Monday and Tuesday, June 11-12: Istanbul

We will spend an extraordinary day exploring the riches of Istanbul. During Paul’s lifetime, the city was known as Byzantium. This strategic city is located on the west side of the Bosporus, the channel linking the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea, and as the land bridge between Asia and Europe. Byzantium marked the eastern end of the great Roman road known as the Via Egnatia that linked a chain of Roman colonies stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Bosporus. Paul traveled extensively along this road during his second missionary journey where he reached Philippi and Thessalonica (Acts 16-17). Paul would be accused there as a man who “turned the world upside down” and “acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:6-7).

Paul’s missionary labors here would eventually bear fruit at the highest level of the Roman world beyond his lifetime. In the early 4^thcentury AD, Constantine became the first Roman emperor to be baptized as a Christian. Constantine re-founded Byzantium as a “New Rome” and dedicated the city as Constantinople in AD 330. The modern Turkish name of the city Istanbul derives from the Greek phrase eis tin polin (εἰςτὴνπόλιν), meaning "into the city" or "to the city", overheard by Turkish forces pursuing Greek soldiers rushing to defend the city in AD 1453.

We will spend the morning visiting the Roman Hippodrome built by Constantine. We will see several significant monuments that were set up to adorn the central axis. We will see an Egyptian obelisk from the Temple of Karnak during the reign of Tutmosis III (1479-1425 BC). We will see the Serpent Column from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi set up by thirty-one Greek cities called “the saviors of spacious Greece” after the final victory over the Persians at Platea in 479 BC. We will also see the Walled Obelisk set up by Constantine VII. The original gilded bronze plaques were removed as plunder during the Fourth Crusade in AD 1204. We will also see the Column of Constantine originally 164 ft high crowned with a statue of the emperor.

We will proceed to visit the Hagia Sophia Church (“Holy Wisdom”), first built by Constantius II, the son and successor of Constantine the Great and later reconstructed by Justinian in AD 537. This was the largest church in the world for nearly one thousand years and remains one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The innovative design of the church is a rectangular building covered by a central dome between two half-domes. The diameter of the central dome is 106 ft and rises 182 ft from the floor, offering the worshipper a breathtaking experience of transcendent space. The church gallery hosted the fifth (AD 553) and sixth (AD 553) Ecumenical Councils affirming that Christ had both a divine and human nature. Later in the day, we will visit the Hagia Eirene Church (“Holy Peace”) where in AD 381 church leaders met to confirm the Nicene Creed and the full divinity of the Holy Spirit.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Istanbul Archaeological Museum containing significant biblical artifacts. From the Old Testament world, there is a reconstructed section of the Ishtar Gate from ancient Babylon through which Daniel and Ezekiel entered into the city. We also can see an original copy of the treaty of Kadesh from the time of Ramesses II. We will also see an impressive statute of Alexander the Great and the so-called Alexander sarcophagus. This marble tomb weighs over 50,000 lbs and is decorated with six battle scenes showing the Greek victory over the Persians. From Israel, key finds include the Gezer calendar and the original Siloam tunnel inscription from the time of Hezekiah (8^thcentury BC; see 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:1-4).

For our study, the most important object in the museum is the Jerusalem Temple warning stone. This inscribed, limestone block was affixed to a low balustrade around the temple to define the limits of the court of the Gentiles. Josephus relates that there were thirteen of these stones written in Latin and in Greek. The Greek text of the inscription warns: “No foreigner is allowed to enter within the balustrade surrounding the sanctuary and the court. Whoever is caught will be personally responsible for his ensuing death.” Paul walked past this very stone at one of the most important moments of his life. The inscription on the stone sparked a riot in the city and prompted his arrest and defense of the gospel. In order to appreciate the testimony of this stone, we need to re-enter the dramatic moment at the end of Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul believes that the gathered church, comprised of believing Jews and Gentiles, represents the beginning of God’s new humanity in Christ (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:15-16; Col. 3:10-11). Paul intends to display the reality of God’s new humanity in Christ at the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem.

With this in view, Paul gathers representative believers from every geographical area of his ministry so far. We find their names listed in Acts 20:4. Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, is from Berea in central Greece. Aristarchus and Secundus are from Thessalonica in northern Greece. Gaius is from Derbe in the province of Lycaonia near Galatia. Timothy is a Jew from Lystra, who joined Paul during his second missionary journey and became like a son to him. Tychicus and Trophimus are from Ephesus in the province of Asia. They both have very Greek names and became Christians during Paul’s third missionary journey. Together with Luke, these eight men of diverse backgrounds journey to Jerusalem as brothers in Christ, the visible fruit of Paul’s ministry.

When Paul and his companions arrive in Jerusalem for Pentecost, they quietly stay at the house of Mnason, a Hellenistic Jewish believer from Cyprus (Acts 21:15-16). Shortly thereafter, they meet with the broader church where the brothers receive them gladly (Acts 21:17). The following day Paul meets privately with James and the leadership of the Jerusalem church. He tells them in vivid detail about all that God has done among the nations through his ministry with the result that when they “heard it, they glorified God” (Acts 21:20). The Jerusalem leaders embrace Paul’s companions as brothers and receive their offering as grateful support for their local ministry. Their conversation must have lasted for many hours. Saul, the zealous Pharisee, now Paul, the devoted apostle, has returned. Lives are being changed by the gospel of Christ. There are even further horizons and peoples to reach.

The Jerusalem leaders, however, know firsthand that the Christian community, and Paul in particular, face powerful opposition. Many Jews, even some who had become believers, have spoken against the Christian community for their generous stance on Gentile inclusion and weak position on the role of Torah. They have heard the slanderous misrepresentation of Paul’s ministry as teaching “all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs” (Acts 21:21). As a result, the Jerusalem church leaders suggest that Paul show his solidarity with Jewish believers by participating in a Nazirite vow (see Num. 6:1-21). They ask Paul to ritually purify himself together with four other men, pay the cost of their offering, and notify the priests in the temple. Seven days were required for ritual purification. Afterward, their heads would be shaved at the altar. A sin offering and burnt offering would be made for each to complete their vow. Paul readily agrees to this symbolic gesture, consistent with his overall position on secondary issues (Rom. 14; 1 Cor. 9:20-23).

When the seven days are almost complete, Paul enters the Jerusalem Temple. He has come up to Jerusalem “in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:16). Passing through the outer courts, he reaches the low dividing wall that separates the Court of the Gentiles from the Court of Israel. The low partition, just over four feet high, is made of ornately carved stone. Inscriptions in Greek and Latin are set at regular intervals “declaring the law of ritual purity that no foreigner should go within the sanctuary” (Josephus, War 5:193-94; Ant. 15.417). Two of these inscriptions have been found: one is on display in Jerusalem and the other in Istanbul.

Paul believes that Jesus’ death has removed this division between Jews and Gentiles and that all people now have access to the God of Israel God through faith in Christ (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:18; 3:2). Nevertheless, he would have been compelled, even reluctantly, to leave his Gentile companions for the moment at the dividing line, lest they be publicly attacked. As Paul enters the sanctuary to fulfill his vow, certain Jews from Asia who had come up for Pentecost recognize him. They had seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him and wrongfully assume that Paul had brought him beyond the dividing wall. They stir the swelling pilgrimage crowd crying out: “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place!” (Acts 21:28). Paul is forcibly dragged out of the sanctuary and the temple gates are closed.

The Roman commander sends in troops to calm the volatile situation. He arrests Paul, binds him with chains, and brings him into the Antonia Fortress, the military tower rising over the northwest corner of the Temple Mount. As Paul is being pulled into the barracks, he asks for permission to address his people. The Roman commander, surprised to hear Paul speaking Greek, asks him: “Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” (Acts 21:38). Paul denies the implied accusation that he is a cause of civil unrest and receives permission to address the swelling pilgrimage crowds from the elevated fortress.

Paul speaks to his kinsmen in Hebrew, calming them with the language of their heart. Hebrew was still spoken in Judea throughout the first century, although Aramaic was spoken in Galilee and in the north. Paul identifies with his listeners by reminding them: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day” (Acts 22:3). He rehearses his own persecution of the early followers of Jesus (Acts 22:4-5). Then, he tells of the decisive moment in his life: “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 22:6-7). Paul tells the people that he had come up to Jerusalem with an eagerness to testify of the Messiah but had been warned they would not receive him. The Lord, therefore, had sent him far away to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21). At the word “Gentiles,” the pilgrimage throng turns violently against him. The inclusion of the nations into the people of God through faith in Christ was the decisive issue. It is their inclusion that forms the distinctive note of Paul’s missionary labor for the gospel (Rom. 15:5-12; Eph. 3:4-7).

Key site: Istanbul

Key Scripture Reference:

Acts 16-17; 20-22; Ephesians 2-3

Key Readings:

Peter Walker, In the Steps of Paul, chapter 11

Mark Wilson, Biblical Turkey, 364-370

David Palmer, CASKET EMPTY: God’s Plan of Redemption through History New Testament Study Guide, Pentecost part 2

Videos:

Spectacular view of Istanbul