Lydia, Troas and Pergamum

First we went to Pergamum. It is on top of a hill so we took a tram.


In Revelation 2:12-17 Pergamum is called "Satan's seat". Satan in Revelation is the Emperor who was demanding Emperor worship. Pergamum was considered the center of Emperor worship because of this temple, which was consider the seat of Emperor Worship.


Next stop was the area where Paul met a woman named Lydia, a seller of Purple goods. You can read about her in Acts 16:11-15. Purple was made using the root of a plant that grows in this area. It was very rare and expensive, so she was probably well off. She becomes a Christian. The purple wool is the dark burgundy color. The root is in the jar just below it.


Next stop was Asclepius. This shows two snakes drinking out of a plate. The snakes were drinking spoiled milk. The legend says they then threw up but were ok. So this started healers thinking that this might heal people, so an industry was started. Some say that is why there is a snake around a poll for the Doctors healing insignia.


A whole hospital of sorts was here. A "doctor" would follow you around and ask you questions, see how you walked through mud, go through baths and any number of things. At the end they would make a diagnosis and prescribe a treatment. All under the watchful eye of Asclepius the God of healing.


At the end the "doctor" would whisper the treatment to you as you walked thorough this tunnel from the holes in the roof .... Subliminal healing.


This is Alexander Troas. No other tour ever comes here. There has been no excavating here. All you see is this and it is in a remote area near the coast, but it is in the Bible in Acts 16:6-10. Paul has a vision here of a man from Macedonia who is asking him to come there. So he does. Pretty awesome! I liked to go to this site that few go to and a place where Paul had this powerful vision from God to start the church in Macedonia.


Another view.

The Turkey portion of our trip ends in a couple of days. It has been so much more than I could have imagined. So much of the New Testament is clearer and more real to me now, especially Paul's missionary journeys and the seven churches in Revelation.