(This is the last post and is a little bit longer because it covers four days.)
We started Monday (10/9) with a flight from Athens. It was about 3:00 by the time we got our bags and left the airport .
We drove into the city center with enough time to visit the Spanish Steps and walk to the Trevi fountain.
Rome is much nicer than Athens in terms of presentation, with many hills (seven to be precise (see Rev 17:9)) and tree lined streets.
Imperial Rome
On Tuesday, we did a walking tour of imperial Rome, of which the highlight is certainly the Colosseum.
Our hearts broke as we started to digest the impact of the terrorist strikes on innocent Israeli civilians over the weekend. For now at least, Europe stands in solidarity with Israel.
The first photo below was taken in the section of the former Jewish ghetto in the 1930s and the one below it, was taken on Tuesday night at the Arch of Titus. This was not taken by me but we had visited the arch earlier that day.
The Arch commemorates the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The arch is fascinating for its depiction of Romans carrying the spoils from the Jewish temple, most notably the Menorah, the seven branched candlestick. Were it not for this, we would have no idea what the Menorah looked like.
We ended the day at the Mamertine prison, the traditional site of Peter’s and Paul’s imprisonment.
If Paul was here it is not likely the location where he wrote the Prison Epistles. Guests here did not have extended stays and were typically executed immediately.
After the last site, a group of us stayed in the city for a nice Italian dinner
Christian Rome
For our final touring day we did those things we are told you can’t come to Rome and not see: the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. All three were ridiculously crowded and, for us not being Catholic, only the Sistine Chapel was worth seeing.
It was truly breathtaking and too much to process in a short visit. I was surprised to see that the famous section of the creation of Adam is only a tiny panel relative to the rest of the room.
Our Italian guide made us appreciate every other excellent guide we’ve ever had, especially Eylem in Turkey, and those in Israel. She picked a peculiar line of work given her apparent disdain for people. We said goodbye to her before going to our last stop, the catacombs of St. Sebastian. This site was amazing and a perfect way to end the trip.
I didn’t have time to record a devotional in Rome but the catacombs is where I would have done it. For the previous two days we experienced the opulence, power and so called glory of Rome, first during the imperial period and then the papacy.
In contrast, the catacombs are nothing fancy. Perhaps they might even be described as dreary or even morbid. Here is where the earliest Christians met, usually to escape persecution from the Roman emperors. The catacombs are also where Christians buried their departed friends and relatives.
Below are a few of the hundreds of excavated inscriptions found in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin from the early believers. The fragments are praising God and asking for help in times of distress.
The catacombs remind us that being a disciple of Jesus is not supposed to be easy or comfortable. Most believers have lived under threat of persecution since day one (and our turn in the west may be coming sooner than we think).
The site also reminds us that the church is not a building, let alone one opulently decorated. The church is you and me whenever we are together in His Name to pray, fellowship or study His word.
We went back to our hotel and celebrated a wonderful trip together with a great group of new friends.
Extra day
As Thursday 10/12 is our 27th anniversary, Sarah and I opted to spend the day on a beach near Rome instead of in an airplane. Tomorrow we head back to Texas
Conclusion
The Paul trip was extremely valuable to add context to his life and writings, which of course comprises the bulk of the New Testament.
We are very glad we came. I would go back to Turkey again if given the opportunity. I would have liked to be able to spend more time in Corinth on my own, but otherwise I wouldn’t need to come back to Greece or Rome. They were great to see once, but for a Bible study tour nothing beats Israel.
I am confident current situation will resolve itself and we all can look forward to visiting Israel in 2025. It will be an amazing trip!
Let us follow Paul’s advice which he wrote near the end of his life:
2 Timothy 2:14–17 (LEB): Remind people of these things, solemnly urging them before the Lord not to dispute about words. This is in no way beneficial and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, a worker having no need to be ashamed, guiding the word of truth along a straight path. 16 But avoid pointless chatter, for it will progress to greater ungodliness, 17 and their message ⌊will spread⌋ like gangrene
Amen!