NORTHERN
GREECE
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Our trip up
north promised to be different. We were
going to drive much more than our other trips, travel through mountains, and
venture into colder territory (don’t know how that was really possible). The trip lived up to these expectations
pretty well. We did spend a lot of time
looking out a bus window at scenery, but the mountains provided a great
backdrop. For the most part, the
weather held out though and we were able to enjoy our trip.
The Leonidas
monument was our first stop. It stands
in the straights of Thermopoly where a battle was fought in 490 BC between the
Persians and the Hellenes. At the time
the Hellenes were still forming their identity though. This battle, a part of the Persian War,
helped to mold the Hellenes. They came
to the battle only 1,000 strong—300 Spartans and 700 Thespians—and they ended
the day with 0 soldiers left, if you were to ask Leonidas today whether victory
or defeat was the outcome, he would say without a doubt, “Victory.”
Before the
battle, King Xerxes of the Persians sent a message to Leonidas telling them to
surrender their weapons because the Persians outnumbered them and would kill
them all. The reply was simple: “Molon Labe!” or “Come and get them!” A second message came from the Persian king
saying that their arrows would be in such great numbers that they would black
out the sun. Once again, Leonidas gave
a taunting reply to the effect that they would enjoy fighting in the
shade. At the same time, he told his
troops to eat a hearty breakfast because they would dine in Hades that
night.
The outcome
of the battle was already known, but the courageous stand of Leonidas is still
remembered even today. The Hellenes
said, “NO!” to the Persians and fought valiantly. This slowed down the advance of the Persians, provided a moral
victory for the Hellenes, and in the ultimate end, the Persians were
repelled. “Molon Labe” is still etched
in the minds of the Hellenes of today as they point back to that moment as a
point that defines who they are.
By lunch
time, we arrived at our stop for the evening.
Following lunch, we drove in and around the nearby Meteora that stands
like a rocky forest. These rocks
project upward, giving contrast to the surrounding plain of Thessaly. On these rocks there are 6 monasteries. Years ago, these peaks were only accessible
by rock climbing or a combination of ropes and baskets, but today roads wind to
points nearby where the remaining distance can be walked…if you don’t mind a
bit of a climb. These monasteries were
ideal places for monks who really wanted to escape from the world and its
temptations. Today they are still used,
but many tourists flock to these beautiful buildings constructed atop these
rocks many years ago. The views of
Kalambaka, the city below, are amazing.
Varlaam monastery and St. Stefanis nunnery were the 2 we visited. They each shed a little more light on the
ascetic life.
During the
evening we were given free time in Kalambaka.
This day was a national holiday in Greece known as “Clean Monday.” It is the beginning of a fasting period
leading up to Easter. In celebration of
the holiday, people gather and share food that is not being withheld during the
fasting period. They also take the time
to clean house and go out and fly kites.
We walked in groups to the main squares of this small village and ate
ice cream. There was also a strange
bunny made of Styrofoam at each of the squares. We didn’t really know what to think of him.
During the
morning hours we traveled on towards Thesaloniki. We made a brief stop at the Fortress of Platamon. It played a key roll as a fortification for
the Hellenes, Romans, and even peoples of the 13th century AD. We were allowed to explore the castle which
provided a great view of the Aegean Sea before continuing on to lunch and Thesaloniki.
Thesaloniki
was founded by Cassander in the 3rd century BC. Little evidence of the ancient city remains
except for a section of the old walls and a couple buildings that have been
recently uncovered after some modern buildings burned to the ground. This city, like Athens and much of Greece,
is undergoing major renovation and construction in order to prepare for some of
the Olympic events to be held there.
Despite some
of the renovation taking place in the Archaeological Museum of Thesaloniki, we
were able to see the “Gold of Macedon” exhibit. It chronicled the history of gold work, which began around the 6th
millennium BC. At one time, gold and
silver were equal in value because the techniques were not very advanced for
extracting silver. As extracting
improved, the amount of silver increased and the value ratio went to 13:1. Under Philip II, a discovery of great
amounts of gold brought the ratio down to 10:1. This was probably the first time gold was used to make
coins. Under his son, Alexander the
Great, the ratio fell further to 9.5:1.
From long ago, value was placed in this precious metal making beautiful
jewelry and extravagant clothing.
People sought after it and accumulated it.
The main
reason of our visit to Thesaloniki, of course, was because of Paul’s visit
recorded in Acts
17. The location of the synagogue
and Jason’s house, which were mentioned in Luke’s book, are unknown although
there is a section of the town named after Paul. The account of Luke says that Paul preached in the synagogue on 3
Sabbaths, but other passages indicate that Paul was there a little longer (Philippians
4:14-18). In any case, Paul, Silas,
and Timothy were forced to leave when the Jews rose up against them. Eventually while Paul was in Corinth,
Timothy brought an update on the church situation in Thesaloniki and prompted
the writing of I Thessalonians. The
main issue Paul addressed was their incorrect view concerning the
resurrection.
During our
evening, we walked the streets of the city and had dinner on our own. The city had many things to offer in the way
of shopping and food. Also, we shared
our hotel with some Greek high school students from Crete. It was interesting to visit with them, although
we had little opportunity to do so because they left at midnight for the clubs.
After a
night’s rest, we went outside of Thesaloniki on a day trip to several
sites. Pella was the first, a city that
at one time stood near the sea. It was
the city of Alexander the Great’s birth.
The city had a proper layout and was designed by Hippodamion although he
never visited the city. It even had
modern conveniences such as underground water pipes and even filters to clean
the water. However, this water only
went to central locations in the city and not to individual houses. The mosaics at this site are some of the
oldest known.
From Pella,
we traveled to Vergina to visit the tomb of Philip II, the father of Alexander
the Great. His tomb and another in the
same area were discovered untouched by robbers. Large amounts of gold, especially the box for the bones was found
in the tombs along with other artifacts that are displayed in this fantastic
museum. After the excavations were
completed, a museum was built directly over the site and then it was covered
with dirt to resemble the original condition in which the tombs were
found.
The
Macedonians believed the journey to the afterlife took somewhere around 3 years
for the typical person. If you could
afford it, you were buried with food, wine, and shoes to help you make the
journey. A hero was considered to be
superhuman because of their deeds on earth.
Their journey to the afterlife was thought to be easier and take less
time.
Berea was
our afternoon stop before heading back to the hotel in Thesaloniki. We were only able to visit a recent monument
dedicated to Paul’s visit to the city.
The mosaic shows Paul preaching to a group of listeners. The Bereans were said to be of more noble
character than the Thessalonians by Luke (Acts
17:10-15). Paul spoke to the people
in the synagogue as was his custom, and was eventually forced to leave for
Athens when Jews from Thesaloniki came to persecute him. He left Silas and Timothy behind to continue
working for a time and meet back up with him later.
During our
evening, we explored more of Thesaloniki, but the highlight of the evening was
our devotional time at the hotel. In
preparation for our trip to Philippi, we took turns reading from the letter to
the Philippians and commenting on various aspects of the letter. Jim commented that we are in a crooked and
perverse generation (Philippians
2:14-18). I sat and thought about
this for a while and asked myself why this was the case. To me, it seems that all generations seem to
be looked down on by older generations I cast that aside. It means little to me that older people see
our generation as a failure because I don’t know of any generation that looked
at the generation of young people and saw great things coming on the
whole. But I do not cast aside the fact
that I see my own generation as “crooked and perverse.” I think that the reasons are not all too
complicated. People before us have
worked so hard to get ahead in life and provide a better life for their
children. They have done so to the
point that the children do not have to work for themselves. They can have free time. Free time is not a bad thing, but it can
lead to laziness as well as idealized thought.
We’re not all too different from the Athenians or even the
Thessalonians. The Athenians came
across great wealth and built extravagant buildings, yet the thing to do was to
sit and discuss new ideas.
Revolutionary thought can lead to new innovations and at the same time
new levels of degradation. It is
definitely like playing with fire: Will
you use it to keep warm or allow it to rage out of control?
Our first
site of the day was Philippi. Philip II
who gave aid to the existing city and eventually took over it gave it the name
Philippi in 356 BC. It is also known
for a couple of other reasons. In 42
BC, Brutus and Cassius gathered troops here for battle after the assassination
of Julius Caesar. Also, Paul visited
the city between 50 and 52 AD, converting Lydia, spending a night in jail, and
proceeding to convert the jailer and his family.
Lydia’s
Baptistery is in a spot on the small Gagitis River where it is presumed that
Lydia was baptized. It may not be that
very spot, but it was definitely nearby.
There were not enough Jewish men present in the city for a synagogue as Acts
16:13-15 tells us so the God-fearing women met at the place of prayer
instead. Paul was apparently expecting
this because it was one of his first stops.
After Paul preached, Lydia and her household were baptized. The church continued, at least for a time,
to meet in her house as she was likely wealthy because of her profession of
selling purple cloth.
The
Philippian Jailer was another convert during Paul’s visit. We were able to see a site that is said to
have been a jail at one point in history but it cannot be proven that Paul
would have been kept there. Tradition
seems to hold a lot of sway over here though.
The jailer almost killed himself when he came out of his house and saw
that the prisoners weren’t in their cells anymore. But Paul stopped him and shortly after, he and his family were
baptized.
The
archaeological site of Philippi is fairly large. We were able to see sections of the Egnation Way where it once
entered the city. It was a cosmopolitan
area as can be noted from the inscriptions in both Greek and Latin. The city continued to be used until a large
earthquake hit it at some point.
Chrisula
pointed out an interesting thing to during out walk through the site. It goes to show that people are in some ways
no different now than they were then.
In the stone surrounding several of the Bema throughout the city, there
are what appear to be games carved into the stone. Apparently these were for people who had little interest in what
was being said. We all get a little
bored sometimes. These people
apparently had little interest in trying to hide it.
Also, the
remains of a large 6th century basilica are partially still
standing. Although it is large, it
doesn’t necessarily mean that there was a large Christian population
there. After the legalization of Christianity
in the 4th century AD, Christians built bigger buildings simply
because they were allowed to.
The theater
of Philippi was constructed in the 4th century BC and is largely
intact. For this reason, it is one of
the theaters throughout Greece that are used during the summer months for the
performance of ancient Greek tragedies.
On the last
day of our trip, we visited the sacred city of ancient Greece, Dion, which sits
at the feet of Mt. Olympus. Mt. Olympus
is over 2,500 meters (9,500+ feet) tall and was the home of the gods. We did not ascend the mountain at all but
walked through the archaeological park at Dion. It is one of very few sites currently under excavation in Greece. This large site had good infrastructure and
definitely would not have been a bad place to live. One of the coolest things was the large, heated bathhouse with
mosaics on the floor. These could hold
many people at once. There were also
marble floored pools for cool water.
The theater
of Dion has been fully restored by archaeologists and is used for summer shows
like the theater of Philippi. This is
significant because it brings people to the archaeological park and gives them
a connection with what would otherwise be a pile of rocks. This theater had an underground entrance
like those used for wild beast fights, but this entrance is from the 4th
century BC, before wild beast fighting took place. Instead, it was used to bring in gods or goddesses during a
performance. It was called Charon’s
Secret Passage.
The museum
displayed a primitive instrument with pipes like an organ. It was forgotten over time though and not
rediscovered and used again until the time of the Byzantine Empire. Also, remains of footprint offerings have
been found. These indicate long
journeys being made to this very important city. In ways this city was the Mecca of the ancient Greeks.
The
highlights of this trip were definitely the visits of sites with biblical
significance. I especially enjoyed
Philippi, the site of a church who was especially close to Paul. We had the opportunity to sing for a bit in
the church beside Lydia’s Baptistery.
Of the many churches we’ve been in, this one seemed different. I’m not sure why, but it was great to sit
and sing there. And outside around a
small, cool stream, we were reminded that our sins were washed away at that
moment in time when we were baptized and are forever covered by the blood of
Jesus.
Another
thing to always keep in mind when visiting these sites is that the places and
people aren’t holy, even if the Eastern Church calls them so. Paul, Lydia, and others were just believers
and servants of Jesus just like you and me.
They would not want us to think of them any other way.