Almost right next to the Terrace Houses is the library of Celsus where all the groups take their pictures. This library was not here in the first century when Paul was in Ephesus. Libraries in antiquity did not work like modern libraries. They were not lending libraries. You had to unroll and scroll and read it while you were there, and indeed all such reading was done out loud so libraries were noisy places. You could perhaps take notes if... Read more
We may thank the Austrian archaeological team for investing millions into the excavating of the houses of the uber-wealthy in Ephesus, and that includes a million dollar protective roof on the site. This is probably the most expensive dig ever in Turkey. And it reveals there were a goodly number of very wealthy persons living in their condos on top of condos right downtown in Ephesus. Even the street leading into this small section of town in front of the... Read more
THE BONDING A cold and listless season, And full of cheerless cheer, When hopes are raised and dashed again And joy dissolves in tears. The search for endless family The search for one true Friend Leaves questers tired, disconsolate With questions without end. Best find some potent pleasure quick Some superficial thrill Than search for everlasting love When none can fill that bill. So hide yourselves in shopping And eating ‘til you burst, Use endless... Read more
INCOGNITO He came in incognito, A thinly veiled disguise The not so subtle son of man, A human with God’s eyes. The messianic secret, Left many unawares A God had walked upon the earth And shared our human cares. We did not see his glory, At least not at first glimpse, It took an Easter wake up call, Before it all made sense. The truth of Incarnation, Of dwelling within flesh, Shows goodness in creation, And... Read more
This will be the last post on Turkey until after Christmas. Since Ephesus is one of the two or three largest tourist attractions in all of Turkey, there are vendors aplenty… some of them more honest than others…. And they say there’s no truth in advertising…. There are many many things to see at this site, which only exists outside of a city due to the earthquakes and the moving of the entire town as a result….. a map... Read more
Also usually missed by the normal tours is the important little museum of Ephesus, which we will now explore… On the front outside the museum we see small stone representations of gladiators…. And the usual beautiful flowers.. And giant sarcophagi too big to fit into a small museum… Inside the museum there are multiple statues of Artemis, who appears in various ways…. probably the items on her chest are breasts, but they could also be eggs…in either case they are... Read more
To paraphrase a famous phrase, human beings can’t live by archaeology alone. So, having reached the vicinity of Ephesus, we stopped at a fabulous Turkish country restaurant…. this sure beats American fast food in every way….. The Church of St. John the Divine is well worth seeing, though many cruise boat tourists only go to the ancient Ephesus site and miss it. But which John exactly are we talking about. In my view it is the man who identified himself... Read more
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