“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 I didn’t intend to take the whole summer off for my blog, but that’s how it turned out. I have something to think about as the summer ends. I’ve seen plenty of temples in the places I’ve traveled around the ancient world. The gods were worshiped everywhere. Pervasively, the worship of the Roman emperors grew, starting at the end of the Roman Republic with Julius Caesar. In the eastern Mediterranean, he was called god and savior. About four months after his death, a comet appeared in the sky, interpreted to […]
Tag Archives: Ankara
Our Caravan Heads South
While Ankara is a large, modern city, its history goes back thousands of years. The ancient name of the city was Ancyra. We began our day visiting a stretch of ancient Roman road, covered by glass. A short stroll away was a temple to Augustus. The Romans extended a a temple to the regional goddess Cybele to also worship the emperor. A short drive away, we visited the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Unfortunately, most of it is being remodeled (due to be opened next week – arg!), so there wasn’t as much to see. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the sculptures, coins, […]
Turkish Travels
A new trip is upon me. I am back in Turkey for the third time. This whole Biblical study tour idea began with a trip to Turkey in 2003. That trip cemented the desire in me to visit more places mentioned in the Bible, exploring where it happened. Over time, that’s taken me to Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Greece. Now it’s back to Turkey for a new region in the center of the country, focusing mostly on the apostle Paul’s first journey and some of the recipients of Peter’s epistles. Please pray for me and the group I’m going […]