Athens (part 2)

(The Parthenon and Mars Hill as viewed from the ancient city of Athens)

After touring the Parthenon and Mars Hill, we got to go down to the ruins of the ancient city of Athens.  While the site itself is not as impressive as Ephesus, one does get a better picture of the Roman times by the restored stoa (strip mall) in the midst of the Athenian ruins. 

Here is an impressive view from inside the reconstructed stoa. Little shops would be set up to the right of the photo, just past the columns in single-room arrangements.  If you have been to a Middle East bizarre, you get the idea.

Here are the original remains of the other stoa.  Though Athens was not the only city that had three stoas in its agora (marketplace), it does indicate the city's wealth and size in the early Roman period.

While we know that Athens was advanced, many of us rarely realize just how advanced the Greco-Roman cities were.  Here we see the relics of the underground sewer system.

This is one of the temples for the pagan gods referenced in Acts 17.  In particular, this is the Temple of Hephaestus, the Greek god of technology, craftsmanship, and blacksmiths.

Me and my long lost brother.

I just have to share my useless trivia on this.  This sign obviously is an exit sign, but the Greek word for "exit" written above is exodus, which explains how the book of Exodus got its name.  But that's not all.  Not only does this word have biblical significance, but it also serves to give us an insight into how literal the Greek language can be.  Translated literally, the work actually means "the road (or path) out."

Athens (part 1)

First, let me say that I'm glad we took this trip last year considering the current situation in Athens.  Second, I must also say that I was rather disappointed with the condition of the city.  Not only was it dirty, but an abundance of graffiti really countered the mystique of the ancient city.  That being said, the ruins and sites of ancient Athens were amazing!

One of the first places that we went to was the agora or downtown of ancient Athens.  This area once contained 3 large stoas, or shop buildings (think strip mall; a reconstructed stoa can be partially seen on the right edge of the picture with a large red roof.), a large enclosed auditorium, and monuments to the 12 recognized gods.  It was here that we read about Paul finding an altar devoted "to the unknown god," and being compelled to go and preach to the philosophers of the city.

After stirring up the crowd of Athenians in the agora, Paul was taken up to the Areopagus, also known as Mars Hill.  It was on this hill overlooking ancient Athens that the key philosophers of the day would gather and discuss thoughts on life.  It was on this very place that Paul gave this well-reasoned explanation of Gospel, evangelically engaging the leading philosophers of his day.

(Mars Hill viewed from the Parthenon)

 

The two of us on top of Mars Hill with the ancient city of Athens below.

In the footsteps of Paul...

Next time we'll include our pictures of the Parthenon and a few other shots from the ancient Athenian agora.

Santorini (expanded)

The final Greek Island we stopped at on our cruise across the Mediterranean was the gem: Santorini.  This tiny island has no biblical significance, but it was one of our favorite locales on the entire trip.  As we approached the harbor, we saw what appeared to be snow caps on top of the cliffs. 

As we grew closer, however, we recognized that we were not gazing upon snow, but on the picturesque settlement that seemed to gracefully sit atop the rocky island like frosting on a cupcake.  Many of the uniformly colored white buildings were adorned with bright blue roofs, making every little shop and structure look like works of art.

To get up to the serene settlement, we first had to climb nearly 700 feet to the top.  We followed the winding pathway pictured below, ascending 660 steps in the process.  It may look glamorous or romantic, but what you cannot experience from the picture is the smell of the donkey droppings all along the path.  Yes, it is cheaper to walk than to ride, but it's not without a cost!

Here was the reason for the smell.  On our way back down, one donkey was coming up and tried to run me over.  I stuck him in the eye with a forearm.  He moved over.
 

We finally made it to the top.  Yes, it was worth it!

This is probably the most beautiful picture of the whole trip.  This church had a blue-domed roof just about the same color as the sky.  In Athens, I happened upon some small canvas prints of this same chapel; one is in my office.  It continues to inspire me.

After our long journey to the top of the island and a bit of touring, we decided we were overdue for a snack, so we headed off to find a crepe shop.  It took a little bit of asking, but eventually we found two side by side.  We chose this one.

Fresh, warm crepes...sitting under a blue sky...on Santorini...yeah, we enjoyed ourselves!

Easter Gift

This morning we had our annual Good Friday Service for the community around our church.  It's one of our most special Easter traditions, beginning with an always-captivating worship service and culminating in "The Marketplace," a bizaare-like setting where our neighbors can shop for a wide variety of specialty food items and other goodies.  The whole event is always a lot of fun, but the most special gift I received came through an unexpected friendship.

We began the day by baptizing two gentlemen who had recently committed their lives to Christ.  One of these, Mr. Zachary, was an 80 year old African-American with only a single tooth on the bottom, but he swore he didn't feel a day over 20.  My job was to prep these men for baptism, so we began talking about their backgrounds and their conversion.  In the course of our conversation, Mr. Zachary shared how he had grown up walking or riding a wagon a couple miles to church each week.  For them, "church" was not simply an hour long service; it was an all-day event.  Services were held for several hours in the morning, followed by a potluck lunch on the grounds and a time of relaxing, and concluding with several hours of evening service.  He talked about how "everyone got along back then..."

I ended up staying with Mr. Zachary for the whole morning, worshipping with him after the baptism and helping him carry his bags as he shopped.  Every few minutes he stopped to tell me how much he appreciated our church, my help, and everything else he could think of.  When it was over, I gave him a ride back to his little house.  As he got out and I unloaded his groceries from the truck, he again thanked me profusely.  I shook his hand and assured him that it was truly my pleasure to meet him and to spend the morning with him.

As I drove off, I was overwhelmed by the paradox of our relationship.  He was an older man from a by-gone era; certainly in his lifetime he has witnessed atrocities and pain that I will never know.  He lived through the days of "Whites Only" and the struggle for Civil Rights, while I have merely read of these in history books.  Though his basic needs are provided, he has certainly not known the affluence that I have been afforded.  Yet, because of the work of Christ, he and I are brothers, sharing both the hope and the inheritance that became available when the tomb was emptied. 

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..."  Ephesians 2:14

Oops!

Ok, here is our account of one unforgettable wrong turn on our trip.  After our lunch in the Rhodes courtyard, we then headed out to the beach for a little nap.  (Pictures to come).

After a little bit, I woke up and started looking around.  About 30 yards away, something just caught my attention.  I noticed a rather rotund, shirt-less older person sitting down, talking to another senior.  I was still a little groggy from my nap, but something in my mind kept on going off.  Suddenly it hit me: the older dude was not a dude, but a lady!  I'd been looking at a topless, obese geriatric woman!!  "Ohh, my eyes!"

Needless to say, Rebekah and I got off that beach as fast as we could.  But the damage had already been done.  I will forever bear on my mind visual proof that topless beaches, regardless of what seventh-grade boys may think, are a BAD idea.

Rhodes

From Crete, we once again boarded the Aquamarine and set out for Rhodes.  Previously I alluded to the deficiencies of the ship; let me explain.  Built in 1971, the ship's fresh paint could hardly mask its age.  While we have all seen pictures of contemporary luxury cruise ships, with their endless amenities and laissez-faire attitude, this particular craft betrayed its age with a swimming pool so tiny no one dared to get in, an exercise room that was clearly in a converted closet, and more rules than a seventh grade classroom.  Though breakfast and lunch were open for leisure, dinner reservations were to be made for either 6 or 8, with the doors to the dining hall shutting precisely at one past the appointed hour.  In light of this, our group promptly renamed the boat the Shawshank Cruise.

Despite the many rules, we did still manage to have fun on the ship. 

Discussing theology with The PROF: Dr. Preben Vang.

Once we landed at Rhodes, we were free to enjoy the afternoon by ourselves. Though it has no significance for New Testament studies, we found Rhodes to be a great tourist stop.Rebekah and I enjoyed strolling through the alleys and peeking in the little shops along the way. 

Eventually, we came to an open courtyard with balcony restaurants on every side.  Each restaurant had a barker trying to persuade passers-by to come and dine at their finest table. 

How could we resist?  It was truly a marvelous lunch, overlooking a timeless courtyard from a shaded balcony somewhere in the Mediterranean. 

Ok, I know I promised to tell of our notorious adventure on Rhodes in this post, but I've had too much else to cover.  Check back on Tuesday afternoon for our big "Oops" moment of the trip.

Crete

Resuming my series from our tour of Greece and Turkey last summer, we will pick up immediately after our tour of Patmos.  From there the P.O.C. Aquamarine set out west to Crete.  Though we did not see any biblical sites in Crete, the island does show up in the New Testament a few times.  The book of Titus was written to one of Paul's companions, a man who was serving on the island of Crete.  Also, Paul's extra-biblical Fourth Missionary journey may have included a stop in Crete. 

What we did see in Crete was the archaelogical remains of the Minoan civilization.  This Kingdom was from the same time as Abraham (2100 BC), and was extremely advanced. Notice how the columns above are wider at the top and smaller at the bottom.  This was not only unusual, but an impressive engineering feat at the time.  Also, below is a picture of part of their plumbing system.  Believe it or not, 2000 before Christ there were some with indoor plumbing! 

Oh, this picture needs to be explained.  The whole cruise ship basically breaks up into tour groups to see the site.  We each have guides who hold up our sign, so that we won't get lost.  That's right, we're international travelers, and they treat us like we're in Kindergarten.  Well, our guide was moving exceptionally slow, allowing a lot of other groups to pass us on the way to the site.  Rebekah and I discussed the matter and agreed that I should confiscate the sign and lead at a more progressive pace.  Sometimes you just have to takeover.

Below is a picture of the Minoan throne room.  On the left side of the picture is the actual throne of a 21st Century BC king.  I think I'd prefer the seat of 21st Century AD average joe.

Our next stop on this blog journey will be Rhodes! Check back for some great pics, and one unforgettable wrong turn!