Patmos and Ephesus

The wake-up call was early today. Dale and I ate with four senior ladies from the south. They leave their husbands every few months to go touring like this. One of them was a Mrs. Bradshaw. “She won’t tell you this,” one said, “but she is Terry Bradshaw’s mother!” She was 90+ but didn’t look a day over 80. If you don’t know who Terry Bradshaw is, forget it!) Disembark at 7:15. On bus #10 and off to the Grotto and Shrine of St. John.

There are but 3 towns on the island, home to 1000 people. Three grammar schools, one high school, and a theological seminary. So students go to Rhodes, Samos, or, more likely, Athens for university. Not much opportunity here besides tourism. They do have some agriculture and flocks of sheep or goats—but not numerous.

It rains here November through March. But no rain in summer, when tourism is highest. So they have tankers sailing in twice a week to supplement what water is caught in roof-run cisterns. Some day they’ll have desalinization, such as supplies this cruise ship with water you can drink safely.

St. John was exiled here as an old man, probably in his 80s, by Emperor Domitian. Exile meant one is stripped of all possessions and all rights and sent to slave labor in the stone quarries here.

Tradition has it that on the ship bringing John to Patmos a storm arose, sweeping overboard a young son of a traveler. John prayed immediately, and the boy was swept back into the ship. Several accepted the Gospel at once. It was typical in those times for people to be impressed with any Power that could produce results, be it pagan gods, sorcerers, soothsayers or whatever. (It reminds me of my evangelist friend, Dave Walker’s message, “What Has Your God Done for You Lately?”)

On shore the captain told the Roman official administering the island. He also believed and released John from his chains, giving him leave to live in a cave in relative freedom. Here John secured a scribe, Procopius, to whom he dictated his writings.

John had the appearance of Christ here, which terrified him, issuing in the Apocalypse, addressed to the churches of Asia Minor where he had been staying when arrested.

There is a church there on the slopes, next to a school. When we visited a service was in progress. A priest decked in embroidered and en-jeweled garments and mitre, splashed incense as the teacher and boys sang the liturgy. As you may know, Orthodox churches use no instruments—voice only. I circled twice to get more of the rich flavor.

It’s a long winding stone stairway—outdoors—to reach this little niche on the rock. We saw a flat stone where John would lay his head to rest and one he used to steady himself to rise up.

Contrary to what many think, John did not die here. After the assassination of Domitian, Emperor Nerva released many Christians. John then returned to Ephesus and died there—the only apostle to die a natural death at an age over 100. Some say 120. But most scholars settle on age 104. Life expectancy then was 45 to 55 years of age.

Bussing to the high point we were guided through the small church, with painted saints and bishops dating back many centuries in some cases.

At the very top there is “the best museum in the Aegean” displaying treasures such as the 3 kilo mitre wore on special occasions by the archbishop when he visits. (That is nearly 8 pounds of weight—a lot to have on your head for more than a short time!) There were also manuscripts, including pages from a Gospel of Mark made in about 490-520 AD. Another notable was a parchment portion of Revelation, 10th century.

One icon was a painting of Jesus (waist up) with a look of suffering that is quite moving. A young painter, Dimitrious Ephthalmousious (that’s what it sounded like to me) was rejected because his work showed too much emotion for the monks. They liked that “flat” style of iconography. Unable to find work anywhere in Greece, he emigrated to Italy and then to Spain. Spaniards could not master his name, so they referred to him as The Greek. Bingo! That’s why that icon had hands with really long fingers—El Greco!

As I write this in Dale’s and my cabin #4020 we are once again at sea, heading for Ephesus. When I get there I’ll be listening for what the Spirit has to say to the Church.

(Next day.)

“Save the best for last.” A good motto.

And that is just what happened this afternoon, Sunday, March 18, 2007.

The ruins of Ephesus lie inland about 3 miles from the shore. Yet in Paul’s’ time it was a port city. In 2000 years silt from the river has filled in a long flat plane that would make a fine airport if it were not for flooding in the rainy season. So the city is high and dry now.

Most of the ancient city was buried under 4 to 12 feet of soil until recently, It is still being excavated. A truly awesome scale here. A temple of Artemis stands on the highest ground. Then there’s an amphitheatre for the politicians, not far from their offices.

Aqueducts brought fresh water for this ancient city of 250,000—one of the largest of cities in Roman times, the largest being Alexandria (400,000) A system of clay pipes delivered water to the baths, where poor people from outside were required to bath in order to prevent the spread of disease. Houses had bathrooms with drains to a sewer system that brought wastewater to the sea.

A long avenue holds offices of professionals on either side, with gods on pedestals appropriate for the profession, whether lawyers, doctors, philosophers and so forth. Walking on marble steps that Paul and he early convert walked upon, we descend gradually to the hospital, indicated by the medical symbol of the ancient world with the two entwined snakes. Further down is a house built for Hadrian, with the head of Medusa on the keystone of the arch, guarding the house from evil.

Next is a junction where the great library stood, second only in size to that of Alexandria. All the scrolls have been lost to earthquakes and fire. It has four goddesses by the two entrances: wisdom (Sophia), destiny, ___, and knowledge (Epistemethe). An avenue heads north to the gymnasium (floors only), while the main avenue broadens to about 50 feet going to the Agora. This is about ten acres in size and would have had goods of all types from around the world. Our guide points out the corner where the synagogue is thought to have stood. Paul always preached in the synagogues first, before going to the Gentiles.

No wonder Paul spent several years here preaching in this vibrant metropolis, making many converts, whom he would later chastise for their wayward ways and factions. It may been the San Francisco of its time.

On a distant hill is a small fortress where Paul was imprisoned for his own safety during the great riot of the silversmiths, who saw their lucrative business going the way our buggy whip industry went after the switch to automobiles. He would be a prisoner most of the rest of his life, as we now know. Here was the beach where he said farewell to the church elders after the incident with Eutychus.

And to think that a few decades ago all this was under soil where goats and sheep were grazing for a thousand years. Ephesus was abandoned in the 10th century after earthquakes and other calamities sent the remaining inhabitants inland to the Christian Ephesus with a church built over the tomb of St. John.

And think of what one will see here a few years hence, when the 40% excavated becomes 70% or higher.

After a week following the footsteps of Paul one begins to feel and smell and look with new eyes—eyes that are old by two millennia.

The ancients were state of the art in their technology—much more advanced than I had thought. This was part of super-power culture of its time, yet Paul fearlessly brought the Gospel of Jesus to that world. Christian faith is fully up to challenging the power centers of any culture, ancient or modern.

To this short, balding, brilliant man I owe a great debt.

To Paul, the apostle to us Gentiles, we must say thank you.