump in the delta of cotton fields and olive orchards that extend over the distant horizon. Two hours later, rich glows from a retiring sun bathe the city of Kusadasi, Turkey as ebbing nightlife heralds the end of another day. Red flags large and small twist slowly in the breeze, reminiscent of the Russian banner with hammer and scycle. But here the scarlet banner's icons are a crescent moon and Eastern star being flown with enthusiasm and pride on this eve of Turkish Independence Day. Atop a distant mountain a massive statue of Ataturk stands monument to their successful campaign for independence in 1927. Some conclude that Turkish people are the modern descendants of the ancient Edomites. If so, the prophesies of Jeremiah 49:7, etc. do not bode well for them. However, like every other culture I have had the privilege to visit in my brief lifetime, these Turks are yet another version of Earth's families struggling to make ends meet and are at once endearing in our common quest.