Reflections On a Trip To Turkey

The Reflections of Sharon L. Stephenson on Turkey

When I first heard about the Turkey trip I was intrigued and fascinated by the idea of seeing in real life the places I was learning about in my Corinthians class. I had a strong desire to get a truer picture of what life was really like 2000 years ago. I wanted to see for myself these cities where the early Christians lived. The study of Corinthians gave me a better idea of the struggles that existed in every day life and I was fascinated by the idea of seeing the places where these struggles took place.

What I did not expect was how life transforming my trip to Turkey would become. I learned several things about myself, about life as I perceived it, and grew in understanding and appreciation for what life was like 2000 years ago. Following is a list of the reflections I had while on the trip that begin to sum up my experiences in Turkey.

1. One surprise I had was how un-foreign Turkey was to me. I remember when I was in Europe twenty or so years ago, and everything felt so foreign. It seemed as it I was constantly being struck by culture shock over the oddest things. I went to Turkey with the understanding that things would be different and went with the attitude of intending to enjoy the differences. Then, much to my surprise, I discovered that it didn’t feel foreign at all. Sure, things look a little different, taste a little different, but I never once experienced culture shock. Of course, everyone knows that the only thing that initially confounded me was the toilets, but even then I wasn’t surprised, just befuddled. I just couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how to flush the first western toilet I encountered. You cannot even begin to imagine how many different places one can put a flush lever on a Turkish western toilet! Other than that, Turkey just felt so familiar to me. It was like returning to visit an old friend. The one thing that fascinated me was the energy saving devices that some hotels had in their rooms. One has to place the room key in a slot in order for the lights to work in the room. What a wonderful idea! I was saddened to realize that we would probably never see such a clever idea in the United States. My perception is that America thinks it is so powerful that it doesn’t feel the need to learn from others and I find that incredibly sad.

2. I have a brother who lives in the Middle East, and has lived there for several years. All I have heard about his life and circumstances have intimidated me. As a result I swore that I would never go visit him, as I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the culture and environment in which he lives. I was fascinated to see and hear for myself many of the things I’ve heard him speak about. For instance: the mosques and minarets piercing the sky, hearing the call to prayer throughout the day, the men do most of the shopping so that is who one mostly sees throughout the day, the beggars, the gathering rooms for social occasions. We had the opportunity to sit in such a room following the Whirling Dervishes performance when we were speaking with a Whirling Dervish. Other items were the concrete buildings, many of which are constantly under construction, the sheep and goats wandering anywhere and everywhere. I was never afraid in Turkey, and realized that there really wasn’t anything to fear about traveling in the Middle East either. In fact, I realized that I no longer fear traveling anywhere in the world. Being in a foreign country where I cannot speak the language no longer intimidates me!

3. One place I particularly enjoyed visiting was Seleucia, near Antakya. This was our first full day in Turkey. In my Creation Spirituality course one of the students spoke about how there is nothing new under the sun. The air we breath has been around for centuries. We breath the air that Jesus inhaled and exhaled, the air Hitler breathed. While on the beach at Seleucia, I went to walk in the Mediterranean and stand on what I initially thought was a breakwater. This "breakwater" was actually the remains of what had been a dock – the dock where Paul would have stepped into a boat to sail to Cyprus. It was an awesome thought to think that here I was, standing in a place where Paul would have been, looking at the same sea, smelling the same air. It gave me a sense of how timeless creation is, how we are connected to the past and the future in a way that overrides the concept of time. I do not know if I can really explain what I felt. I just know that I felt connected to what had been in the past and to what will continue to carry on in the future. And to top it all off, there was a gorgeous sunset. It was truly a moment for feeling one with the rest of creation – to think that I am a part of all that has happened and it is all a part of me.

4. After seeing many ruins in the places we visited, I finally began to get a sense of how a town was laid out. And as I looked at the ruins, and looked at the modern towns, I realized that in spite of technological advances things have not really changed all that much in two thousand years. The set up of the shops has remained basically the same. Again, there was that feeling of timelessness that pervades the air. Everywhere we went I tried to fathom what it must have been like to live in the cities and villages we visited. I tried to imagine what daily life was like for the inhabitants. What it must have been like to see the sites they saw so regularly that one took it for granted. Comparing the past with the present gave me a better sense of how life would have been structured in Paul’s time. I realized that as American, all we really know is American culture. We read the Bible from an American cultural perspective. And we wonder why we cannot understand some of the examples or parables that we find – we have no concept of what life was really like in Biblical times since it differs so much from what we know and experience on a daily basis. I know that I may never fully understand Biblical life, but I now feel that I have a better frame of reference for understanding life as it was so many years ago.

5. There were a couple of sites that particularly appealed to me simply because they allowed me a clearer picture of what life was like centuries ago. The Hatay Museum where we had the opportunity to see mosaics that would have been on the floors in the houses of ordinary people was one such place. I could have looked at the exhibits for hours drinking in the essence of the mosaics, yearning to go back in time and see them when they were fresh and new. Ah, to have had the opportunity to dine triclinium style! That would be an experience. Another such site was the library at Ephesus. I could have stood looking at that structure for hours as well. I just tried to envision what it would have been like to go in and out of this building, to pass it when I moved on the streets to conduct my business. I would love to see Ephesus "reincarnated," alive and in action like they do with so many historical sites in the United States. I found it fascinating to think about living life or conducting affairs in those buildings. I would love to see the original structures of these buildings.

6. One place that particularly nourished my soul was St. Sophia’s in Istanbul. I was quite anxious on this day since I was waiting for the opportunity to go shopping for a lute since this would be my last opportunity to obtain such an item before flying back to the States. I was transfixed as soon as I walked into this structure. I do not know what it was that touched my soul so deeply, but I could feel an essence of peace that just permeated the building. I could only stand there and stare and absorb it all. I felt as if my soul was drinking from a deep well and I just had to go on drinking and drinking until it saturated my being. I had the sense that there is a time and a place for everything and I did not have to be anxious about anything – ever.

This list is by no means complete. Many things touched my soul, and there is something

I could say about every site we visited. But that would take much too long! This list is simply a compilation of those things that have risen to the surface of my consciousness at the time of this writing.

January 29, 2003

Reflections on Turkey NT 1726 January, 2003  Submitted by Owen Buck

As I have been trying to integrate my Turkey experience, the recurring thought is about how little I understand about history and the world. I have many bits and pieces, here and there, of information that I must pull together into an organized whole. I feel the compulsion to buy a detailed textbook on ancient history and read it from cover to cover, to try to get a better handle on "the big picture". I will be giving a series of presentations at my church (Grace Lutheran, ELCA, in Auburn) in February & March. I will use these sessions as a means of trying to get this wealth of new information organized in my own head.

What follows is a reflective meander through several ideas.

On the Sites

Antioch Pisidia is the place where the extraordinary experience of this trip first began to sink in. It was emotionally moving (and I’m not often emotionally moved) to be in the presence of such stark antiquity. To be in the midst of these artifacts right here, in real life, on the ground before us, not in a museum display case. These people had actually walked on this very same street, these very same stones. While I sense that this might have been old hat to many of the more experienced travelers, I had never been exposed to anything like this before. The only other part of the world where I have traveled, New Zealand, is even younger than the USA. I had been used to thinking of something 300-400 years old as being "really old". My concepts of time and history have been permanently revised.

The second site I found emotionally moving was Hierapolis, but not in a good way. Standing in the necropolis, looking at the field of looted and vandalized graves, made me realize how disgracefully we human beings behave. Not to mention the centuries upon centuries of wars and brutality. I sat in the lobby of the hotel that night feeling glum. Lucy happened by and we got into a discussion about this; she shared her Baha’i perspective with me.

The most moving of the sites was the theater in Ephesus, sitting in the seats while Ann read the Acts selection describing the events which had happened to Paul right at this spot. I came away from all of the site visits, but especially the theater in Ephesus, with a feeling of connection to Christian roots that I had never had before.

On Turkey

I am very grateful that the government of Turkey has facilitated exploration of theses sites, protects them and ensures access to them for all. In spite of the various conquests and wars down through history, the Turks have been good stewards of the artifacts of the pre-existing Christian and pagan civilizations. These sites might have been destroyed had they fallen into other hands.

I was surprised at the degree of vigor with which Turkey enforces its secular society principle, and applaud them for it..

The Turkish society is just like our society, and just like human societies everywhere (in my relatively limited travel experience). They do some things very well, and other things very badly. For example, I had read before going that Turkey has one of the world’s highest auto fatality rates. I was impressed at the degree of strictness with which intoxicated drivers are dealt with (they get no sympathy from me!), and with having electronic speed and time monitoring devices installed in trucks and buses. I can imagine the uproar in this country should we try to introduce those devices here; here speeding is still "culturally accepted". On the down side, in Turkey pedestrians cross city streets wherever and whenever they please. "Stop" and "No Passing" signs are suggestions only. Culturally acceptable in Turkey.

Gallipoli had some special significance to me because of my connection with New Zealand, and I wish we could have visited that site. In New Zealand, ANZAC day is recognized as a national holiday, similar to our Memorial Day. I had known of Gallipoli only from the New Zealand perspective before this trip, so it was a revelation to hear Mehmet’s perspective on this event. How ironic that the Turks and New Zealanders were once bitter enemies. Now the Turks host New Zealand tourist-pilgrims who come to visit this site. There seems to be several instances in world history in which, if war can be delayed, it never happens at all due to the evolving politics of nations. Better to have a Cold War for a decade or two than have a real war. Hopefully China-Taiwan will be a similar situation. Iraq, if handled with more statesmanship than is presently being done, has the potential for a long-delayed but non-violent resolution.

On The Turkish People

The major impression that comes to mind is how friendly people were. I had no idea what to expect, and had imagined the worst. But the reality was quite the opposite. One of my most vivid recollections is seeing the groups of school children swarming around Shirley, smiling and laughing, trying out their English, doing "high fives". I am ashamed to think about the reception that Turkish visitors (or anyone else, for that matter) would probably receive on the streets of Boston or any other American community. What’s with us anyway, that we are so into ourselves?

I can’t say that I cared for the aggressive street and bazaar vendors, but I know that this is culturally normative in many parts of the world.

On Islam

This was my first experience in an Islamic country. I come away with mixed impressions. It was remarkable how each day, every day, on schedule, the calls to prayer go out. Yet it was surprising that, during the daily calls to prayer, I never once saw anyone on the street pray, pause or acknowledge the prayer call in any way. (I had read that the prayer calls are beautiful and melodious. I did not find them to be such, but I am sure that this is a matter of cultural conditioning and my own musical illiteracy.)

The lower rate of crime in Muslim countries is worthy of note. Is this a function of the harsher legal system in Muslim countries, or an overall more pious citizenry, or both? The crime rate in Christian countries versus Muslim countries is an embarrassment to Christianity.

The piety of Muslims is impressive. Yet I found the gender apartheid practiced in Muslim worship ceremonies to fly in the face of my personal beliefs about the equal status of all persons before God. If there is a cultural need to keep the sexes separate, it could be done by (for example) separate left and right-hand sides of the building, or separate services.

I came away more appreciative of the freedom that we have to dissect and discuss the Bible from a historical-critical point of view, a freedom that is not enjoyed by our Islamic counterparts. We can agree to disagree about the inspiration or non-inspiration of the scriptures, or whether an event described in the Bible was historical or allegorical or an admixture of both. We can approach our traditions with a similar freedom. Compare the following:

 On Birds

It frequently strikes me how little notice many of my fellow humans take of the other living beings with which we share the planet. It is in the functioning non-human created order around us that the fingerprints of God can be more clearly seen. I suppose all of us are eccentric in our own ways, mine is to be wandering off to the periphery with my binoculars in search of some little brown bird. I felt a bit "auk"ward being called on at the Laodicea worship service to comment on the symbolism (or, IMHO, lack thereof) of eagles versus vultures and hope that I wasn’t too much of a wet blanket for the group. I think that we are far better off to observe and learn from birds than to project our human beliefs and values upon them. But Bill had already known where I was at on the topic & that what’s you get when you ask a birder about birds!

Also under the heading of Birds is how few there were in places where one would expect them to be abundant. This may be related to pesticide use. In some of the seaside areas there were modest numbers of gulls, but in others none at all. I particularly remember Troas, where there was some fishing activity but not a gull in sight.

It is no exaggeration to say that this trip was a life-changing experience for me. I am grateful to all those who made it possible.

Michael Denney: Trip to Turkey Reflection Paper, February 20, 2003

It has taken a while for me to get going on this reflection paper. I keep asking myself, "What is this paper suppose to be?" Well, I reason, the name of the course is the "The Trip to Turkey." The Course satisfies the cross-cultural requirement and it is a New Testament course. So I think this paper should focus on these three areas: the culture of Turkey, the New Testament and Turkey, and my experience in Turkey.

When we left for Turkey I had a vision of Turkey as somewhat like Mexico. While there are similarities in the economies of Turkey and Mexico, I found that the infrastructure of Turkey was more advanced than the one country that makes up our southern border. The roads were similar to those in the United States. Perhaps the superhighways are not as large and crowded as in the US. I did not expect the varied terrain and countryside that we found in Turkey. Perhaps a previous visit to Israel and Palestine had led me to believe that the countryside would be similar to those countries, or similar to the American Southwest. I am sure that we would have seen even more varied terrain if we had traveled north to the Black Sea or to the eastern edge of Turkey.

The amount of agriculture throughout Turkey was much more than I had expected. We rode by so many green fields with crops and other fields that were laying fallow until the spring (we were there in the first part of January). Most of the fields that were lying fallow were cotton fields. It was amazing to see so many orange and olive groves. We were able to sample the fruits and vegetables grown in Turkey at every meal. Olives were served with every meal and the taste of the olives varied from one region to another. Tangerines and oranges were also standard at every meal. I bought some figs at a road side stand. Like Jesus, I should have known that it was the wrong season for figs. By the time I got them back to Kittery they were moldy and I had to throw them away. I did not curse the tree, but I did blame the vendor and my own naiveté. I wonder if there was any imported food for our meals. More than once our guide pointed out that Turkey is an extremely self-sufficient country and needs to import very little food or other products.

It was interesting that even with the immense amount of agriculture I did not notice a lot of modern farm equipment. There were more husband and wife teams than one might expect. The man was always driving the tractor with the woman riding on the back. Donkeys and mules were frequent companions for the farmers. I mostly saw the donkeys and mules carrying or pulling a load of sticks; sticks that had been pruned from the orchards and groves. I assumed that the farmers used these sticks for firewood.

Traveling through the small towns I could smell the pleasant scent of wood fires, but some of the larger towns burned coal for heat and power. The smell of burning coal was not pleasant. I suppose that it must have been welcomed by those who warmed themselves by the fire. Unfortunately, several people in our group felt some respiratory distress from the coal dust that permeated the air. The coal dust was so thick that it was difficult to see very far at night. Even in daylight the dust made it seem that we were in a thick fog. There were only a few cities where we encountered this pollution from burning coal. Konya had the most polluted air. It was hard to imagine how residents tolerated the pollution. There is a natural gas pipeline under construction and that should ease some of the pollution in that city. This is an aside, but one of the owners of an opulent mansion at Newport, RI was a coal magnate. He had a tunnel built from his mansion to the coal for heating the mansion – he could not tolerate coal dust.

In any case, I did not hesitate to tell our guide and other people along the way how much I was impressed with Turkey. Riding along from Konya to Isparta was breathtaking. Large snowcapped mountains towered over beautifully clear lakes. I am much more impressed with the beauty of nature rather than cities. The ruins of ancient cities in areas that are now inhabited with sheep are more pleasing than a bustling city.

I found the people of Turkey to be genuinely friendly. The vendors were good salesmen, but I frequently found them to be people who understood that we are all pretty much along for the ride. I think most Turkish people knew that we had no influence over the policies of President Bush. Often, I would ask for a certain item at a shop. If the salesman did not have it, the pressure was off and we were able to converse as men, with basically the same wants and needs. I think that it is impolite to ignore a person and I found that when I did not ignore the salesmen we had courtesy between one another.

I really should write something about our group. It was a very compatible group of people. I think all of us held some strong opinions on any number of subjects, but I don’t think anyone held any malice toward anyone with whom they disagreed. This is not always the case in groups. Very often grudges can be held for the most inconsequential of remarks. Perhaps it was because we all had some specific knowledge in certain areas and we wanted to learn from one another. David, since you are reading this paper, I want you to know that you had some influence over the way the group formed and behaved. Checking with one another as a group at certain times was a very good way to help us bond and appreciate one another. The bible study was also another helpful mode of bonding as a group.

Of course, the scripture study was an essential part of the trip – especially since I was taking the trip for course credit. The distinction of Hellenist Jews as opposed to Judean Jews was helpful in understanding the debate between Paul and the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. I had studied the influence of Hellenism in Palestine and the rest of the Middle East, but I had not thought of it as the major force at the early start of Christianity. I tend to think of the influence of Rome at that time. Hellenist influence was considered a great threat to the Judean culture and I should keep that in mind. We had some discussion concerning Paul’s understanding that one can be a good Jew without following dietary laws and without circumcision. This is what Paul meant by a "new covenant." I had not perceived this message in the four Gospels. I did not hear this in the sayings and teachings of Jesus. This proved to be an interesting part of our discussion.

I had often thought that the differences between the teachings of Paul and those of Peter might be the result of Paul’s lack of knowledge of the actual teaching of Jesus. Paul preached Christ crucified. Was Peter’s emphasis on the earthly life of Jesus? I think that is where we find the rub. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 he addresses trouble within the community because they are hearing conflicting viewpoints. Of course, Paul says that he proclaims Christ crucified. It is interesting that in verse 22 he writes, "For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (NRSV) Who is the "we" in this passage? Is it that Cephas demands signs, and Apollos demands wisdom? I think Paul has a different understanding of Jesus than that of Peter. That would influence what Paul means by "we proclaim Christ crucified." He can’t compete with Peter’s first-hand information. Perhaps Peter told Paul "I want to see some kind of sign if you are going to change the message of Jesus."

I have come to a different understanding of Acts as it relates to the Letters of Paul. I have to appreciate the honesty of Paul. He doesn’t make himself out to be someone greater than he is in real life. Bob Dylan sings, "As great as you are, you can never be greater than yourself." Of course, Acts was written long after the death of Paul, so it was easy for that writer to give Paul the credentials of a "true apostle." I started out with a distrust of Paul. He talks about Christians being all the same and then tells women and slaves to keep their place in Roman society. His remarks on homosexuality are particularly offensive to me. Yet, I have to give him credit for trying to cope with the demands of society and the demands of his faith. But, if he really believed that Christ was coming again, and very soon, why bother with being good citizens in the eyes of the secular leaders?

Finally, the trip to Turkey gave me some focus concerning the impermanence of cities and civilizations. We have outlasted the cities that were once so important to their inhabitants, but it seems that our desire to understand our purpose on earth is a constant in any civilization. For some reason, I continue to think of Zolios, who had been a slave to Octavian. He had a purpose beyond being a slave to an emperor. He returned to his native home as a free man and became a great benefactor to his city. I am thinking of how this fits into this journey "in the footsteps of Paul." Maybe this is it: while I might not agree with Paul at all times; however, like Paul, I understand that our purpose is bound up with Jesus Christ. Asking questions and searching for answers gives purpose to our existence.

REFLECTIONS AFTER RETURNING FROM TURKEY
by Rosalee T. Glass for Prof. David Trobisch—February, 2003

Since returning from a trip to Turkey, my thoughts continually return to all of the unanswered questions about what really happened there during the first century of Christianity. Its history would be complex enough, even if Asia Minor hadn’t been Christianity’s incubator. It has always been a solar plexus, a crossroads of diverse cultures and religions, which is why it is infinitely intriguing. Throughout the country are multiple layers of history that are already acknowledged and the suggestion of many more yet to be found. The inscrutability of even modern Turkish cities becomes apparent as one finds oneself walking the streets wondering about all of the history that may be right under one’s feet or perhaps all that may be six or twelve meters underneath one’s feet.

One may have some knowledge of the figures and events connected with Turkey’s history, archaeology, and religion; nonetheless, Turkish cities and regions have unanticipated enigmatic dimensions, and there is always more to try to sort out. In a way, experiencing Turkey is like having a strange and complex dream in which there are tales of familiar and unfamiliar people moving in and out of unexpected settings, sometimes in confusing time sequences. A sense of mystery pervades everything, a sense which is heightened by the physical presence of the ruins of many civilizations in varying states of disrepair.

There is also a cloud of unsettled holiness. If only the stones of the ruins could speak and help us to untangle the mysteries of what really took place in Turkey during the first century of Christian history. What makes a place "holy" is what God and the people of God have done there—the seeking and receiving of revelations from God, the prayers and praise to God, and the witness and works for God. Though God is the God of the living, not of the dead, it feels as though unarticulated hints of a holy presence emanate from the ancient sites where so many passionate believers once lived. The Celts call these holy places, "thin places," —places where heaven and earth are very close. In Turkey, the holiness that we apprehend is not a holiness of clear and obvious Truth, but instead, the holiness of Truth thrashing and struggling to be known and described. It is not the holiness of a fully told history of the establishment of Christ’s church after his death, but instead the holiness of the on-going search for the lost pieces of early Christian history.

The stones cannot reveal these secrets; we depend on the writings that are left to us to try to interpret what happened in the years after Jesus’ death. Early Christian writings portray Asia Minor as the cradle of Christianity; but reading them does not remove the veil of mystery that still surrounds the identity and experiences of the first followers of Jesus Christ. The gaps in our knowledge about the first Christians are huge. We know little about them beyond what we can glean from The Acts of the Apostles, and the sporadic bits of information from Paul’s Letters. And though in some details, these two sources corroborate each other, in others they disagree. It is thrilling to read Acts and the Letters and to visit the places in Turkey where Paul spread the Gospel;, but it is also perplexing, since more questions often arise than are answered.

The first half of Acts weaves a rich tapestry of stories about the first apostles and deacons and how they worked. But after Chapter 15 of Acts, and in Paul’s Letters and we learn almost nothing about the first century ministry of anyone but Paul, and his associates. The Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Clement have little in the way of anecdotal material about the activities of the other Christians of the first century CE; and the canonical and non-canonical Gospels, which describe the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, do not include the history of the lives of the faithful after the Resurrection. Neither does the Didache (50-120), an anonymous manual on Christian doctrine and practice. The Book of Revelation gives us a few clues about what was going on, but its apocalyptic nature suggests the surreal rather than the real. It is not likely that Peter and Paul were the only ones doing major evangelization in the first century. Were there others who were preaching but who never wrote letters? Were the letters of other evangelists and followers destroyed by unbelievers or by the faithful in an effort to protect the authors and others who might be incriminated by them?

Reading the letters to the seven churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation (90-95 CE) makes visiting the cities of those seven churches an intriguing business. How well had John known those seven church communities to have been able to praise and accuse them metaphorically as specifically as he did? Ephesus is already suffused with mystery and legends about the seven sleepers, the residency of Mary, etc., and Revelation catches us up in yet more speculation. How had the Ephesians fallen away from their faith? What was the paranoia about the "Nicolaitans?" Were they the followers of Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the original seven deacons appointed in Jerusalem? And at Pergamum, who is on "Satan’s throne?" Is it the Nicolaitans again, as in Ephesus? How do the Nicolaitans resemble those who John says "hold to the teachings of Balaam" and thus are far too syncretistic in tolerating such pagan customs as eating things sacrificed to idols? One longs to know what Nicolaus actually said or wrote. How much was he a heretic and how much was he the victim of disinformation?

And in the letter to Smyrna, what were the circumstances behind calling some of the Jews, "members of the synagogue of Satan? Why is Sardis "dead?" Laodicea is "lukewarm." At least part of the metaphor describing the quality of the Laodiceans’ faith as "lukewarm" is understood by visiting the ancient site and finding that they had both hot and cold water springs piped to them. But one remains curious about how and why the Laodiceans faith had cooled.

Is it possible that no one wrote with differing points of view about the early church issues such as syncretism, church hierarchy, etc. that are addressed in Revelation? We know from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that, right from the beginning of evangelization, there had been intense controversy over these issues. Surely there must have been something written from an opposing point of view; but if so, what became of it? Was there an intentional, conspiratorial effort to destroy all letters and documents that did not conform to the predominant party line?

Perhaps, when the persecution of Christians became more frequent in the second century, fear caused them to destroy not only current incriminating written material, but also earlier documents. Did the Romans destroy them? Were they in repositories that were burned in later centuries? Written communications may have been written in code; and, not being noticed by later generations as important, were destroyed. How fearful the times may have been for Christians in Asia Minor in the first part of the second century can be seen from the point of view of the persecutors in the letters (111-112 CE) between Pliny the Younger (Roman Governor in Pontus and Bithynia) and Trajan; in the Epistles (105-119)of Ignatius, the second bishop of Antioch; and in the Epistle (110-140) of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna.

The available early second century documents are about persevering and cementing orthodox faith. Instructions and admonitions about faith, about carrying on Christian community, and about avoiding heresy are the foremost concerns of the writers. Their priorities were not to remove for us factual ambiguity or to set the historical record straight for future generations. Church hierarchy, doctrine, and liturgy had already begun to be established, and their reinforcement was high on the writers’ agendas. Thus, any documents that detracted from orthodox faith-building may have been conveniently lost. If Paul and later writers tell the Christian communities not to listen to others who may come to preach "a gospel other than the one we preached," it is reasonable to think that the communities would have been kept from reading the written words of other "false apostles" as well.

And so, we may never know as much as we might like about those other voices and about how much truth there might have been in their preaching and in their lost writings. But we can at least speculate; and if we knew everything, there would be no more mystery and nothing more to investigate. And in that case, would Turkey still capture our imaginations and beckon us back?

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