Group Photo at Troy

Greetings From Izmir

"Trajan" at the Temple to Trajan, Pergamum

The very steep theater on the acropolis of Pergamum

Group Photo in front of the Temple to Trajan at Pergamum

Tuesday May 29th

Hello,

I did not get to post yesterday because our hotel last night did not have any internet connection. Tonight we are in Izmir the third largest city in Turkey. Izmir has a large port and is the main city of Western Turkey it is along the coast of the Aegean.

Here is a recap of what we did yesterday, Monday May 28th

We began the day in Bursa. We departed early and drove to Troy. Everyone enjoying seeing the site connected with Homer's writings. We visited the area where Paul set sail for Macedonia after receiving his vision tell him to come to Macedonia while he was at Troas (Acts 16). Then we ate a picnic lunch along the Aegean Sea.

After lunch we visited Alexandria Troas, where Paul raised Eutychus from the dead after he fell from a window while Paul was preaching (Acts 20). There are some new excavations at Troas and part of temple and street have been uncovered.

Then we drove to the town of Assos which is located high above the Aegean Sea. Paul visited here briefly (Acts 20:13) during his third missionary journey. The city is most famous for its Doric Temple of Athena. Aristotle lived here before he became Alexander the Great's tutor. We spent the evening at a hotel along the shore of the Aegean.

Today we left the hotel early and traveled south to the city of Pergamum. This is one of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation. We tour the acropolis with its spectacular theater and the Altar to Zeus. There is also a large temple of Trajan on the site. We visited the acropolis of the city and then the Red Basilica which was a church building in Byzantine period and which originally had been built as a Temple to Serapis (the Hellenisitic Egyptian husband of Isis) . Later a mosque was built on the site.

Then we drove down to visit the ruins of the Asklepios shrine. This was city where Galen lived and practiced medicine. Asklepios was the Greek god of healing.

On our way to Izmir (Smyrna) (mentioned as one of the 7 cities of Revelation in Rev 2) we drove to Thyatira to visit the ruins of a Byzantine church. Thyatira is mentioned in Revelation chapter the churches mentioned in Revelation chapter 2.

Tomorrow we visit Sardis, Philadelphia, and the Archaeological museum in Izmir.

John Wineland
Izmir, Turkey