BIBLICAL TURKEY A GUIDE TO THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN SITES OF ASIA MINOR MARK WILSONbest example of its kind in Lycia. It was undoubtedly built for an impor- tant person of the city, although the unfinished blocks on the north side show that the construction was never completed. A lighthouse, estimated to have been 72 ft/22 m high, was recently found in the sand dunes at the southwest corner of the harbor. The round building had a three-stepped base with an internal staircase. A bronze inscription naming Marcus Sex- tius Priscus dates the lighthouse to the Claudian period (AD 41-54). A lighthouse, modeled on the famous one in Alexandria and estimated to be 98 ft/30 m high, was recently found in the sand dunes at the southwest corner of the harbor. The round building had a three-stepped base with an internal staircase. An inscription, originally in gilded bronze letters, names its builder as the imperial legate Sextus Marcius Priscus during the reign of Nero in AD 64/65. A second lighthouse (antipharos) is still bur- ied opposite at the foot of Kursunlutepe. Scattered throughout the city are the remains of numerous Byzantine churches and chapels, the largest being the City Basilica thought to be the first Christian church in Lycia. Further Reading: Patara: Capital of the Lycian League by Fahri Igik (2011) Perga Acts 13:13-14; 14:25 Perga (Aksu; Greek Perge) was an important Pamphylian city located 3 mi/5 km west of the Cestrus (Aksu) River. Strabo (14.6.2) states that the Cestrus was navigable at this time and a road linked the river with Perga. The city was 6 mi/10 km from the Mediterranean and linked to the coast via a road to its port at Magydus (Lara). The original settle- ment, mentioned in a Hittite document, was situated on the acropolis hill to the north. Its residents welcomed Alexander the Great in 333 BC and served as his guides. Pergamum founded Perga as a colony around 300 BC, and the Hellenistic city developed on the plain below the acropolis. The major deity of the city was Artemis Pergea. Her temple had asylum rights, although its site has not yet been located. The great conic math- ematician Apollonius, active around 200 BC, was born in Perga. The city came under Roman rule in 188 BC. As the terminus of the Via Sebaste built in 6 BC, it was the gateway to the Anatolian plateau, Numerous inscriptions have been found in Perga with one-third of them being in Latin. At this time Perga vied with Side for the title of leading of Pamphylia. In the 2C AD a leading benefactress of the city was Plan cia Magna who was the wife of the Roman senator C. Julius Cornutus Tertullus. Her father was Marcus Plancius Varus who, while proconsul of 101Bithynia under Vespasian, erected the eastern gate at Nicea. Her by ncius Magna, who served as a Roman senator und mother Julia was a descendant of the Cappadoci Archelaus as well as Herod the Great and Mariamne I. Plan held an annual eponymous magistracy, the priesthood of patron deity of the city, and the priesthood of the imperial council, assembly, and elders honored her with two statues th apostolic party here, and Paul and Barnabas only pe city on their way to Pisidian Antioch. On their re preached the word in Perga. Although the presence: Perga is not mentioned, the presence of Jews in Pamphy ; well attested. Although no results are mentioned in Acts Luke’s style to infer that some people responded to 1 the gospel and that a church was established in Per; from Attalia, not Perga, on their return. Sites: The theater, now closed, seated about 14,000 pi Roman-style stage building, it dates to around AD 120.1 preserved stadium in Turkey after Aphrodisias. It d. seated 12,000 people. Its dimensions are 768 ft/23: m wide. The seats are arranged on 12 steps restin: vaults. 30 vaults run the length of the stadium wit! Every third vault has an opening to the stadium. Inscripti vaulted chambers indicate that some were used as sh was at the southern end. An arena comprising 138 ft end was created for gladiator or animal fights. A front of the lower seats for the protection of the sp surrounded by a city wall with rectangular towers that d BC. Shaped like irregular rectangle, the north ends of ancient acropolis. The Hellenistic city gate with its two rot dates from the 3C BC. This is the gate through which Pa entered the city. This gate was renovated in AD 121 by Pl and 28 niches that contained statues of deities, heroes, and t (KTIZTHE) of the city were installed. Busts of her father and were included as the second founders of the city. Bilingual inscript in the area mention this woman along with the patron goddess of @ 102Uy Ah eiAclose reading Jour seven of these with si In-Site Paul’s Anatolian Journeys ‘of the book of Acts and Paul's letters reveals that the apostle made at least eight neys related to biblical sites in Turkey. The list below, keyed to the map on page 22, details ix itineraries. Only Paul's post-conversion journey from Jerusalem to Tarsus, mentioned in Acts 9:30 and Galatians 1:18-21, is omitted. 1. Famine Relief/Apostolic Council Journeys [ References: | Acts 11:27-30; Galatians 1:18-21/Acts 15:1-35; Galatians 2:1-3 | 33-45/49. \d Titus/ Barnabas; Judas and [Antioch-Jerusalem624km/391 mi 2. First Ministry Journey References: | Acts 13:1-14:28 gi Date: 46-48 Companions: | Barnabas, Mark until Perga Cae Itinerary: ‘Antioch, Seleucia, Salamis, Paphos, Perga, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, __| tystra, conium, Pisidian Antioch, Perga, Attalia, Antioch Distance: Perga-Derbe-Attalia 1053 km/654 mi Sie seni 3. Second Ministry Journey A Acts 15:36-18:22 49-52 es Silas; Timothy joins at Lystra; Luke () in Troas to Philippi Antioch, Galatia, Mysia, Troas, Macedonia, Corinth, Ephesus, Jerusalem, Antioch Antioch-Alexandria Troas 1604 km/996 mi 4. Third Ministry Journey [Acts 18:23-21:16 5 Timothy, itus, Erastus; on return six representatives of churches Date: Itinerary: References: | Acts 21:26-28:29 6.Post-Captivity Journey |/Antioch, Ephesus, Troas, Macedonia, Corinth, Troas, Assos, Miletus Patara, Jerusalem Antioch-Ephesus 1186 km/736 mi vity Journey 59-62 | Companions: | Timothy, Luke aes Caesarea, Myra, Cnidus, Crete, Malta, Puteoli, Rome B References: Date: | Companions: | Timothy, Titus é LMtinerary: | Rome, Crete, Ephesus, Colossae?, Macedonia, Nicopol 135; 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:13, 20 1 Timothy 1:3; Philemon 22;Tit 62-64 roas, Miletus, Rome 105Perga, Main Street with Water Channel city (DIANAE PERGENSI/ PLANCIA MF MAGNA; APTEMIAI TIAANKIA MAINA). Plancia Magna also sponsored a monum\ that became the new southern entrance to the city. Her name adorn gate as its dedicator. Between the two gates is the south bath complex of the best preserved in Turkey. Similar bath complexes have be in Greco-Roman cities throughout Asia Minor. The features of situated next to a palestra (exercise area) are clearly see! if with its pool (cool room), tepidarium (warm room), and caldarit room). The remains of thin marble panels that once covered t walls and the opus sectile floors are still visible. In the caldarium darium the hypocaust system for heating them can be seen. The on brick pillars 5.7 ft/1.75 m high under which hot air generated a furnace heated the marble. The baths were inexpensive enoug| all people could use them. Mixed bathing was rare; women bathec morning, men in the afternoon. Bodily cleaning was not the onl for regular attendance at the baths. They were important social net ing places for business and pleasure. In the long hall where 32 sculpture dedicated to a Claudius Peison were recovered, there 5 stele with an inscription that reads OXIQ KAI AIKAIQ (“To the Hol} Just One”), This combination of adjectives describing God is found or in Deuteronomy 32:4 and Psalm 145:17 in the Greek OT. Iris also fou in Revelation 16:5 where an angel says of the Lord, “You are juste the Holy One.” East of the Hellenistic gate is a colonnaded commercial = 106agora, measuring 246 fv75 m square, Panels from the shops indicate what kind of merchandise was sold in them, For example, a knife and a hook suggest that a butcher worked in a shop on the northwest corner, ‘\ colonnaded street approximately 984 f/300 m long ran from the foot of the acropolis to the Hellenistic gate. In the middle of the street was a water channel that started ata U-shaped nymphacum, The fountain, dat= ing from the 2 AD, featured a reclining statue that personified the river god Cestrus under whom water flowed forth, The flowing water would have been refreshing, especially on hot summer days, On the east side ‘of the street there are three columns with reliefs: Artemis Pergea (with crown, necklace, torch in her right hand and bow in her left), Tyche (with crown symbolizing the city’s fortification and a cornucopia in her left hand), and maybe Calchas the mythical founder of the city (in toga and making an offering with a bow! at an altar), A fourth column, now dam- aged, originally had a relief of Apollo. Along the colonnaded street are the remains of many shops. West of the nymphaeum is another palaestra dedicated to the emperor Claudius (AD 41-54) by C. Julius Cornutus. Southwest of the acropolis a large western necropolis with over 70 sar- cophagi has been discovered. Two large basilica churches dating to the SC and 6C AD have been discovered, The main source of Perga’s water was a spring at Kiimbet Degirmeni northeast of the city. Two sections of aqueduct are still visible: a single arch at Egridere and a double arch on two levels at Degirmen. Many marble statues dating to the 2C AD were discovered at Perga; most are now on display at the Antalya Museum, Further Reading: History of Perge by Adnan Pekman (1989); Perge, Aspen- dos, Side by the Curators of the Antalya Museum (1997) ¢ left Paul and Barnabas for an unnamed reason (Acts 13:13), ulated on the cause of the departure. W, M. Ramsay suggested fark objected to this change of plans and left for Jerusalem, s that Mark's role as a helper was principally for his cousin 107subordination of Barnabas on the ministry team. A third possibility is that t original destination of the journey was not Anatolia, but somewhere else, North Africa, After Sergius Paulus was converted at Paphos, Paul interpre Roman governor's connection with Pisidian Antioch as a providential sig} mission was to head there. Perhaps the governor volunteered to write the « a letter of recommendation to the leaders of the Roman colony ther account for the fact that the party does not even stop in Perga on the we In African church tradition John Mark is later named as the founder of the Church in Egypt, So he evidently reached North Africa afterall. At the beginning the second journey Paul and Barnabas parted ways because Paul refus t Mark due to his desertion in Pamphylia (Acts 15:37-38). Later Paul was feconel to Mark because he calls him a fellow worker (Colossians 4:10; Philern The Route from Perga to Pisidian Antioch ‘western route, running 156 mi/251 km, was the paved Via St Augustus in 6 BC. It proceeded northwest through the Climax P Bogazi). Sections of the well-preserved road lead to and from th summit is a milestone marker still in situ that marks the distance at 139R from Pisidian Antioch, the caput viae (head of the road). After crossi Mountains, the Via Sebaste turned northwest to the Roman colony 0 before looping north of Lake Limnae (Burdur Gélii) to Pisidian Antioch. foute, running 112 mi/180 km, ran through Pisidia following the | (Aksu) north from Perga through Adada. Here the ruins of several forum can be seen along with a well-preserved section of Roman (& a along @ mountainside south of the city. The road continued nort Timbriada (near Aksu) and Malos (Saniidris) before descending to the of Lake Ascania (Egirdir Gold) and then turning northeast through t River(Yalvag Gay) valley to Pisidian Antioch. The central route was the but climbed precipitously through the Taurus’ steep valleys; the westel though longer, followed the highland valleys of the interior. The apostles took the western route inland, but made a speedier descent to the P. plain along the central route on their return, Today much of this route walked following a waymarked path called the St, Paul Trail Kate Clow lished a guidebook and map for the trall, and more information can be © from its official website 108