Arose early this morning for the excursion into Ephesus, weary from the previous night. 

We were assigned a wonderful local Turkish guide who clearly knew his American culture. He did a fantastic job of establishing connections between Turkish and American culture (presenting the “western“ face of Turkey). While we experienced only an infinitesimal fraction of the country, driving from the port into ancient Ephesus, I was impressed by how clean and prosperous the country seemed. Had a very nice early morning tour of ancient Ephesus, but even with an early start, it was already becoming crowded. Jeff gave a teaching on Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, and we were able to see the theater where Paul addressed the crowds (Acts 19). The theater in Ephesus is the largest in the ancient world (holding approximately 25,000 persons). This, along with the size of the archaeological excavations of the entire site (which, according to our guide, only represent 20% of the city) helped us to appreciate just how great and overwhelming the city must have seemed to Paul. On the other hand, the city’s eventual decline and near-abandonment (due to the filling in of the port) was a reminder that things which seem permanent to us are never truly permanent.

After the tour of Ephesus, we visited a local carpet co-op and were given a presentation of how Turkish carpets are made. It was very entertaining and informative. Seeing the silk being extracted from the cocoons was fascinating! 

We return to the ship for lunch and a much-needed nap.

At 5:30 PM, we were shuttled to the island of Patmos where we received another local guide. We first visited the Cave of the Revelation (also referred to as the Grotto of the Apocalypse). One of the things I appreciate most about these pilgrimages is that it gives our parishioners an opportunity to experience something of the spiritual culture and architecture of the eastern orthodox church, one of the more distant branches in our Christian family tree. Their emphasis on the suffering that comes in the Christian life, a direct response to their own experience of persecution in the past, is an important balance to our temptation toward triumphalism in the west. 

From there, we made our way to one of the highest points on the island where the monastery of Saint John is located. I only wish that we had had more time to explore it more thoroughly, but I did appreciate a chance to see some of the artifacts held in the this the museum of this 11th century monastery.

We returned to the ship for a late dinner. It was a wonderful day!