Thessaloniki or Thessalonica?

Ok. Back to Greece.
Paul and Silas and Timothy head to Thessalonica (today Thessaloniki) from Philippi after the Philippian authorities asked them to leave town. Paul, the 1st century energizer bunny, walks right into the Thessalonian synagogue and preaches Christ as Messiah. A good number of folks believe, along with some gentile "god-fearers." One guy named Jason lets the evangelist and his friends stay at his house. After 3 Sabbaths, some of the Jews who disagree with Paul instigate a riot. They persuade some of the "rabble" (presumably local gentiles who like a good fight) to go to Jason's house and demand to see Paul and his friends. When they couldn't find them at the house, they drag Jason and some of these other new converts before the city officials. They argue that these men in town have convinced Jason and others that there is another king besides Caesar (they think this will make the officials angry but really they just want money.) The city officials bribe Jason and his new believing friends and they are released.

Meanwhile, Paul, Timothy, and Silas are sent away in the middle of the night to Berea. He entered their synagogue and found that all of them were eager to study the scriptures and accept Jesus as the fulfillment of OT prophecy. A ton of Jews believed as well as gentiles. Things seemed to be going well.

However, some of the Jews from Thessalonica were so angered by Paul's words and ministry that they followed him to Berea and started instigating the crowds yet again. Timothy and Silas decide to send Paul away by boat to Athens and agree to meet up later.

Though the Thessalonian Christians seemed to have a substantial number of persecutors on their hands, the little church there grew and they are noted by Paul in Philippians and Corinthians as being generous givers to the ministry of Paul, even out of their own poverty.


These are my classmates as we walked up to the Rotunda of Galerius in Thessaloniki. It was built around 300AD by the tetrarch, Galerius. He wanted it to be his future mausoleum but the locals didn't like him so much so he wasn't buried here. The dome is similar to the Pantheon in Rome from the inside. Though it was considered a pagan site, Constantine turned it into a church in the 4th century. By the 1500s, it was converted to a mosque and a minaret was added when the city fell to the Ottomans. In the early 1900s, it was turned back into a church for Christian worship under the Greek Orthodox Church. Some have said this is the oldest Christian church still standing today.


These are old tombstones with Hebrew names written on the front sides. This is one of the few signs of the Jewish presence in the city, which at one time, was substantial. During the Nazi occupation of the WWII, Jews in Thessaloniki (and most all of Greece) were forced out of the country. So, the Rotunda is a landmark with 3 major world religions' stamp on it.


This is a not so great photo I took of the church of St. Demetrius. He is the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It's from the 300s, though it has suffered from fires and rebuilding projects over time. Demetrius was a Roman soldier and a Christian, who was martyred under either Galerius or Diocletian.


This is a photo of the old Thessalonian agora, or marketplace. It is one of a very few sites still visible of the ancient city. As you can tell by the view of the apartment buildings in the background, Thessaloniki is a modern city, the 2nd largest in Greece, after Athens. The population is around 1 million people. Digging for ruins is made very difficult in a city where people live and work. Like Rome, the city is trying to build a subway system but it is experiencing trouble because everywhere they dig, they find ancient ruins, which have to be excavated.


The Arch of Galerius near the Rotunda.



The synagogue (perhaps the synagogue where Paul taught) of Berea. Berea (today called Veria) has made substantial efforts in the last few years to reclaim the Jewish district that fell into the hands of squatters after the second world war. Their renovation of the synagogue was a great testimony to their desire to honor the Jews of their city who were forced out by the Nazi regime.


Inside the synagogue.


The "Bimah" or stand for the reading of the Torah. You put the excess scroll part in that cubby hole.


Our beloved Hebraic 10 Commandments. Synagogues would have been spaces used for worship as well as schooling, meeting places, etc.

On to Athens... well, (for me) Mount Olympus.

Westside Rabbit Ministry: Operation Harness Wrestling.

Spending time at the Westend Bakery on Haywood Road has exposed me to some useful observations. One in particular is that strangers in the neighborhood are much more likely to talk to you if you have a child or a dog. I've felt really jealous of people with either of these two wonderful conversation starters. I want to know people in my neighborhood. I always want to make new friends. I want to build community without awkward introductions, "Hi, I'm Ruth and I live in this neighborhood too. I like making new friends. Would you be my friend?"

My writer friend, Rachel, wrote a kids story semi inspired by my life. It's called, "The Wacko Bunny Lady." It's a lovely story. But, the lady, just like me, really struggles to figure out how to make friends in her neighborhood. She eventually steals a microphone at the fair and asks the crowd, "Hello, I'm a wacko bunny lady. Would anyone like to be my friend?" Her strategy works but I'm not sure I have the stomach for that method (for now.)

So, a brilliant idea came to me from another dimension. I will start the "Westside Rabbit Ministry." Everyone loves rabbits (or they should). Who wouldn't want to talk to a lady who had her rabbit with her? Skip could travel with me up and down Haywood Road and we could both meet new friends at the bakery, the UJ, the pub... the sky's the limit.

This requires training Skip to use a harness and leash. So, today I started. He squirmed, but I got it on. He does not like it. But, Skip will eventually get used to it (I've read articles online about rabbit leashing).

This could be the start of something beautiful.

Excursus: Theology of Animals by Ruth Vann

Many years ago, I would have questions in class regarding pets and heaven. Sometimes, I made middle schoolers cry with my response.

Now, I have a rabbit.

Skip has changed my understanding of the theology of animals. While I'm sure some of my new theology is informed by emotional and relational attachments, nonetheless, I do think I'm on to something. So here it goes...

Humans need to be with animals. When God tells Adam in paradise to be a good king over all these creatures, this must imply that we are made to hang out with them. For Adam, it must have been so incredible to spend time with animals pre-fall. He even gets to name them, demonstrating his authority over each species. Yet remember, this is paradise, so Adam's "rule" is not loaded with our connotation of selfish, tyrannical ruling where the point is to dominate and marginalize. Adam's "rule" was undoubtedly with care, delight, and a sacrificial sort of love.

I think we all feel that when we have a pet. There is a piece of being little pre-fall Adams in all of us that longs to take care of little creatures. We feel like good shepherds. We feel satisfied in sustaining their life and drawing them under our protection. And this same feeling comes with not only creatures, but also with trees, plants, flowers, and gardens. Isn't it great that animals don't really need us (in that God could have totally taken that job over just fine... and, they might be better off). However, taking care of them must be something God wants for us. It's almost as if taking care of his creation is a work that enriches our souls and therefore, we experience an inexplicable longing when we live apart from them. Is it any wonder that animal care is one of the most universal and effective psycho-therapeutic treatments? I had a client one time who would sense traumatic memories floating up in her mind and petting her cat was at the top of the list of self-soothing, therapeutic measures. And, it worked.

So, post-fall Adam must have had a significant sense of loss as he exited the garden and witnessed not only what had happened to humanity but also what happened to the created order he was supposed to guard, care, and protect. Now, all hell broke loose. Can you imagine witnessing violence and evil creep into your family and the animals around you? What a severe sadness and overwhelming guilt he and Eve must have felt in knowing that their decision to believe the lies and distrust God would send horrific, ripple effects of evil into the creatures they used to care for.

So, what now? So, now, we build the kingdom as much as we can until he comes to fully renew and redeem and restore the earth into something even more glorious than its pre-fall condition. Our role would include having integrity in how we deal with eating them (I'm not going to go into vegetarianism and theology but I do eat meat), in how we use our knowledge to protect species, in being aware of how our selfishness affects their environment, and in working in ourselves a reminder of what it means to be a good shepherd. For a great example of this, watch the movie Temple Grandin. Temple is the first autistic person to receive a PhD. Her work was with cows on ranches, making the butchering process more efficient and more humane. My favorite quote from this movie is a beautiful picture of where redeemed humanity at this point should be headed, "Nature is violent. But we don't have to be."

Well, Jesus' role in the animal world is quite significant. He is setting all things new through his defeat of evil. Animals will not have to experience the effects of the fall anymore. While, it's not clear whether Skip will be in this new kingdom, I'm confident that his kind will be. Why? Because that role we play in caring for them was part of the original order. All that was before, will be made new, and even heightened in glory. Dr. "Sean" my New Testament professor on the Greece trip says it best (I passed all this by him in an effort to avoid heresy), "When it comes to the New Kingdom, we have to remember that on every count, it's more, not less."

What will I find in Christ's Kingdom one day regarding Skip and me? More... not less.

Mykonos and Rhodes.

So, I'm going to break chronology of my trip to show some photos of the islands of Mykonos and Rhodes. The constant afternoon cloudiness in Asheville since I've been home has made me miss these sunny islands. While these two islands had little theological significance (directly, at least,) they were fun day visits nonetheless. This is Greece!


Mykonos was my favorite island, by far. The only thing wrong with Mykonos is the tourist population, which I guess means I was part of the problem.


Mykonos is famous for its windmills. Dr. Wick, the historian on the trip, mentioned that Mykonos was a popular vacation spot in the 60s and this is why it has crepes. If anyone figures out what this means, let me know.


Another thing I loved about Mykonos was that it had a pelican as its sort of town pet/mascot. Seriously, this bird had hung out around town for years. He's quite the talk of town. Maggie wanted to pose with him, which is brave of her because he apparently nips at people.


So, after Dr. Wick's comments, I decided to eat a crepe (maybe they aren't actually French cuisine afterall???) I got ham, eggs, and cheese in my crepe. I was really, really, really happy.


I think if I could redecorate my house, I'd make everything white like Mykonos and put bright, happy accent colors here and there. They've really got this relaxing style thing going.



So, Dr. Wick treated a bunch of us to an interesting dinner. I didn't eat it since I have this conviction about not eating octopus tentacles, squid heads, and fish eyes. Praise you, dear Jesus, for convincing me to eat the crepe before this so I didn't have to eat this stuff. After dinner, the sun started to set so we ran to the coast to take photos.





Then, on to Rhodes. Unfortunately, I missed the Colossus of Rhodes by about 1500 years. Oh well. This was our view of the city from our lunch spot.


This is Sandra and me. Sandra is originally from Bosnia and fled to the States during the Bosnian crisis in the late 90s. She's pretty awesome. We had gone swimming in the Aegean Sea that morning so that is why I look like I'm lactating. No worries.


We got a boot for a glass. Still can't figure out the significance. Again, if you figure it out let me know...


After the beach and lunch, we headed up to see the Palace of the Grand Master, built by the crusaders in the 1300s. We had some really great conversations about the crusades and the Christian response to Islam today. Too much to relay here but ask me later if you are interested.


After that intense visit, we got ice cream, which was guarded by this stuffed rabbit. I'll let you guess what I thought about all this.


Sandra led us in a discussion on "Great Greek Women." Whoo Hoo!


Ok. Thessalonica is coming soon...

Philippi: Trouble.

So, there's this girl in Philippi who is possessed by some sort of spirit that provides her a kind of special knowledge. Some guys in town have enslaved her and are selling her fortune telling abilities for their own profit. Anyway, the girl follows Paul around for days saying, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the message of salvation." While what she is saying is true, Paul is annoyed. So, he casts out her demon. The girl's owners get livid, their business is gone.

These guys get a crowd together and drag Paul and Silas (no one really knows why Luke and Timothy are not brought) to the rostrum, where public inquiries would be heard. Here is my tour leader, Dr. Sparks, standing on the rostrum.


The crowd gets out of control and in the midst of the arguing, Paul and Silas are beaten with rods. Their accusations against Paul and Silas are not legitimate, they've broken no Roman law. But, the magistrate/sheriff/jailer decides Paul and Silas need to go to prison, mainly to protect them from further harm and to calm the crowd. Rome gets angry with cities that can't keep control and they don't want the heat.

Paul and Silas sit in prison singing and praying. At midnight, an earthquake allows the doors of the prison to open, freeing all the prisoners. The magistrate/sheriff/jailer decides suicide looks like a good idea (much better than what Rome would do to him) until Paul stops him. Long story short, the magistrate/sheriff/jailer believes the gospel, is baptized with all his household, and invites Paul and Silas over to his house for some food and wound-care. Pretty amazing. Here is the Philippian jail... most likely the place Paul and Silas were singing and praying that night. Also pretty amazing.


So, by morning, the higher ups figure out that the jail is empty and go to the magistrate/sheriff/jailer's house. Paul and Silas are there and the men are so stunned at the miraculous getaway that they tell them they are officially set free (which is ironic because they're obviously not in prison anymore anyway.) Paul gets touchy, "This is scandalous! I'm not just going to walk away after the injustice that has happened to me as if everything is ok! I'm a Roman citizen and I was beaten and imprisoned last night without a hearing." The higher ups get scared. "Wow. We didn't know that, guess we should have asked first. Ummmm, how about you leave town before we get bad publicity?" So, Paul and crew head to Lydia's house one more time to encourage this little fledgling church and move on to Thessalonica. More on that later.


Above is the Roman agora in Philippi. The agora was the marketplace and center of a Roman city. Paul would have walked through this "shopping center."


This is a floor mosaic from the Basilica of Paul in Philippi (around 300s AD.) If you are a good Greek alphabet student, you can see Paul's name written in the bottom, left hand corner. While Philippi was mostly empty towards the end of the Roman empire, Christians did move in for a while because of it's significance in the book of Acts. The city suffered from a major earthquake in the 600s (it's on a fault line) and by the 1000s AD it was totally abandoned. Most of the archaeological work in the modern era has been done by the University of Thessaloniki.


This is Basilica B, one of the most prominent remains of the ruins of Philippi. Jin Ji was turning for a pose but I just missed him, oh well.


I could not get this photo to rotate to save my life but this is the Via Egnatia, which makes its way through Philippi. Just turn your head slightly.


An ancient version of backgammon etched on the sidewalk for people to play.


Philippian graffiti.


Philippian toilets, near the Roman gymnasium. You can see the toilet seats in a row down the middle, there were no "stalls" but it was all girls or all boys depending on the day.


The Roman theatre in Philippi.

Philippi: Paul's first Europe trip.

In Acts 16, Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia asking him to help his people. So, Paul packs up his stuff, leaves Troas (modern day Turkey) and heads to Philippi with his pals Silas, Timothy, and Luke. A mosaic in Kavala (back then it was called Neapolis) shows the vision of Paul.

Paul likes going to a synagogue first when he arrives at a new place. However, Philippi had no synagogue (you had to have at minimum 10 Jewish men in a town to establish one). So, the next best place to talk to people about God is a water source. Paul heads north of town, out of the city gate at the river. He chats with some women there, including a gal named Lydia. She was awesome. She owned her own purple dieing goods business, lived in her own house, most likely was widowed, and was a God-fearer (someone who followed God but didn't know about Jesus yet.) She believed the Good News Paul gave and was baptized in the river that very day. Folks who lived in her house believed too. I decided to renew my baptismal vows while I was there.



So, the steps and platform were put in later by the Greek Orthodox Church. This is a little more upstream and looks much more like the natural environment Lydia would have met Paul.


I totally understand why Lydia hung out there. It was cool, lush, and peaceful. I wanted to stay but we headed to the nearby chapel to sing Amazing Grace instead. And that was pretty nice too. My travel companions have great voices and I might have cried for the first of a billion times on this journey.


Here is the chapel from the outside and inside. I discovered that Greek Orthodox folks really like things that are sparkly.



So, Lydia invited Paul and crew to her house to stay while he ministered to folks in the city. Presumably, she housed the new little church in her home. Paul had a lot of work to do and he was not going to leave before trouble came lurking in the form of a disturbed fortune telling girl... more on that later.

Paul and his Letters.

So, I'm a wee bit jet lagged but here is the Parthenon photo.



And... I found rabbits. Corinthian rabbits, to be specific. Baby Corinthian rabbits to be exact.


Much much more to come. Once I sleep for a solid 8 hours.