Gregory Scott Blog

Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 16 (Athens)

Today was a stellar day, which is unusual for last days of vacations. We tried to book a private tour guide for Athens because there was so much we wanted to see and only had the day. However, it was a religious holiday, and tour guides were scarce. As a result, it was going to cost us $650 for a guide and car service. So we decided to go it alone.

As it turned out, we saw everything we wanted to see, and, because it was a religious holiday, admission to every museum and site was free. We were able to walk everywhere, enjoyed a long lunch, wonderful lunch and did it all between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. It helps to have a wife who is a saint. She didn’t feel well all day but rather than sit it out in the hotel she came out and hung in there all day. We are both glad she did because we shared one of the great tourist days of our lives together.

Here was our itinerary: the Plaka and Monastiraki, Hadrian’s Library, Roman Aerides Market, Ancient Agora, Museum of Ancient Agora, Areopagus, Acropolis, Parthenon, lunch, Floumoussou Etairias Square (shopping), Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the National Garden, Byzantine & Christian Museum.

There were three highlights today. First was recreating Acts 17:16-34 by walking from the Ancient Agora (marketplace) up the path to the Areopagus and then walking up on to the Areopagus. The trip takes 15-20 minutes, which means Paul would have had some time to think about what he was going to say when he got there.

When he got there Paul didn’t just preach Jesus, he told these justices God did not dwell in temples made by man, a direct insult to their pagan religion. As Paul was telling them this, they would have been able to look right up and see the Parthenon—their most cherished pagan temple. It was pretty gutsy of Paul to say such things to the men who had the power to put him to death.

I took a picture looking up to the Parthenon from the top of the Areopagus so you could get the idea of the view the justices would have had while Paul was saying these things about their pagan religion. This is the sort of thing you realize when you see a place instead of just read about it. It’s a great reason to travel.

The second highlight was they Byzantine & Christian Museum. If there is a better museum in the world covering Byzantine life and art I can’t imagine what it is. If you have any interest in the Byzantines, this museum is a must-see.

The third and most important highlight was being able to share this day with my best friend and love-of-my-life. Most great things are better shared, and that is certainly true of travel. It’s even better when that person is learned, fun and loves Jesus, all of which is true of my wife. GS

Ancient Agora, Athens Greece — Ancient Agora, Athens

Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 15 (Ephesus)

The Theater, Ephesus — 2010 © Gregory Scott

My first reaction to Ephesus was one of surprise over the expanse of the ruins and the size of the city. The pictures I took don’t accurately show the size, nor do other pictures I’d seen before coming here.

Ephesus was the second largest city in the world in the 1^st century A.D. Only Rome was larger. The population of Ephesus at that time was about 250,000. Additionally, Ephesus was located on the Aegean Sea and was a busy port city. It was a New York City, Los Angeles, London of its day. It was no ordinary city.

The Apostle Paul chose to spend 3 years of his ministry here in Ephesus. When he got there he entered the synagogue and spent three months “reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 19:8). Paul was intent on taking the Gospel to the whole world and yet he ended up parking it here for three years.

John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, chose to live here, and he died here. This is a photograph of his tomb.

I believe Paul and John chose Ephesus because they were strategic. They chose one of the largest cities in the world with one of the busiest ports in the world because there the kingdom of God had the best opportunity for growth. More people, more opportunity for the Gospel to spread.

As you can see from the photograph, the theater is huge. It held 44,000 people. I’m not sure we have any hard evidence that John or Paul preached there (although I heard some tour guides saying that today), but I believe it is likely. Paul and John were evangelistic. Paul was always looking for a good crowd to which to preach the Gospel.

What I took away from my visit to Ephesus was an appreciation for how strategic God is. We over-spiritualize so many things. The flag of the kingdom of God was planted in an empire famous for building roads and establishing trade routes throughout the known world. Those roads and trade routes would become the means by which the Gospel would spread throughout the world.

The tomb the disciple John (author of the gospel and Revelation) in Ephesus was also a highlight. Justinian built a beautiful church around John’s tomb in the 6^th century. The church sits on the highest point in the area looking down over the ruins below of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Every time one looked down from the church in the 6^th century one would have been reminded of Christianity’s victory over paganism in the Roman Empire. It is still a reminder today that while paganism has seen its death, the kingdom of God continues to spread throughout the world as people continue to turn to and worship King Jesus. GS

View from Church of St. John to ruins of Temple of Artemis (lone column in distance)

Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 14 (On Cruising)

For most of my life, the idea of a going on a cruise was not appealing. My first cruise completely changed my opinion. We are now on our 5^th cruise. Here are some of the reasons for my about-face.

Cruising is the most relaxing way to see the world. A cruise offers you the benefit of returning to the same room every night. No packing and unpacking or dragging luggage through train terminals and airports. When I’m on vacation I want to relax. Acting as a part-time porter for two weeks is not my idea of fun.

Cruising usually allows you to see more major destinations on your vacation than traveling conventionally. On this cruise we have visited four different countries and eight cities.

There is usually a choice of excursions at each destination, and you don’t have to worry about how to get to the sites. You sign up for an excursion, are assigned to a guide who leads your group, speaks your language and answers your questions about the sites. Or, you can hire a private tour guide.

My biggest objection to cruising was the thought of the days at sea with nothing to do. I soon found my fear unwarranted. Most cruise ships are huge. The big ones have movie theaters, Broadway-type theaters, casinos, swimming pools, spas, fitness centers, jogging tracks, multiple bars, restaurants and shops. I’ll never forget the experience of looking down on Venice from 14 floors up as I ran around the track on the top deck. This morning I made my run while we were in the middle of the Aegean. Nothing but deep blue water on all sides for as far as the eye could see. Very cool.

And then there is the food and the service. You will usually have your choice of multiples restaurants ranging from a grille to a buffet and a five-star restaurant or two. Room service, at any time, night or day, is usually included in the cost of the rooms with balconies.

Lastly, if you are a learner like me, there is another reason to cruise. On every cruise I’ve been on, there has been a college professor who gave lectures on the history and culture of many of our destinations.

On a cruise to the Baltic we had the added bonus of a “port lecturer” named Frank, who would narrate in the lounge as we entered or left the port. Frank had such a broad range of knowledge and was so interesting we made it a point to always be there to hear him. Halfway through the cruise we dubbed ourselves “Frankophiles”, though we didn’t tell him that because we didn’t want him to think we were worshipping him or stalking him or anything weird like that.

Cruise Ship Theater — 2010 © Gregory Scott

Prices for cruises vary depending on the destination, the cruise line and the level of room you choose. I would recommend choosing a good reputable cruise line and-very important—a room with a balcony. One of our favorite things is to sit out on the balcony on a cruise, talking, sipping wine or reading the Bible. And besides, I imagine one could get a bit stir crazy in a room with just a porthole.

Tomorrow…Ephesus! GS

Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 13 (Volos)

Today we made our first stop in Greece. Volos, Greece. We didn’t stay there long but instead hopped on a bus early in the morning and headed 2 hours into the interior of Greece to a place called Meteora.

The Greek countryside, at least the part we saw, is abundantly populated with mountains separated by large flat plains, carved up into geometrically portioned plots that are cultivated with various crops. There is very little wasted land, though the people one would expect were necessary to work the land seemed scarce.

The absence of people living in the country surprised me because I thought, apparently wrongly, that a people with such a long and rich history of advanced civilization (3,000 years) would have densely populated the country by now. It was only later I learned the population of Greece is only about 11,000,000 and that one third live in Athens.

Meteora is a group of monasteries built precariously on the top of mountains. I don’t know whether to call them mountains or rocks because their odd shapes resemble large stone stakes driven into the ground. The monasteries are perched on top of them.

The pictures I took really do not do them justice; one can’t appreciate the height of the mountains or the precariousness of the structures on top of them. I’ve provided links to other photos that are actually better.

Photos inside the churches were not allowed, although some tourists took that more as a suggestion than a prohibition. I’d blame it on a language barrier except that a drawing of a camera with an X marked over it pretty much communicates the idea in any language.

In any event, I can only describe for you the ornate carvings and paintings that covered every square inch of the walls and ceilings. Of the churches we’ve seen on this trip, the paintings in these two basilicas (the basilicas at St. Stephen and St. Barbara) were unique in their emphasis on and graphic depiction of the fate of Christian martyrs.

The paintings portrayed torture, dismemberment and beheadings of Christians throughout history in a graphic, gory detail that leaves a clear imprint on one’s mind and imagination. I suspect this was the intent. I’ve always wondered why American clergy don’t remind their congregations more of the sacrifices of the martyrs. Their sacrifice has done more to advance the kingdom of God on earth than a multitude of sermons and teachings. GS

Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 12 (Bosphorus Strait)

Cruising Past Hagia Sophia — 2010 © Gregory Scott

This morning we reentered the Bosphorus at its northern-most point, where it meets the Black Sea. The rest of the day we cruised down the Bosphorus Strait, past Rumeli Castle, the Golden Horn and Istanbul, through the Sea of Marmara and into the Dardanelles. As the sun was setting, we entered the Aegean Sea.

The castles we passed at the entrance to the Bosphorus, as we neared Istanbul, and as we exited the Dardanelles whispered tales of past battles and sieges.

There is the tale of the Fourth Crusade, on its surface one of the most bizarre twists in history, where the Crusaders left home intending to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem and in 1204 A.D. conquered Christian Constantinople instead.

It started when the Crusaders were unable to pay the Venetians for ships Venetians built for the Crusader’s journey. To resolve their debt, the Crusaders agreed to help retake a city formerly held by the Venetians. That led to the Crusaders agreeing to help put recently deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelus back on the throne in Constantinople. In exchange the Crusaders were promised money and men to help fight the Muslims in Jerusalem, as well as an agreement to reunite the Eastern Church with Rome (under Papal authority).

Isaac and his son Alexius were reinstalled on the throne. However, when Alexius could not keep his promise to pay the Crusaders, they took Constantinople by force and ruled there from 1204 A.D. to 1261 A.D, when the Byzantines regained control of the city.

Then was the siege of Constantinople in 1453, when Mehmet II breached the walls, ending over 1,100 years of Byzantine rule and bringing the city under Muslim rule. The last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI, could have fled Constantinople before the siege. By that time, many had already left anticipating the arrival of the Ottoman Turks.

But Constantine stayed, and was last seen up on the walls fighting the Muslim invaders, where he presumably died. His choice of a courageous death over an expedient exit is a fitting symbol for the closing chapter of the great city of Constantinople.

By 1915, the Ottoman Turks still held the Bosphorus and the adjacent lands, though their empire was crumbling. The allied forces of Great Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand decided to attack the Turks at the Gallipoli peninsula (2nd photograph) in the Dardenelles in the hopes of taking control of the Bosphorus and opening up a route for the Russians to maneuver their navy out of the Black Sea.

The Gallipoli campaign was fought at a tremendous loss of life on both sides. It quickly devolved into trench warfare. In ten months of fighting, more than 100,000 men were killed and 200,000 were wounded. The allies, realizing the futility of the battle, eventually withdrew from the peninsula.

Though the Turks won the battle, they were on the losing side of the war, which delivered the deciding blow to the Ottoman Empire. One of the Turkish heroes of Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), would become the founder of Turkey and, in an attempt to break with the Ottoman past, move the capital to Ankara from Istanbul.

Sunset on the Aegean Sea — 2010 © Gregory Scott

I’m often surprised at the hawkishness of my Christian friends. Perhaps it’s just an American thing. But, if one of the promises of the kingdom of God is the end of war (Isaiah 2:4), I would think Christians should be slow to counsel war. I’m not arguing for pacifism. Pacifism is a naïve response to a fallen world.

And, when Christians are engaged in warfare, they should be known as the bravest among men, given the eternal benefits of Kingdom citizenship. I’m just suggesting that as citizens of the kingdom of God, perhaps we should be more often confused with pacifists than hawks. GS