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There are a wide variety of sites mentioned in passing in the NT which were nonetheless very important places in the ancient world.  Two of these are Alexander’s Troas and Assos. Acts 20 recounts Paul’s visit to Troas (not the Troy of Iliad fame) in Acts 20.7-12, followed by Paul’s visit to Assos which he…

Just when I was convinced that Ozzy was Iron Man, along came Robert Downey Jr. And the first Iron Man movie really kicked butter.  It would be hard to top, and sure enough  installment 2 of this Marvel Comic hits the big screen enterprise does not measure up as well.  There is less good dialogue,…

Certainly one of the most interesting and cosmopolitan cities in the world is Istanbul. This is a city of many names and many cultures, both east and west, indeed its residents like to boast that it is the only major city where East meets West, because it sits on two continents.  Be that as it…

The two most important Biblical sites in Greece from an archaeological point of view are Corinth and Philippi. There is very little to see at either Berea or Thessalonike from the first century era.  But Philippi is an embarrassment of riches and this post will focus on it.   Philippi, named after the father of…

Meteora is an interesting place, rather like Capadoccia in Turkey (on which see a later post on this blog). Only instead of Christians being under ground, at Meteora they are up in the air, on top of cliffs in monasteries. One of the things Meteora is famous for is its artisan workshops where icons are…

There are not many features films made in Russia these days, but one that is both outstanding and heavily nominated for awards is ‘The Last Station’, the story about the end of Leo Tolstoy’s life. Yes of course the movie is in English, and since it is coming out on DVD next week,  now is…

Without question, the oracle at Delphi was the most famous prophet or prophetess in all the Greco-Roman world. Most ancient’s views on prophecy were shaped by what went on at prophetic sites like this one seen above (the Temple of Apollo where the pythia sat on her three legged stool and prophecied).   Delphi had become…

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: RISING TO THE OCCASION Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Miryam of Migdal, accompanied by several other Galilean women, went to the tomb of Jesus and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. She came running all the way down the Hinnom…

One of the more fascinating aspects of life in ancient Corinth is what went on in the temple of Asklepion,  the god of healing (from which we get the modern symbol for medicine with the staff and the serpent).  What has been found at the Asklepion was clay votive offerings largely of various body parts. …

O.K. so it just looks like another ocean shot.  What it actually is is the harbor of Cenchreae which was the eastern seaport for Corinth.  This locale is important because it is the home of the first Christian person to be called a deacon, namely Phoebe who was also Paul’s host and patron while he…
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