Biblical Archaeology Index

 

Class Twenty-Three

 

THE BUILDING OF THE CHURCH

 

 

 

Introduction

In the last section we discussed some of the early Christian churches along with the archaeological finds at those sites--Nazareth, Bethlehem, Cana, Capernaum, and the sites by the lake where Jesus had such a rich ministry.   This section will continue the focus on the beginnings of Christianity, primarily where the archaeology provides some information about the Church or the culture that characterized the ministry in that region.  The easiest way to organize the material is to start in Jerusalem, and then move to other cities in the land and eventually throughout Syria and Asia Minor.  Here especially we shall have to be brief, focusing on the most significant things for biblical studies--otherwise this becomes a study of the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine worlds.

 

Christian Sites in Old Jerusalem

 

The Pools of Bethesda and Siloam

Just inside St. Stephen’s Gate, or Lion’s Gate, there is the Church of St. Anne, the best preserved Crusader Church in Jerusalem.  It was built in 1140 A.D. over an old Byzantine Church to commemorate the birthplace of the Virgin Mary and her parents, Anne and Joachim.  The church became the possession of the French after the Crimean War in 1856.  And it is still a center for the White Friars.  The acoustics in the church are superb; not surprisingly groups of Christians love to sing here. 

In the courtyard of the church are the remains of the pools of Bethesda with their tradition of the healing waters (John 5:2-9).  Here Jesus healed the man without the help of the troubled waters.  The pools themselves are immense, including several deep and shallow pools.  The plaster is still in place on some of the walls, but very little of the buildings that covered the pools remains.    

 The Pool of Siloam is also the place of several biblical events, most notably Christ’s healing of the man born blind (John 9:1-41).  The water for the Feast of Tabernacles was drawn from this pool, so it probably formed the background to Jesus’ sermon in John 7:37.  But this site is in the Moslem Quarter and so nothing of a Christian center has been built by it or near it.   This pool is down at the bottom of the hill where the Kidron Valley meets the other valleys of Jerusalem, the Tryopean and the Valley of Gehenna.

The Kidron Valley divides Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  This is a long valley, extending some twenty miles from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. There are several remarkable tombs in the valley cut from the rock, some of which tradition has identified with Absalom, James, Zechariah, and others.  These traditions are difficult to evaluate; but the tombs may be those of priestly families.  On the left of the valley are the walls of the city that border the Temple area.  The southwest corner of this wall may very well be the “pinnacle of the Temple” which was the site of the second temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:5-7).  Others suggest the corner of the building itself inside the complex. 

 

“Mount Zion” of the Upper City 

Along the road from the area of Jaffa Gate through the Armenian Quarter and around the bend of the road lies Zion Gate which opens to the area where Hebrew Christianity began.  It has been called “Mount Zion,” but that is incorrect, for in biblical times Mount Zion was the temple mount. 

But in this area the followers of Jesus met for Passover with him, and here they remained waiting for the Holy Spirit.  Here the early “church” met to settle various matters, and in this area the Jerusalem Council took place. 

The early Church of Mount Zion was erected here in the Byzantine period, but destroyed by the Persians.  Remains of it were found under the Dormitian Abbey, an abbey marking the place where Mary went into her eternal sleep.  In the area there is a synagogue which claims to have the Tomb of David.  This tradition dates back to the 12^th century; but the tomb is believed to be elsewhere. 

Close by is the site of the Upper Room.  The room that exists today is part of the 12^th century crusader Church of Our Lady of Mount Zion, and so not the original room.  But the Upper Room had to be in this area; and this room as well as any affords the visitor the opportunity to reflect on that strange and powerful time when the Holy Spirit descended on those gathered together.  It transformed them from fearful followers of Jesus into bold apostles whose preaching turned the world around.

Down through the parking lot and across the main road is  the Church of Peter of Gallicantu (“cock crowing”).  It belongs to the Roman Catholic Assumptionist Fathers.  By Roman Catholic tradition this is the site of the home of Caiaphas and so the place where Jesus was taken when arrested in the garden.  There are first century steps from the valley up to the church, on which he may have been led up to the judgment (even if he was led elsewhere in the Upper City).  And in the lowest level of the basement of the church there are cells that no doubt were used for keeping prisoners.  However, as mentioned in class 21 the home of Caiaphas may have been further over in the Jewish Quarter, in the Herodian Quarters. 

But before leaving the area of the church, at the corner of the parking lot through the garden there is access to an overview of the city and valleys from a rooftop.  From this vantage point there is a good view to the right of the Valley of Gehenna, the area known as the valley of depravity.  It was the place where the rubbish of the city was burned.  But it was also an area where some of the kings and commoners burned their children (2 Chron. 28:3; 2 Chron. 33:6).  The valley provided a vivid illustration of the future place of judgment.  At the bottom of the valley is the location of Aceldama, the “field of blood” where Judas hung himself (Matt. 27:5-10; Acts 1:18,19).  There is now a monastery there to Saint Onuphrius (Greek Orthodox), a fourth century Egyptian hermit.  Only one or two monks occupy the place now.

 

The Garden of Gethsemane

The “Church of All Nations” occupies the site identified by Christians as the Garden of Gethsemane, and serves as a memorial to the agony and arrest of Jesus.  This church stands above the ruins of the Crusader Church, which is above the Byzantine church of the fourth century.  The Byzantine Church (385 A.D.) incorporated a large flat rock identified as the one on which Jesus prayed; the rock is situated right before the high altar and has kneelers and rails on three sides for people to pray in what may be all that is left of spot of the agony.  Jesus certainly could have prayed here since the location is within the garden.  Early pilgrims identified the rock as the place where Jesus fell down in agony and prayed before being betrayed by Judas. 

The Bible is not exact in its descriptions when it says he withdrew to the garden with his disciples, went a little farther to pray, and that this was about a stone's throw beyond them.  Jesus then returned to the disciples and was betrayed at that place.  So we should probably think of two places, the place he prayed (the Church of All nations) and the place he was betrayed (the grotto).  They are about 290 feet apart.  The grotto is down the hill a bit beside the church that is dedicated to Mary.  It was an olive garden, and so an olive oil press was here in the cave area (hence, “gath-shemen” or oil press.

The stained glass windows in the Church of All Nations are most impressive.  The designs are done in dark purples, greens and browns, all intended to give the impression of being in an olive garden at night.  Naturally, the sanctuary is darker than most.

Whether these are the exact spots for the events or not cannot be said with certainty; but the biblical places have to be found within an olive grove across the Kidron Valley in the lower regions of the Mount of Olives, and since the area is not very big, they would have to be pretty much here.

 

The Via Dolorosa

The modern Via Dolorosa, “The Way of Sorrows,” lays out a definite way that Jesus was supposed to have been led from the judgment hall to Calvary.  The Scripture gives us very little information about this way, and the archaeological work is very restricted because of the density of the occupation.  If Jesus was finally judged in the Antonia Fortress and then led to be crucified in what is now the area of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, then the general route was west and south.

Early pilgrims were looking for ways to commemorate the suffering of Jesus on his journey to the cross, primarily for their worship throughout the world, and so beginning in about 385 A.D. the so-called “stations of the cross” became very useful.  But we cannot count on the traditional route or the locations of the fourteen stations to give us accurate details of the route and the events in Jesus walk to Calvary. 

In fact, it may very well be that Jesus was led to Calvary from the other direction.  We know that he was arrested in the garden and taken around the valleys to the Sanhedrin that was meeting in the home of the High Priest early that morning.  This was surely over in what is today the Jewish Quarter, probably the Herodian villas.  He was then taken to Pilate and to Herod.  But where would that be?  The traditional view is that it was the Fortress over by the northwest corner of the temple.  But Luke says it was a “palace”; and Pilate, as well as Herod Antipas, would most certainly stay in a palace rather than a barracks. 

Right inside Jaffa Gate was Herod’s Palace.  It was apparently huge, but all that remains are three of the towers on the north corner.  The whole archaeological site has been turned into a Museum of the City of David, an excellent exhibit tracing the history of Jerusalem.  The main entrance to the towers as well as the museum is right across the street from Christ Church, the oldest Protestant Church in the Middle East. This was probably where Jesus was taken to be tried by Pilate.  And Herod may have even been staying in the same palace, making the trial before him easy.  There was also a Maccabean palace to the east of that a few hundred yards.  One of them could have been staying there as well.  After the trials the soldiers could have taken Jesus down by the fortress for the flogging and the mockery, and from there to Golgotha.

At any rate the Via Dolorosa remains spiritually valuable for Christians today to retrace the last events of Jesus’ suffering by means of this ancient way.  Like so many places in Israel, one cannot be absolutely sure of the exact spot where biblical events occurred; but to be there among all the things mentioned in the Bible brings the events to life in a vivid way.  The following are the stations of the cross and the churches that often accompany or house them (distinguishing which are mentioned in the Bible and which come from tradition): 

First Station: Judgment in the Praetorium (Antonia)

(in the courtyard of the Umariyah School)    

Second Station: Flagellation and Receiving the Cross

(Church of the Flagellation)      

Third Station: The First Fall (Tradition)

(Polish Catholic Church)

Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother (tradition)

(Armenian Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Spasms)

Fifth Station: Simon Takes the Cross

(Franciscan)

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes His Face (Tradition)

(Church of Saint Veronica; Latin Vera icone, “two likenesses”)

Seventh Station: The Second Fall (Tradition)

(Originally a Coptic Church)

Eighth Station: Weeping over the Daughters of Jerusalem

(Chapel of Saint Charalampos; small cross in the wall of the convent))

Ninth Station: The Third Fall (Tradition)

(At the Ethiopian Coptic Church)

Tenth Station: Garments Stripped

(Altar of Nails of the Cross in the Church)

Eleventh Station: Crucified

(Altar of Stabat Mater in the Church)

Twelfth Station: Setting of the Cross in Place

(Altar of Crucifixion in the Church)

Thirteenth Station: The Body Removed

(Slab called Stone of Unction)  

Fourteenth Station: Jesus Laid in the Sepulcher 

(Covered by a large two tomb in the church)

 

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

It stands to reason that the place to which most pilgrims would be drawn would be the place of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Of the many churches built to commemorate the events surrounding the passion of Jesus, none is as important as the church now known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (named by the Moslems), but originally called the Church of the Resurrection (by the Christians).

For many Christians the present structure seems a rather dark and foreboding place; and it is hard to picture how the crucifixion could have occurred here, and where the burial took place.  That is because the site has undergone so many changes over the centuries, which it would not have had if it were not the most likely location for that holy place.  Many Christians visit this church and simply use the present structure with its commemorative symbols to reflect on the events of the Gospel.  But it is also possible to study the data more closely to see that although very little in this place goes back to the actual events, the place itself is most likely the site of the death and the burial of our Lord.  

The current building is essentially a Crusader church.  The earlier Byzantine church was destroyed under the Caliph Hakim in 1009, a desecration that gave rise to the Crusades.  The next caliph gave the Christians the right to rebuild the shrine over the tomb and a chapel on what was believed to be Golgotha.  But when the Crusaders seized Jerusalem in 1099 they built a church to enclose both.  The church was called the Church the Holy Sepulcher; but the Byzantine name had been Anastasis, “Resurrection.”

Archaeological Evidence.  Excavations have clearly shown that this location was outside the walls of Jerusalem until the third wall of the city was built by Agrippa II and expanded by Hadrian after the death of Jesus.  This is important for it to fit the biblical accounts.  Ever since Agrippa the area is inside the walls--but the early Christians knew it was the spot in spite of that. 

The excavations also have shown that this place was a former stone quarry that was later used for tombs when no longer a quarry.  (Romans preferred to crucify in such places, for it was easier to stand up a cross there than to have to dig a hole). The excavations discovered a 35 foot high mound of gray rock containing two small caves that might have given the appearance of a skull.  This hill would have been just outside the wall in a corner where the wall formed an angle.  In the church today, up in a balcony by the entrance, one can see parts of the rocky hill under an altar built by the Orthodox to commemorate the crucifixion. 

The so-called hill of Calvary was the result of the stone-cutters working around a flaw in the stone, leaving a formation that looked like a skull (Hebrew gulgolet, “Golgotha”).  It is important, however, to note that Scripture does not say it looked like a skull, but that it was simply called “the place of a skull.”  It could have been named because of the skulls of people crucified and scattered there. 

Another result of the archaeological work is the discovery of tombs off the southeast side of the rotunda.  Opposite some ancient masonry work are two ancient kokim graves (the type made by a horizontal shaft cut straight back into the rock).  These are traditionally known as the family tomb of Nicodemus.  While the traditional naming cannot be authenticated, it is clear that these are ancient tombs of the type that would have been used.  Moreover, Jewish tombs would not have been located inside the city walls--again, this spot was at one time outside the city.  

So the archaeological evidence points to this as the probable place:  (1) It was outside the city walls, (2) the church has a large rock within it that was high enough to be a hill, and that rock was quarried, and (3) ancient tombs have been found and can be seen within the church itself.  Recall that John's Gospel makes it clear that the tomb was in the same place as the site of the crucifixion; and so one large church could preserve both spots.

The Support of Tradition.  When the Byzantine Christians built their church to commemorate the place Jesus died and was buried, they built it within the walls of Jerusalem of their day, even though the Bible states that he died outside the walls.  The witness for the location was so strong that it pulled them to this place even though it seemed to contradict the witness of Scripture. 

The traditional witness that this was the spot was ancient.  The Jewish Christians who fled to Pella certainly retained the memory of the spot; and the Gentile Christians who lived here would not have forgotten it.  Jerome records that in Jerusalem from the time of Hadrian to Constantine the place of the resurrection was occupied by a statue of Jupiter, and the place of the crucifixion by a marble statue of Venus (Letter 58 to Paulinus, A.D. 395).  Eusebius said that Hadrian covered the area of the tomb with earth, laid down a pavement, and built his temple on it (Life of Constantine 3.26, A.D. 337).  So whatever garden that had existed by the hill was by Hadrian’s time deep under ground.  Eusebius also says that when Constantine had the Venus structure removed he came upon the tomb.  He then had a basilica built over it.  Besides Jerome and Eusebius several others have written to this effect.

We can trace step by step what must have occurred in order to understand the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  First, there was a rock quarry on the hillside outside the walls where Jesus was crucified, and not far from it a garden where there were tombs. 

Second, in 135 or thereabouts Hadrian filled in the whole area between the hill and the tomb to make a level platform on which he built a temple to Venus in order to prevent the Christians from venerating the place. The hill and the garden were concealed, but remembered by Christians. 

Third, in 330 or so the Byzantines under Constantine removed enough of this fill to reveal the tomb for pilgrims, but retained what was needed for a level foundation for the church.  The rock around the tomb was all taken away so that the large church could enclose both the tomb and the hill of calvary.

So today in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher one has to imagine all this construction and arrangement to understand why the things are where they are.  The tomb is under the huge rotunda, as it would have been in the church Constantine built.  This particular tomb is not the original one—that one, unfortunately, was taken away over the centuries by pilgrims.  Parts of the original rock may very well be still by its foundation, or in the shrine around behind it.  The place called Golgotha can only observed through openings under the altar in the balcony up and below that on the ground floor. 

The size of this rock quarry can be seen from the area down below the main church, down in the cave at the end of the church, in the area where Helena found some of the cross.  All of this may seem at first unsatisfying, and even offensive, to some modern Christians.  But one evidence of its authenticity is the religious clutter and at times confusion in the place.  All of this attests to centuries of pilgrims coming here and marking the place with their signs and symbols.

The pre-Constantinian Christian community had preserved the memory of the location.  So Hadrian’s temple was torn down in 326 by Constantine (or his mother).  It was the bishop of Jerusalem, Makairos, who identified one of the tombs as that of Jesus.  And Constantine’s church, built to honor the site, was dedicated in 335. 

Eusebius described the church Constantine built in great detail.  It had two buildings connected by a great courtyard.  One building was the basilica for the assembly; and the other was a building carved out of the limestone to enclose the tomb.  Entrance into the church was through a triple doorway that led from the Cardo Maximus, the main road, into an atrium.  Then, three doors opened into the basilica.  This basilica had five naves formed by four rows of columns.  And there was one apse with twelve columns.  The floor was mosaic, the facade covered with marble, and the rest of the building made of polished limestone to resemble marble.  The tomb was enclosed in the other building, a circular area 48 meters in circumference.  The dome over it was supported by 12 columns.

The Byzantine Christians saw this as witness to the triumph of the resurrection, and so they called it the Church of the Resurrection.

The church was damaged by the Persians who invaded in 614.  But Modestus, the patriarch of Jerusalem, built another in 626.  His was a larger church with an enclosed atrium connecting the church and the tomb.  Even though this building remained for 300 years, there is little that remains of it today either.  Our knowledge of it comes from the description of Arculf the pilgrim.

On October 18, 1009, anti-Christian fanaticism begun by the Caliph Hakim (who was mad) brought the destruction of the church and the obliteration of the tomb.  Only portions of the rotunda over the tomb survived.

The rotunda was restored in the eleventh century.   It was dedicated July 15, 1149.  The Crusaders kept the building over the tomb intact while trying to rebuild the church to the pattern of Constantine.  The church today is essentially this church; the dome, however, has been rebuilt several times, the present one being 100 years old.

One might have wished for a scene of a “green hill” outside the walls of Jerusalem; but the fact that this is the most important shrine of the faith ensured that it could never have been left untouched, not by pilgrims or pagans.  For an opportunity to reflect on the resurrection one can always look inside the tomb under the dome.  But a more authentic setting would be the tomb in the chamber behind the rotunda.  This is a first century tomb.  But here again one must visualize a garden near the stone quarry in which tombs would have been cut into the rocks on the hillside.  Nothing of this remains here, of course.

Gordon’s Calvary

There is another location that has been put forward as the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb.  This spot fits what everyone is looking for in the garden tomb when they come to Jerusalem—a hill that looks like a skull, a garden, and a tomb with a stone.  And the location is satisfactory in that it would have been outside the walls.  The setting also is a rock quarry beside a roadway for passers-by to see.  It was in 1867 that the British General Charles G. Gordon found the tomb with a stone that rolls to the side.

The difficulty is that the garden tomb in no way matches the architecture of tombs from the first century A.D.  It is in fact an Iron Age II tomb (part of a complex found on the grounds of the Ecole Biblique) that was used in Old Testament times (and so not a new tomb in the days of Jesus), and then re-used in the later Byzantine period.  When it was discovered there were Byzantine crosses on the wall of the chamber.  Other Byzantine tombs were found in the area.  Since it was an earlier Iron Age tomb it could not have been the one in which Jesus was laid, for the John 19:41 makes it clear that it was a new tomb in which no one had ever been placed.

Nonetheless, the meaning is far more important than the finding of the exact location.  And the people who are in charge of the Garden Tomb have an excellent witness to visitors to the holy land, reminding them that wherever the tomb might be, it is surely empty, because Jesus rose from the dead.  This is a favorite place for Christians to worship, in their own groups and at their own times throughout the week, or on Sunday in a service that is directed by the folks who manage the place. 

 

The Mount of Olives

East of the old city across the Kidron Valley is the Mount, or the mountains called Olives (Olivet). It was once very heavily wooded with olive trees providing oil for the Temple.  Its summit is 240 feet above the city, giving a wonderful overview of the sanctuary area and the old city behind it.  

In addition to all the events in the biblical history that occurred on the Mount of Olives, the ascension took place from the summit (Acts 1:6-12), and according to the Bible Christ will return to the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:1-5).  Several churches line the summit: the Church of the Ascension (Russian Orthodox), now a monastery; the Dome of the Ascension, originally a Byzantine and Crusader church but now a mosque; the Pater Noster Carmelite Sisters Convent that contains the Lord’s Prayer in eighty-two languages; and down the slope on the west side the Basilica of Dominus Flevit, a Franciscan church where Jesus wept; and the Church of Mary Magdalene (Russian Orthodox), marking where Jesus prayed in the garden. Of course, at the bottom is the Church of All Nations.

On the eastern side of the Mount of Olives down below is the village of Bethany, the home of Mary and Martha.  There is a church commemorating the raising of Lazarus, and a tomb that very well could be Lazarus’ tomb.  The entrance down to it is more recent, of course.  Nearing the summit of Olives is the little village of Bethpage, “house of figs.”  The church there commemorates Jesus’ riding on the donkey over the hill and into Jerusalem at the triumphal entry.  In the fields down behind the church there are a couple of authentic, unadorned, first-century tombs.  If the visitor wants to see what such a garden tomb would have looked like in Jesus’ day, this may be the best place to do it.

The Israel Museum.  West of the Old City by a few miles is the Knesset, the Israeli government, and the Israel Museum.  There is much to see in any museum, but this one in particular has an excellent presentation of the biblical discoveries.  Starting from the top of the hill, the display leads you from early pre-historical material down to modern times.  Some of the things to note particularly are: the display of flint knives and tools, the collection of copper-bronze objects from the Chalcolithic period, the presentation of the materials from Arad in the desert, a good display of Canaanite jewelry and religious objects in a balcony area, wall relief of the Assyrian destruction of Lachish,  the hall of writing with displays of early Hebrew writing from the biblical period, ossuaries and sarcophagi, especially that of Caiaphas, Moses’ seat from the synagogue in Chorazin, the Pontius Pilate inscription, the House of David inscription from Dan, and a wide range of glass and pottery items from ancient Israel.  Downstairs there is material from Egypt, Babylon, Persia and other regions.  Several excellent examples of cuneiform writing from kings and lawgivers, as well as bas reliefs from temples showing ancient mythological motifs.  Throughout this museum a good guide or guide book would be most helpful.  Then, across the central walkway is the Shrine of the Book.  Here is the display of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Before leaving the area one might also consider visiting the Bible Lands Museum across the street.  This is a private collection; but it has some of the best examples of seals you will see--these were the ID cards of the ancient world, small inscribed tubes that could be rolled out on the clay to leave the identification.

The Holy Land Hotel has a marvelous scale model of the old city in the first century.  Some of its details need to be modified, but overall it will give a clearer picture of what Jerusalem was like in the days of Jesus.  It is a large model, put together brick by brick.  And so a good hour or so could be spent here studying what the Temple looked like, or Herod’s palace, or the city walls by Calvary.

 

Observations

 

The impact of Jerusalem is very powerful on those who come here with any knowledge of the faith.  It would be impossible in a short visit of several days to take in all that is here, let alone even see it all.  The events that have occurred here and the ideas presented here have shaped the human race.  This is the ancient seat of Melchizedek, the friend of Abraham.  This is ancient Moriah.  It is the City of David, and of Solomon, and all the kings of Judah, the Hezekiahs and Josiahs with their reforms.  It is the home of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Habakkuk and Zachariah, Haggai, and Malachi.  It is where Ezra and Nehemiah came to rebuild and to restore.

And it is the focus of the ministry of Jesus the Messiah, his teaching and his mighty works in the Temple and in the areas surrounding the city, his Last Supper in the Upper Room, and most notably his crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

And it was here that the Church began when the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to empower the disciples to preach the Gospel.  Here the Council met and heard how the Gospel had gone to the Gentiles.  And down through the centuries this city has attracted believers of every order and persuasion, many of them remaining to build churches and monuments to the events that occurred in this little area.  While it is a troubled city, always living under the threat of war and dissension, to the pilgrims it is a holy city, for God chose this place to accomplish our salvation.

Today the city of Jerusalem is at the heart of the settlement negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  Whose city is it, historically?  It has been conquered some thirty times over the centuries.  It has been the possession of the Jebusites, the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Babylonians, the Persians, Greeks, the Jews again, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Arabs again, the Turks, the British by mandate, the Jordanians, and now the Israelis.  Some of the Jewish people believe strongly that this is the fulfillment of that promise and it is their destiny to have it.  Other Jewish people do not think the promises will be realized until Messiah comes.  The Palestinians, of course, claim it by virtue of their presence in the land. It looks like only the second coming of Jesus the Messiah will sort this one out, as indeed he predicted.  

 

 

 

Joppa

The Ancient Sea Port of Israel

 

The city of Joppa, or Jaffa,^[1] is located just at the southern end of the modern city of Tel Aviv.  It was built on a little hill that juts out from the coast; at the foot of the hill was the port that was protected by the rock pilings.  The setting is extremely beautiful (the name Yapho means “beautiful”); it has become a popular place for visitors because of the many restaurants, shops, museums and galleries that are located in the area and along the shore.

 

Historical Overview

The city of Joppa/Jaffa in the Old Testament was Israel’s main Mediterranean port between Egypt and Haifa north of Mount Carmel.  But it was never a very useful port because it lacked a breakwater.  The longshoremen had to dock the boats safely through the rough surf. 

But the city is very ancient; it is mentioned in the lists of Thutmose III at Karnak (15^th century B.C.), in the Amarna letters (14^th century), and in the Assyrian records (as Yafu) a number of centuries later.  It is first mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 19:46 at the time of the conquest and land allotments; it was given to Dan.

Just before the Maccabean rebellion in 167 B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes came to plunder Jerusalem, he drowned 200 Jews at Ashdod.  It was burned by Judas Maccabee in 163 B.C. for this crime; but Jonathan and Simon took the city again in 147.  The city then remained staunchly Jewish through the Maccabean and Herodian periods, right up to the time of the Roman conqueror Vespasian.  Such a strict Jewish environment was the perfect place for Peter’s vision.  At the time that Peter was there, however, the city had lost its importance as a port, for Herod had built Caesarea up the coast—with excellent breakwaters.  Caesarea  now was the chief harbor and the capital of the Roman province of Judea.

In more recent history, Napoleon took the city in 1799 and slaughtered 2,000 prisoners (Arabs and Jews).  The regiment that was responsible for this caught the plague of leprosy, and all but seven of them died.

 

Archaeology

The archaeological work was done in Jaffa between 1955 and 1966.  The excavators found the remains of an Egyptian fort that was mentioned on an Egyptian papyrus.  There was also found a gate to the fort that had the titles of Ramses II.  The archaeologists found material from the Philistine destruction of the twelfth century, a Sidonian fort from the fifth century, and evidence of the destruction by Vespasian in 70 A.D.  A small archaeological museum has been built underneath the central plaza of the old town of Jaffa.

There are a couple of traditional locations to visit; if they cannot be absolutely authenticated, they at least afford the opportunity to recall the biblical events.  One is Saint Peter’s Church which claims Tabitha’s tomb and preserves the memory of the miracle.  And the other is the house of Simon the Tanner.

 

Biblical Observations

The ancient city of Joppa is important for biblical studies of both Testaments because of a couple of significant events that took place here.  In the Old Testament we know that King Solomon had wood shipped from Tyre down the coast to this port so that it could be hauled inland to Jerusalem for the building of the Temple (2 Chron. 2:16; see also Ezra 3:7 for the building of the second Temple). 

But better known to most Bible readers is the account of the prophet Jonah.  When he received the call of God to go to Nineveh, he went to Joppa instead where he found a boat sailing for Tarshish—the opposite direction, because Tarshish was probably Crete.

 

Antioch

 

Where Believers Were First Called Christians

 

The city of Antioch, now called Antakya (ahn-TAHK-yah), is situated on the lower course of the Orontes River at the northern end of the Palestinian litoral.  The city, which was one of the four largest cities in the Roman Empire, was surrounded by mountains, and although twelve miles from the coast had access to the port by the Orontes River.  It drew its water from mountain springs.  Today it is still more Arabic in its culture and language.

The Church in Jerusalem had never spread in missionary endeavor apart from its own immediate area, except when persecution scattered it (Acts 8:1-4).  Refugees from the persecution fled to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and of course Antioch.  The Syrian capital and metropolis became the true mother of the churches of Asia and Europe, moreso than Jerusalem.  At first the Gospel was preached to the Jews who were here, but when it was opened to Gentiles, the Church grew in amazing numbers.  The new church immediately assumed missionary responsibility, and commissioned people to take the news to other places.  Among the talented prophets and teachers were Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaean the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and of course Saul (Acts 11:25, 26; 13:1).  Teaching, fasting, and prayer were among the church’s duties here.  The spiritual vitality of the church in Antioch is attested by the theological language that describes their missionary work: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work unto which I have called them” (13:2).

 

Historical Background

Antioch was in Paul’s day the third largest city in the empire, behind Rome and Alexandria.  The beautiful city was situated in a magnificent setting in a valley on the banks of the river at the foot of Mt. Silpius.  The Lebanon chain of mountains runs northward, and the Taurus range southward.  The whole area is one panorama.

Alexander’s chief in command, Seleucus Nicanor I, founded the city in 301 B.C. on the site of an altar that Alexander the Great had made for Zeus.  Tradition was that the deity had chosen the place through an oracle.  Seleucus named it after his father Antiochus, although some suggest it was named after his son Antiochus I Soter.  Since this man built fifteen other cities with the same name, this one came to be known as Antioch by Daphne, referring to one of its famous suburbs.  This became the Seleucid empire’s western capital and remained a center of government for 250 years.  Each of the four main areas were added by kings, Antiochus I adding a second sector on the east, Seleucus II (246-226) added a third area on the island, and Antiochus IV Epiphanes (174-164) built a fourth section on Mount Silpius.  It was this latter king, you may recall, who caused so much grief in Palestine that the Jews revolted and overthrew his rule over them to establish the Hasmonean or Maccabean kingdom.

In 83 B.C. the city came under the control of Armenia, but twenty years later Rome assumed control.

It was a unique city, a Macedonian city.  The soldiers of Alexander who settled here had been commanded to round up women for a mass marriage in Susa; this contributed to making the west orientalized as much as the east was Hellenized.  Very soon it had a population of a half a million people.

Under Roman rule of Pompey in 64 B.C. a new era of development began.  The empire aided in restoring earthquake damaged buildings.  Julius Caesar in 47 granted the city internal autonomy.  Augustus added further adornments to the city, and made his son-in-law Agrippa governor of the province with the capital in Antioch. He built a sumptuous public bath called Agrippianon.  Herod the Great gave the town a colonnaded street and a paved highway to Daphne.  Tiberius also constructed marble-paved roads running through the southern sector.  But perhaps the most amazing feature of the city was its distinction of being the only ancient city that had a regular system of street lighting.  Jerome refers to this in his Dialogue Against the Luciferians.

In the days of the apostle Paul Antioch was the capital of the Roman province of Syria.  The city had colonnades, paved streets, street lights, temples, baths, and the circus, which was the greatest in the Roman empire. The city would also have had an Agora, where Paul reasoned with the crowds about the faith.   The view from Mt. Silpius with the Acropolis to the east, Caesar’s baths to the west, and the large theater to the north, must have been inspiring even for the apostle.  Here Paul devoted much attention to the evangelism. People in the city spoke Syriac, Greek, Phoenician, Persian, Aramaic, and Latin.  All religions from the East and from the West were practiced here.

But the city suffered from frequent earthquakes and conquests.

The city very quickly became a center for Christianity.  Paul was sent from Antioch on his journeys into Asia Minor, even though Jerusalem remained the historic center of the faith.  Believers were first called Christians in this city.  And, it is estimated, that by the end of the first century there were fifty thousand believers in this location.  The first Christian Church independent of a synagogue was founded in Antioch.

In 526 there was a huge earthquake in the area (in the days of Justinian); it may have taken tens if not hundreds of thousands of lives.

When the Moslems took over these lands, they were tolerant towards the Christians — until the troubles increased that led to the crusades. 

 

Daphne and Antioch’s Moral Climate

The city had become a mecca for people from east and west, and along with the flood of people the undesirable features of both the Orient and the Occident were brought.  The material prosperity and the complexion of the population led to affluent living and moral degeneracy. 

Chrysostom says the population of the citizenry (demos) was 200,000.  If his term demos did not include slaves, women and children, then the population in 300 A.D. was closer to 500,000 or even more.  This alone would have been a sufficient challenge for the Church; but the city was also know for its enjoyment of living and its vice.  The pleasure gardens and parks of the suburb of Daphne became the symbol of the depravity of Antioch.  This place was on a plateau some 300 feet higher than the city; it was filled with villas, groves, temples, and a theater overlooking the valley.  Ancient and modern writers have depicted both the beauty and the debauchery of Antioch’s suburb.

It is amazing that the Gospel drew out of this population such a large and vital church.  The power of the Gospel was able to transform multitudes who were probably weary of the moral corruption and the inanity of the pagan cults.  The power of the Gospel here in this strategic center made it the birthplace of foreign missions.

The substantial Jewish population diminished when the Church began to grow here, for there is much less opposition from the Jews here than elsewhere.  The Greeks naturally disliked the Jews for their rigid monotheism and separation, but also because of the Maccabean War against Hellenism.  A further uprising of the Jews in the city in 39 A.D. further reduced their influence.  Some kind of quarrel ensued that led to many Jews being killed and the synagogue destroyed.  A detachment of Jews under Phinehas of Tiberias invaded and terrorized the city.  Caligula put it down convincingly.  There was a providential side to this unfortunate incident — the Church was freed from Jewish opposition and infiltration of legalism to pursue its missionary goals.

 

Important Sites

Not many pilgrims come to Antioch, modern Antakiyeh, for a number of reasons. The modern city is only a fraction of what the city was in size and in population.  But the ruins have been open to archaeological investigation, although there is not a whole lot to see of the ancient city.  You can see a Roman bridge built under the reign of Diocletian, an aqueduct, numerous baths, a stadium, the old city walls, several villas,  Arab-style mosques (different from Turkish), and the museum.  On the edge of town is the Senpiyer Silisesi, the Church of St Peter.  In the grotto the tradition is that Peter preached.

Of all the material remains of the early century the most striking are the floor mosaics from the time of the apostles to the sixth century.  Several of them reflect the cult of Isis, one in particular depicts the “Voluntary Death,” the climax of the initiation into the sacred mysteries.   Another mosaic celebrates the resumption of navigation in the spring when the image of the goddess was transported to the seaside.

 

Damascus

 

The Oldest Continuously Occupied City in the World

 

Another very important location in Syria for the study of the spread of the Church is, of course, Damascus.  Damascus is an ancient city; people have lived here for some six thousand years at least.  It is the capital of the modern state of Syria; it was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Syria.  It was a perennial enemy of Jerusalem; and yet its people are the closest relatives of the Jews.  There is much that can be learned from a study of the city of Damascus.

In the Old Testament we first come across the name in Genesis 15, for Abram’s servant was the Damascene Eliezer.   Abram must have acquired him when he passed through Damascus on his way to the promised land of Canaan.  The people who lived in the region were called Aramaeans, descendants of Aram, who is mentioned in the genealogy of Genesis 10 as a close relative of the ancestor of the Hebrews.  In later biblical tradition, Uncle Laban is identified as an Aramaean (KJV says Syrian), from Padan Aram; he and Jacob needed a border treaty to keep them apart, for they were too much alike and would have gone on destroying each other.  Aram is the area of the ancestors, for all the names of the places there are reflected on the genealogy of Genesis 11.  Scripture identifies father Abraham as a “wandering Aramaean.”

But in the time of the kingdom the Israelites fought against the Aramaeans of Damascus constantly.  David, even though one of his wives was Aramaean, fought against them on his borders.  During the divided monarchy, wars with Ben Hadad or Hazael are commonplace in the records of Kings.  At times Damascus allied with Samaria against Jerusalem, as in the case of Isaiah 7 when the prophet announced the Messianic promise — and the doom of Israel and Aram. 

At the time of Saul’s conversion and escape from the city, Damascus ,may have been under Nabataean rule, for the governor of King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes (2 Cor. 11:32).

 

Pella

A Refuge for Early Christians

 

On the eastern side of the Jordan River in the Kingdom of Jordan, about seven miles southeast of Beth Shean, is the city of Pella, known today as Fahl in Arabic.  This was an important city from the old Canaanite period down to the Middle Ages; but our main interest in it comes from the time of the Christian settlement. 

 

Historical Overview

The city is first  mentioned  in  the  Egyptian  Execration  Texts  of  the nineteenth century B.C.  It then is referred to in other Egyptian administrative and military texts from the 15^th and 14^th centuries B.C.  There is a letter in the collection from Amarna (Tell el Amarna Letters) that identifies one Mot-Baal as the king of Pella, and indicates that his territory bordered on Hazor, over and to the north of Galilee.  This would make it a rather large Canaanite “city-state.”  The reason that it flourished, according to Eusebius (Onomostica), is that it was situated on the main road from Beth Shean to Gerasa.

Pella is not mentioned in the Bible at all.  The name Pella seems to have been given to the ancient site in honor of  Pella in Macedonia, the birthplace of Alexander the Great.

Closer to New Testament times, we know that the place was captured by the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus in 80 B.C.   But in 63 B.C. when Rome re-organized the country Pella was detached from the territory of Judea and became part of the newly formed “Decapolis” (along with Beth Shean), the loose federation of  ten Graeco-Roman cities.  We know from the Gospels that Jesus ministered through all the Decapolis, and so it is likely that he came here, or to this region.

Eusebius tells us that many of the Jewish Christians who escaped from Jerusalem when it was destroyed in 70 A.D. fled to Pella (Ecclesiastical History, 3, 5, 3-4).  It then became quite a center for Christianity, so that in the Byzantine period there were several important bishops located here.

 

Archaeology

The rectangular-shaped city is on a mound some thirty-one meters high.   It covers an area measuring three hundred by two hundred meters.  The city was surrounded by a formidable wall; the north wall towers over the Jordan Valley, and the south over Wadi Jirm, where the famous springs of water are located.

At the location the archaeologists have uncovered both Roman remains such as the theater, and Christian remains such as churches and basilica.  There are numerous graves in the hills around the city; and there are also caves that were apparently used by hermits in the Christian period.

One of the more interesting finds was the tri-apsidal church foundations with its long nave that dates from about 530-610 A.D., or in the time the emperor Justinian I.  The church was ruined with a violent destruction around 610, the time of the great Persian invasion of the land.  It was rebuilt a number of times, but never apparently with the quality of the original.

There was a sarcophagus in a vault under the northeast corner of the sanctuary that dates from the first or second century, judging from the decoration with leaves, tendrils, and grapes.  This area in Byzantine churches came to be known as the martyr’s chapel.  Examination of the bones in the sepulcher gave a date in the seventh century, which would mean that there was a later, secondary interment in the old sarcophagus.  The sarcophagus itself may very well have been for a venerated ancestor, one of the Jewish Christians who fled from Jerusalem in 66 A.D.

 

Biblical Observations

 

 

Tarsus

The Home of Saint Paul

 

Tarsus was an outstanding city in the time of the apostle Paul, or Saul as he was called in his early years, a university town, a town once governed by Cicero, and the honeymoon choice of Antony and Cleopatra.  So it was beautiful, intellectual, and historical.  The industry of the city was primary in wool, given by goats from the Taurus Mountains.  They also made tents.

The town was also strategically located on the highways on land as well as near the seaway travel.  The city was ten miles from the sea on the Cydnus River, but the river branched out to form a lake, which was a natural harbor.  The city had a prosperous maritime commerce to go with its land trades.

 

Historical Overview

The place was very early inhabited.   The town is mentioned on the Black Obelisk as a conquest of the Assyrian conqueror Shalmaneser in the ninth century B.C.  Persia ruled the city through satraps.  In Xenophon’s day, the fourth cen tury, the city was flourishing and famous.  Alexander the Great turned this formerly Oriental city into a Greek one.  The Greek influence was fostered under the Seleucid empire.  Antiochus Epiphanes in 170 made the city autonomous Greek town and settled a colony of Jews there to stimulate business.

In 64 B.C. Pompey made it the capital of Cilicia, a province.  Marc Antony made it a free city and decreed full citizenship on all the Tarsians, and Saul’s family received this important benefit which stood the apostle in good stead later in his career (Acts 22:28-30).  Augustus confirmed these rights.  The people were proud of this.  Paul himself would say, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city” (Acts 21:39).

 

Lystra and Derbe

 

Lystra and Derbe were two important cities in the Roman province of Galatia; later when Paul addressed the Galatian churches (Gal. 1:2), he was addressing these places along with Antioch and Iconium.^[1]  The Roman province was named from the smaller northern district of Galatia which it included, which in turn took its name from the Gallic tribes which settled there in the third century B.C.  When the last Galatian king died, Rome made the area a province.

 

Archaeology of Lystra

The location of Lystra was identified in 1885 with the discovery of ruins near the modern town of Katyn Serai, about twenty-one miles southwest of Iconium. This identification was made certain by the discovery of the inscribed Roman altar, still in its original position.  The altar, three and a half feet high and a foot thick, had the name Lustra, explaining that it had become a Roman colony under Augustus.

When it became a Roman colony Lystra flourished.  As a colony it required a Roman road to connect it with other coloniae.  This road was made primarily for military purposes, but served commercial purposes as well since it passed Iconium.  But Lystra was not a commercial center.  This city had very few Jews, and certainly no synagogue.

As a result of the ministry of healing, the native Lycaonians (not Greeks or Romans; see Acts 14) thought Paul and Barnabas were gods visiting them, “Hermes” and “Zeus” respectively.

That this fits the local native religious cult has been documented from other sources as well.  Ovid’s well known tale, located in nearby Phrygia, names the same two deities.  One inscription found in the vicinity lists several “priests of Zeus.” Another inscription tells how two worshipers at the local cult made a statue of Hermes Most Great and dedicated it to Zeus the sun-god. 

The arrival of persecuting Jews from Antioch and Iconium and the stoning of Paul by the people shows how uneducated and superstitious the people were.  They and they religious ideas were distinct from the educated Greek and Roman society of the colony.

On his second missionary journey Paul and Silas came over land to Derbe, where he received a warm welcome, and Lystra.  In Lystra Paul invited the young Timothy, who had been converted on the first journey, together with his mother and grand-mother (2 Tim. 1:5), to join his evangelistic trip.  Timothy had already distinguished himself as a witness to the Christian faith (Acts 16:2).  Because of the Jews who were in the region, Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3); this was not a denial of what Paul taught, but a practical act to preserve peace and harmony.  It was something that was permissible because of tradition, but not obligatory for salvation. (And so Paul did not circumcise Titus [see also Acts 18:18; 21:26; and 1 Cor. 9:20]). So Timothy was ordained (2 Tim. 1:6) to be Paul’s secretary and assistant. 

Paul, Silas, and Timothy, continued to visit churches in the region, probably visiting the north Galatian area as well (Acts 16:6).  

                                                             

Derbe

Nearly put to death in Lystra, Paul and Barnabas headed for Derbe, the last city of distinctly Roman territory on the road east to Syria.  It was here that commerce coming from the east had to pay customs; so Strabo called Derbe “a customs station.” Paul and Barnabas no doubt visited it because it was strategically located on the Roman road connecting east and west.  Claudius honored the city; some of the coins are inscribed “Claudio-Derbe.”

The ruins of the city have been identified at Gudelisin, where there is a large mound with Roman remains.  But there is no exact evidence that links this site with the biblical city of Derbe.

This was all facilitated by the freer relations in the Seleucid colonies of Phrygia, where Hellenic education adapted itself to Oriental people.  East and West joined.  This is why almost the whole town crowded together to hear a Jew speak (Acts 13:55). Gentiles in large number believed the word (Acts 13:48).

 

Archaeology

The site was excavated in 1833.  It is located on the right bank of the River Anthios on the slopes of the scenic mountain called Sultan Dagh.  The present ruins are close to the town Yalovach and are in total desolation on a plateau that ranges from 50-200 feet above the plain. 

Coins show the river god Anthios sitting down resting his left arm on an urn from which the water flows.  The ruins show that the city was strongly fortified to withstand invading mountain tribes.  There are some remains of the aqueduct that brought water from the mountain, although the river was also a source of water, even in a siege.

In 1910-1913 Sir William Ramsey excavated the sanctuary of the chief deity, Men.  The sacred area was 241 feet by 136 feet, and surrounded by a five-foot-thick wall.  The altar itself measured 66 by 41 feet.  There were found here many tablets, and emblems of Men with horned bull’s head.  In one part of the sanctuary there was found the throne of the deity, who was paired with Artemic (Diana), a Hellenized form of Cybele.

This was an important discovery, because the Phrygian mysteries celebrated here were known to the early Christians (Col. 2:18).  They were influential on Greek and Roman life. 

One inscription found here was “To Lucius Sergius Paulus the younger.”  Ramsey concluded this was the son of the pro-consul at Cyprus.

 

 

Hierapolis

The Mission of Epaphras

 

The city of Hierapolis is mentioned only one time in the Bible, in Colossians 4:12,13 in conjunction with the evangelistic activities of Epaphras, a member of the Colossian church.

The city was located six miles north of Laodicea on an elevated terrace about 500 feet above the Lycus plain (which is some 700 feet in elevation).  The area had hot sulphur springs and a cave with noxious vapors from them.  The deep cave with sulphurous odors was called the Plutonium or Charonium.  The vapors gave rise to a good deal of superstition.  The city became the center of the mysteries of the Phrygian deity Leto, the native goddess of nature, corresponding to Cybele.  These mysterious places may have been the reason for the name “Hierapolis,” “holy city,” although it is more likely that the name came from Hiera, a mythical Amazon queen.

The early history of the city is obscure.  We know that in 190 B.C. it came under the control of Pergamum.  Coins then began to turn up, especially when the realm of the Attalan dynasty of Pergamum was bequeathed to Rome in 133.  There was a flow of coins from Augustus to Nero, when the city was leveled with an earthquake (60 A.D.).  In the Trajianic period (98-117) the coins appear again, indicating the city revived.

The original inhabitants were Greeks from Macedonia and Pergamum along with Phrygians.  There were also a good number of Romans and Jews in the area.  The mixed population gave rise to a complex religious activity as well — Apollo Archegetes was identified with the native deity Lairbenos; Phrygian Leto was identified with Cybele and was served with eunuch priests immune to the fumes; Pluto was worshiped by the Romans, as well as healing deities Hygeia and Asclepius, and then there was the Imperial Cult, at least after 211 A.D.  Men, Isis, and other Oriental deities were worshiped here.

The Jewish population was sizeable; inscriptions refer to “the archives of the Jews,” as well as “the community of the Jews who inhabit Hierapolis.”  The Jewish element seems to have vanished when Christianity took root.   Christianity prospered in the town.  It became a see in the Byzantine period, and then the seat of a Metropolitan.  It continued until the Middle Ages.

 

Archaeology

The modern city is Pamukkale (“cotton castle”), so named because of the white chemical deposits formed on the ancient ruins by the calcareous springs. The remains of the Roman era appear in russet-brown structures set in a grassy meadow behind which is a mineral pool with flowing waters whose chemical contents have deposited sediments that have covered the lower courses of the buildings.

Monolithic pillars mark the spot where the gymnasium stood.  Next to these on the cliff edges are the baths.  These are built of beautifully cut stone, which was an industry that flourished here, as well as metal working and wooden manufactures.  The baths cover quite an area; some of the arches remain, with a width of fifty-two feet, with stones as large as 78 inches by 35 inches by 23 inches.  This was a health center as well as a religious center.

The Roman theater is the most striking feature of the ancient remains.  It has a width of over 325 feet at the front.  This dominated the view of the city.

The city was planned.  There was a main thoroughfare running from its northwest to its southwest edge, with streets crossing at right angles.  Some of the buildings date from the beginning of the Christian period.  A basilica on the east side of the main street has the Chi Rho monogram and may be dedicated to St. Philip — although three other buildings have been identified as churches and one of them could be the one dedicated to him.

 

Famous People

 

Laodicea

An Opulent City with a Luke-warm Church

 

Laodicea was located on the River Lycus at the confluence of the Asopus and Caprus, some ten miles northwest of Colossae and three miles north of modern Denizli.  It was at the crossroads of the great trade routes to Pergamum and Ephesus.  The city was first called Diospolis, then Rhoas, but then Antiohcus II (261-246 B.C.) Made it a military base to guard the northern frontier of his kingdom, and renamed it in honor of his sister-wife Laodice.

 

Wealth of the City

The city became a wealthy city very early.  Its location on the trade route gave it a good deal of commercial prosperity; it was particularly rich in livestock as well as the garment trade with its trademark black glossy wool.  The wool was woven directly into garments, and into bolts of cloth as today.

There was a distinct seamless garment called paenulae (2 Tim. 4:13) that was rain-resistent.  There were also the shorter cloaks (chlamydes) and the dalmatics (paragaudae) with purple borders.  The dark wool was probably produced from dark black sheep, although dying was also possible.

Also, another industry came from the eye remedy known as “Phrygian powder” which was compounded here.  These and other industries led to the prosperity of the city, and made it a banking center. 

We know that the city was affluent because the people were able to rebuild after earthquakes (in the reign of Tiberias and also Nero [60]) without help from Rome or the provincial governor.

The city had a large population of Jews as well. 

The Book of Revelation indicates that the city was well-to-do.  “For you say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy; I need nothing . . .” (Rev. 3:17).  The advice to buy gold, and white clothes, and salve for their eyes (Rev 3:18) has greater meaning in view of the industry here, especially the black linens and the eye-powder.  Their real need was spiritual.

                                                             

Church in Laodicea

The Gospel spread to this area within a generation after Jesus’ death, but we know very little about that.  It appears that Epaphras, a Colossian believer who had vision for the Lycus Valley, especially for the cities of Laodicea and Hieropolis (Col. 4:12,13), was the one who introduced the faith to those places — he certainly labored for them.   Paul’s ministry in Ephesus produced many converts who in turn carried the message to these cities.  A Christian church met in the house of Nymphus (Col. 4:15) at an early period.  Philip and John probably preached there; and Paul may have as well on his third journey.   At any rate, Laodicea was one of the cities where the letter to the Colossians was to be read, as well as the letter to the Ephesians.  The “letter from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16) may have been the Ephesian letter, since the latter apparently had no name in Ephesians 1:1, only a blank space.

Paul knew others in Laodicea beside Epaphras and Nymphus, for he sent greetings to “the brethren who are in Laodicea” (Col. 4:12).

The church enjoyed the material prosperity, but by the end of the first century had succumbed to apostasy and spiritual lukewarmness (Rev. 3:15-22).  Some have thought that the water supply of the city was lukewarm and unpalatable, providing John with the occasion for the description.  The water tower, with its lime-clogged terra cotta pipes, remains.  But much of the city has been carried off for modern construction.

 

Colossae

An Important Center for Christianity

 

There are several cities in the Roman province of Asia that are located in the Valley of the Lycus River, a tributary of the Maeander, that are important to Christianity — Colossae, Laodicea, and Hieropolis.  The Maeander (now Menderes) has its source in the highlands and empties into the Aegean near Miletus.  The Lycus joins this river about a hundred miles from the mouth.  The Lycus Valley, running southeast to northwest, a distance of about twenty-four miles, was a natural gateway to Caria, Phrygia, and Lydia.

 

History of Colossae

The town of Colossae is of interest to Christians because it had a church that received one of Paul’s letters, “Colossians.”  Colossae was in the upper part of the Valley less that twelve miles from Laodicea.  It was built on a double hill just south of the Lycus River.  To its south lay the 8,000 foot Mount Cadmus; its melting snows formed streams that bounded the city on two sides.

According to the historians Herodotus and Xenophon this was an important town in the fifth century B.C.  It must have been an important military position, because it dominated the road eastward to Apamaea, Pisidian Antioch, and the Cilician Gates.

The city was famous for its wool industry.  Its product called the collossinus was famous.  Jewish and pagan influences in the city left their mark on the early Christians who perverted the faith with the worship of angels (Col. 1:16; 2:15, 18), legal scruples concerning food and festal days (Col. 2:16), and a form of asceticism (2:23; 3:5-10).