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SHOWING YOU THE WORLD IN SCRIPTURE
This page was last updated: February 8, 2011
Turkey/Asia Minor in the Bible and the Early Church
Noah's Ark
The ark came to rest on the highest mountain in the area - we can determine that with scripture.
Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Gen 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
It was about 2 1/2 months before the tops of other mountains were seen. This would have made the ark landing site the highest mountain in the area.
Mount Ararat in Turkey qualifies in that respect.
Legend and folklore has it that this mountain was the location of the ark landing. Noah and his family, 8 people, began their new life in ancient Turkey. I would guess that after the animals were released the ark would have made for a nice starter home. This is important to realize because with just 8 people on earth they would have stayed together in the area of the ark. Noah planted a vineyard soon after exiting the ark. Civilization began again from the area we know as Turkey/Armenia. Noah, his sons, and their wives started in Turkey.
Noah's grandsons names are very familar to students of prophecy. The book of Ezekiel names the lands of these offspring as part of the invaders who align under Gog in Eze 38.
Gen 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
Gen 10:2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
Gen 10:3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
Gen 10:4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Gen 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
Gen 10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
Gen 10:7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Gomer, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Tarshish, Kittim, Sheba, Dedan; they are all mentioned in prophetic text. They are all also grandsons and great grandson of Noah, who was still alive during their lives. They would have settled in the immediate area of the ark where their fathers and grandfathers lived. This is important because the nations that bear their names are nations attacking Israel in Eze 38.
Gen 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
Gen 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
If they journeyed from the east then they were heading west. Draw a line west from Mt. Ararat and you run into a great plain called Anatolia.
Gen 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
In Genesis we find the Ark on Mt Ararat and man slowly migrating west and then southward from the ark. They most likely followed the Murat river to the Euphrates river. That means they traveled west from Mount Ararat!! That is an important fact in understanding where the city of UR was located. They traveled to the land of Harran; Harran; Hebrew Haran; (Strong's 02039) name of the place to which Abraham migrated from
Ur
Ur of the Chaldees and where the descendants of Abraham's brother Nahor established themselves; probably located in Mesopotamia, in Padanaram, the cultivated district at the foot of the hills between the Khabour and the Euphrates below Mount Masius.
Ur; called Urfa, is in southeastern Turkey, former capital of ancient Osrhoene. It is situated on a limestone ridge, an
extension of the ancient Mount Masius in the Taurus mountains of southern Anatolia (Turkey)
Where were these Chaldeans from?
The evidence shows that their homeland included the area of south central Turkey because inscriptions have been found which tell that both Nebuchadnezzar (2nd king of the Chaldean empire) and Nabonidus (last king of the empire whose son, Belshazzar, was co-regent in Babylon) built temples to "Sin", the moon-god in HARRAN. Inscriptions also show that Nabonidus and his mother were both FROM Harran. The term "Chaldees"- the Urartuans or those from the greater Ararat region, called their collection of gods "khaldis" and their supreme god Khaldi.
"Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, (Luke 3:34)
"When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran."
Harran was also the home of Laban and Jacob spent 20 years in Haran working for his uncle Laban. The time of Jacob's trouble refer to the years he had to work to gain Rachel as his wife.
Archaeologists have found that most of the names of his ancestors of his genealogy were names of cities. These names are present in southern Turkey.
Town names of Harran, Nahor, Serug, and Terah
Abram's kin settled in Syrio-Mesopotamia region between the upper Euphrates and Habur rivers near Urfa Haran (Gen 11:31), Abram (Old Assyrian text Abrum) whose father was Terah, (Til-Sa-Turahi, "Mound of Terah," Neo-Assyrian text), grandfather Nahor, as is his brother, whose name is from Old Assyrian and Old Babylonian texts Til-Nakhiri (the "Mound of Nahor", Neo-Assyrian text) and great-grandfather Serug, Sarugi, Neo-Assyrian text) . Peleg recalls later Paliga on the Euphrates just above the mouth of the Habur. These are place-names referring to sites in the plain of Harran.
This area during Genesis was identified as Aramean by the terms Aram-Naharaim [(Final Mem Yod Resh He Nun Final Mem Resh Aleph Lamed Aleph) literally "Aram of the two rivers, (Shinar)."
Turkey holds a place in Christian history right along side of Israel. Not only did events in the Bible take place here, but it is the site of the early church centered on the Byzantine Empire. It has more biblical sites than any other country in the Middle East. Turkey is very important in understanding the background of the New Testament, because approximately two-thirds of its books were written either to or from churches in Turkey. Turkey’s rich spiritual heritage starts at the very beginning in the book of Genesis and ends in Revelation.
The Garden of Eden
There is some historical evidence that the Garden of Eden was in the Urartu Area - no one can ever be sure as once the Flood of Noah occured all of the earth's typography changed as the flood was a global cataclysm and everything including the Garden of Eden was totally destroyed including the sources of the rivers. It is possible that Noah named the new rivers after the ones he had remembered before the flood took place. Only the Lord knows where the original garden of Eden was.
"The Sumerians, an ancient peoples and one of the first civilizations in the world called Ararat, Arrata. In their great epic poems of Gilgamesh and Arrata, they tell of the land of their ancestors, the Arratans in the Highlands of Armenia. The Sumerians also in the epic poems describe the Great Flood and the rebirth of life after the terrible deluge that fell from the Highlands of Armenia unto the lands of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent. The Sumerians had a very close connection with the ancestral Land of Ararat and considered it as their ancestral homeland (many historians and archaeologists are convinced that the Sumerians initially lived in Northern Mesopotamia and Armenian Highland). The Greeks believed that the people who first worked with bronze and iron came from the same area, they called them Khaldi."
The art of Urartu contained abundant depictions referring to the sacred tree, images of sacred trees guarded by seraphim and genii and sometimes attended by a king or kings.
Over a 1000 years after the tower of Babel was built near Ur (Urfa) we can see (on the map ) the Chaldeans have moved south along the rivers into the place they called Babylon. They also named a city that they built there UR.
So to sum up, The families of Noah migrated, first traveling from the east toward the west following the river through the mountains until they came to a huge open plain they named Shinar, meaning land between the two rivers, (The Plain of Harran). They settled in the plain in southeast corner of Turkey and northern Syria. Then the generations began to migrate down the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Asshur built the cities of Assyria, Nineveh and other cities (Iraq). God uses these ancient names to identify the original lands of these peoples, not where they migrated to over a long period of time, but where they first settled.
The Seven Churches of Revelation
The seven churches in Revelation are located in western Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), accessible by way of the Aegean Sea and the ancient trade routes between the West and East. These cities were major cultural hubs throughout history. During the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, these Roman-controlled cities were also important in early Christianity. The Island Of Patmos is located in the Aegean Sea just off the west coast of Turkey. It was there that the The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation and the letters to the seven churches: ...I was caught up in spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, 'Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.' Rev 1:10-11
1. Ephesus – The desirable church that left its first love (Revelation 2:1-7). Ephesus was the influential capital city of Asia Minor on the Aegean Sea. Ephesus is now known for its huge metropolis of ancient streets, arches and ruins. It was often called the third city of Christian faith, with Jerusalem first, and Antioch second. It was a very rich city. The government was Roman but the language was Greek. Historians believe that John, Mary, Peter, Andrew and Philip were all buried in here. There was a Temple dedicated to Diana worship in the city.
2. Smyrna – The persecuted church that suffered poverty and martyrdom (Revelation 2:8-11). Smyrna was located north of Ephesus in a powerful trading position on the Aegean Sea known for its harbors, commerce, and marketplaces. The primary ruins of Smyrna are located in the modern Turkish city of Izmir. In this city there were two famous temples. One was the temple erected to the worship of Zeus, and the other was erected to Cybele. And between these two temples was found the most beautiful road of ancient times, called the Golden Street.
Jesus tells us through John that there existed in Smyrna a group of Jews that He described as "the synagogue of Satan". This indicates that the powers of Satan were live and active in the Smyrna (Turkey) region.
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
3. Pergamon – The worldly church that mixed doctrines and needed to repent (Rev. 2:12-17). Pergamum is located on the plains and foothills along the Caicus River in Western Turkey. It was considered a major city in Asia Minor since the 3rd century BC, and became a Greek and Roman hub for temple worship. The worship of Aesculapius, whom they worshipped in the form of a living serpent which was housed and fed in the temple. It was also Satan's Seat and dwelling place.
4. Thyatira – The false church that followed a seductive prophetess (Rev. 2:18-29). Thyatira is located in western Asia Minor about 42 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. The ancient city was known for its textiles and dyeing trade, and is now known as the Turkish city of Akhisar. The major religion of Thyatira was the worship of Apollo Tyrimnaios which was joined with the emperor worship cult. Apollo was the sun god, and the next in power to his father, Zeus. Now this Apollo was called the 'averter of evil.' He turned evil away from people. He blessed them and was a real god to them. He was supposed to teach the people. He explained about worship, and temple rites, services to gods, about sacrifices and death and life after death. The way he did this was through a prophetess who sat entranced upon a tripod chair. It is most worthy of note that the very name Thyatira means in Greek: "odour of affliction", or "dominating female".
5. Sardis – The "dead" church that fell asleep (Revelation 3:1-6). Sardis is located on the banks of the Pactolus River in western Asia Minor, 60 miles inland from Ephesus and Smyrna. Popular ruins include the decadent temples and bath house complexes. The religion of this city was the impure worship of the goddess Cybele. The massive ruins of the temple may still be seen. Sardis was the capital of ancient Lydia. It passed from the hands of Lydian monarchs to the Persians and thence to Alexander the Great. It was sacked by Antiochus the Great. The kings of Pergamos then succeeded to the dominion until the Romans took over. In the time of Tiberius it was desolated by earthquakes and plagues.
6. Philadelphia – The church of brotherly love that endures patiently (Revelation 3:7-13). Philadelphia is located on the Cogamis River in western Asia Minor, about 80 miles east of Smyrna. Philadelphia was known for its variety of temples and worship centers. Its coins bore the head of Bacchus and the figure of a Baccante (priestess of Bacchus). The mintage of the coins suggests the deity of the city to be Bacchus. Now Bacchus is the same as Ninus or Nimrod. Here is a coin with their god on one side and the priestess or prophetess on the other. In Philadelphia the synagogue of Satan is mentioned again.
"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."
7. Laodicea – The "lukewarm" church with a faith that’s neither hot nor cold (Rev. 3:14-22). Laodicea is located in the Lycus River Valley of western Asia Minor, a primary trade route between the cultures of the West. The pagan god worshipped there was Zeus. In fact this city was once called Diopolis (City of Zeus) in honor of their god who was the chief and father of the gods.
The Seat of Satan - Pergamon
Nowadays known as Bergama
Pergamos at that time Revelation was written was both the capital city of Asia Minor and the religious center of the Roman Empire. In fact, we can prove historically that Satan's seat had been in Pergamos for three centuries before John's writing and remained there. After the breakup of the Greek empire, following Alexander’s death, the Babylonian priests fled the Romans to Pergamos to preserve the religion.
Of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation, Pergamos was indeed the most wicked for Satan's seat was established there. As its name implies, Pergamos was a city of mixed religions and temples. In fact, a title held by the inhabitants of Pergamos was "chief temple-keepers of Asia." Behind the city was a cone shaped mountain rising 1,000 feet above sea level which in John's day was covered with heathen temples. Towering above all the temples and visible for miles around was a giant altar to Zeus, the Grecian father of the gods. The city was also headquarters of the serpent god, Asklepios and like Smyrna, Pergamos had erected a temple to the Roman emperor.
Revelation 2:12-13
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Antipas was most likely the pastor of the local church at Pergamos. Historically we know that he was the first martyr of Asia Minor. The method by which he met his demise is barbaric.
According to tradition he was slowly roasted to death in a bronze kettle during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian. Domitian began the second wave of persecution in 81 AD. Christians who stood before this savage ruler were given a chance to live if they would renounce their faith. The test was an oath they had to take during renunciation.
When Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians, the priest-king, Attalus fled the city and went to Pergamos with his priests and sacred mysteries. There he set up his kingdom outside the Roman empire, and thrived under the care of the devil.
This is the altar that Hitler took back to Berlin and it can be seen in the Berlin Museum along with the Ishthar Gate
The front of the Pergamon Altar, as it is reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
The Pergamon Altar is a magnificently opulent structure originally built in the 2nd century BC in the Ancient Greek city of Pergamon (modern day Bergama in Turkey) in north-western Anatolia, 25.74 kilometers (16 miles) from the Aegean Sea. It has long been assumed that the temple was dedicated to Zeus. The altar appears to be mentioned in the Book of Revelation, Revelation 2:12-13: "In Pergamos where Satan's Throne is"
The Altar has a 113 metre (371 feet) long sculptural frieze depicting the gigantomachy, or struggle of the gods and the giants.
(possibly a tie to Anatolian Mythology - the nephilim in the bible ?)
Empty basis of altar in Pergamon
The Harlot links with Turkey
Cybele
The Cult of Magna Mater, the Great Mother, is probably the oldest religion of all.
Originally a Hittite and Phrygian goddess, Cybele was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in Anatolia since Neolithic times. Cybele was a powerful goddess who had existed long before the "birth" of Zeus, and she would have been worshipped in that area from antiquity.
The goddess was known among the Greeks as Meter or Meter oreie ("Mountain-Mother"), or, with a particular Anatolian sacred mountain in mind, Idaea, inasmuch as she was supposed to have been born on Mount Ida in Anatolia,
A figurine found at Çatalhöyük, (Archaeological Museum, Ankara), dating about 6000 BCE, depicts a corpulent and fertile Mother Goddess in the process of giving birth while seated on her throne, which has two hand rests in the form of lion's heads. Anatolia was the Asiatic area of what is today Turkey, known in ancient times as Asia Minor. The general boundaries were the Black Sea to the north, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Dardanelles to the northwest, The Aegean Sea to the west, The Mediterranean Sea to the south. This is where agriculture and animal husbandry first started. They domesticated wild animals living on their lands (ovine, bovine and caprine races). They learned to cultivate wild wheat and barley, to store the products of their crops. They settled and gathered into villages. This is the first civilization.
The worship of Cybele spread from inland areas of Anatolia and Syria to the Aegean coast, to Crete and other Aegean islands, and to mainland Greece. Her temples and shrines were always in mountains or caves and her guardians were lions (or leopards).
In Ancient Egypt at Alexandria, Cybele was worshiped by the Greek population as "The Mother of the Gods, the Savior who Hears our Prayers" and as "The Mother of the Gods, the Accessible One". Ephesus, one of the major trading centers of the area, was devoted to Cybele as early the 10th century BCE, and the city's ecstatic celebration, the Ephesia, honored her.
Artemis of Ephesus is the extension of the mother goddess and the source of the Virgin Mary cult which parallels virginity and motherhood. The black meteorite was adapted as the head of the cult statue. Cybele, like Diana of the Ephesians, was a "black virgin." The crescent moon also represents Diana of the Ephesians
Acts 19 Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
"And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
She became the protectress of the Roman Empire.
Cybele was received with full honors by the leading citizens of Rome. The Roman Pontifex Maximus welcomed her and she became the great MAGNA MATER or "holy" mother of Rome.
Under the Roman Empire the most important festival of Cybele was the Hilaria, taking place between March 15 and March 28. It symbolicaly commemorated the death of Attis and his resurrection by Cybele, involving days of mourning followed by rejoicing. Celebrations also took place on 4 April with the Megalensia festival, the anniversary of the arrival of the goddess (i.e the Black Stone) in Rome.
Cybele worship was associated with a BLACK STONE or meteorite that had fallen from the sky.
The stone associated with Cybele's worship was,originally, probably at Pessinus but perhaps at Pergamum or on Mount Ida. What is certain is that in 204 BC it was taken to Rome, where Cybele became "Mother" to the Romans. Her ecstatic rites of worship made the Roman streets very lively during the annual procession of the goddess's statue.Alongside Isis, Cybele retained prominence in the heart of the Empire until the fifth century AD; the stone was then "lost."
She wore a key like Janus which gave her the same authority as Janus (key to heaven and earth and the mysteries).
Cybele's journey from Pegamum to Rome in 204 B.C.
The Great Goddess of Asia Minor is the oldest true Goddess known, predating the Goddesses of the Sumerian and Egyptians and clearly shows the crescent moon
A figurine found at Çatal Hüyük, depicts the Mother Goddess squatting in the process of giving birth while flanked by two leopards. In later centuries, the leopards would be changed to lions--the metamorphosed Atalanta and Hippomenes, though leopards were considered to be female lions by the ancients. Her worship was originally combined with that of the Bull of Heaven, which is also prominently displayed at Çatal Hüyük.
The basilica of Saint Peter's now stands upon the former site (map at left) of Cybele's main temple in Rome.
Cybele in Rome: notice the tower on her head
The mitre on the head of the goddess Cybele is striking similarity to the 'fish head' of the God Dagon. The Great Goddess of Asia Minor is the oldest true Goddess known, predating the Goddesses of the Sumerian and Egyptians by at least 5,000 years. Cybele was worshipped in Rome and was also called the "Magna Mater", or the great queen mother goddess, which evolved into Catholic Mariology. The priesthood of Cybele was composed of castrated males, which parallels the celibate priesthood of Catholicism.
Coin showing Cybele riding on a lion
Here is the fish-head mitre worn by the ranking clergy of the Catholic Church, in this case Late Pope John Paul II. As can be seen, it is derived directly from the mitres of the ancient pagan fish-god Dagon, and the goddess Cybele. Note the similarity in theme of the symbol on the front of John Paul's mitre, here a sun wheel, and that of Cybele's mitre, symbolic of the pagan sun god
Did you know?
Cybele was the Astarte that Jezebel was priestess to and caused Israel to stumble by the licentious rites that she conducted...... Yes, that is who she was in the Bible!
New Testament Timeline in Turkey 
30 AD/ Acts 2:9
Jews from Asia Minor at Jerusalem Pentecost.
33 AD / Acts 9:30
St. Paul sent off to Tarsus
43 AD / Acts 11:19– 24
Church planted in Antioch among Jews & Gentiles.
44 AD / Acts 11:25– 30
St. Paul and St. Barnabas minister in Antioch.
47-48 AD / Acts 13:4–14:28
St. Paul and St. Barnabas on 1st ministry journey.
49 AD/ Gal 2:11–16
Peter visits Antioch; Galatians written.
50 AD/ Acts 15:36–18:22
St. Paul and Silas revisit Galatia on 2nd ministry journey
50s AD / Matthew
Matthew writes gospel to Christians in Antioch.
Spring 52 AD / Acts 18:18–21
St. Paul sails from Cenchrea to Caesarea via Ephesus.
52 AD/ Acts 18:24–26
Apollos in Ephesus with Priscilla and Aquila.
Summer 53 AD/ Act 18:23
St. Paul revisits Galatia on 3rd ministry journey.
53-56 AD/ Acts 19:1–40
St. Paul ministers in Ephesus for 2 ½ years.
55 AD/ 1 Cor 16:19
St. Paul writes 1 Corinthians from Ephesus.
56 AD/ 1 Cor 16:19
Aquila and Priscilla depart Ephesus for Rome.
59 AD/ Acts 27:5
St. Paul’s voyage to Rome off Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra in Lycia.
61-62 AD/ Eph 1:1; Col 1:2; Phlm 1
St. Paul writes church in Ephesus and Colossae.
63AD / 1 Peter 1:1
Peter writes to Christians in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia from Rome.
64AD / 2 Peter 3:1
Peter writer a second letter to Christians in Anatolia.
65AD / 1 Tim 1:3
Paul writes Timothy at Ephesus.
66 AD / 2 Tim 1:15
St. Paul writes 2nd letter to Timothy at Ephesus.
69 AD/ Rev 1:9, 11
St. John writes Book of Revelation to seven churches in Asia from Patmos (early date).
70s AD / (90s?) John
St. John writes gospel to Asian Christians.
80s AD/ 1 & 2 John
St. John writes letters to Asian Christians.
80s AD / 3 John
St. John writes letter to Gaius at Ephesus.
95 AD/ Rev 1:9, 11
St. John writes Book of Revelation from Patmos (late date)
Turkey's links to the Prophet Daniel
The Persians completed their domination of Anatolia in 546 B.C. when Cyrus defeated the famous Lydian king Croesus. Sardis now became the capital of a Persian Empire.
Alexander the Great was the Macedonian leopard who next appeared on the scene. He is also described as a one-horned goat in Daniel 8:5–8.
Alexander’s first defeat of the Persians occurred at Granicus River in northeastern Turkey in 334 C.C. A year later at Issus Alexander routed the Persian king Darius III, thus securing Greek control of Anatolia. Following Alexander's death (323 B.C.) his kingdom broke into four parts, each ruled by one of his generals (Dan 8:8; 11:3–4).
The Early Church in Turkey
The origin of the church in Turkey goes back to the events immediately following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Judea. On the Day of Pentecost Jews from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:9–10). Many of these became eyewitnesses to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s subsequent sermon. Some were undoubtedly among the three thousand who believed on Jesus that day (Acts 2:41).
Returning home, these were the first Christians in Anatolia. One of the most interesting accounts recorded by the early church father Eusebius in his Church History (1.13) is a letter of Abgar V, king of Edessa. Abgar, dying of disease, wrote a letter, requesting Jesus to heal him. In his reply Jesus stated that he could not come but that a disciple would be sent later. After Pentecost Thaddeus was sent by the apostles. When he prayed for Abgar, the king was instantly healed. Abgar and his subjects believed in Jesus, and the kingdom converted to Christianity. Syriac Christianity, which persists in the region of Mardin, traces its historical origins to this tradition.
Although Jesus had commanded the early believers to preach the gospel outside of Jerusalem “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), this did not happen until the martyrdom of Stephen. Jews from Cilicia and Asia found a willing accomplice to this murder in Saul (Acts 6:9; 7:58–8:1). Although born a citizen of Tarsus, Saul had been brought to Jerusalem as a youth to receive formal training in Judaism (Acts 21:39; 22:3). On the road to Damascus Saul was dramatically converted, and after a time in Arabia and Jerusalem he returned to Tarsus (Acts 9:30; Gal.1:21).
In the meantime those scattered by Stephen’s death traveled as far north as Antioch, preaching first to Jews and then to Gentiles. A church quickly formed with many believing in the Lord (Acts 11:19–24). Barnabas brought Paul from Tarsus to assist in discipling these new believers, and at Antioch these believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:25–26).
PLACE REFERENCE
REFERENCEAdramyttium Acts 27:2
Acts 27:2Antioch Acts 11:19-27; 13:1; 14:26, 15:22-35, Gal. 2:11, II Tim. 3:11
Acts 11:19-27; 13:1; 14:26, 15:22-35, Gal. 2:11, II Tim. 3:11Assos Acts 20:13,14
Acts 20:13,14Attalia Acts 14:25
Acts 14:25Bithniya Province (Nicaea) Acts 16:7, I Pet 1:1
Acts 16:7, I Pet 1:1Cappadocia Province Acts 2:9, I Pet 1:1
Acts 2:9, I Pet 1:1Carchemish II Chro. 35:20, Isa 10:9, Jer 46:2
II Chro. 35:20, Isa 10:9, Jer 46:2Cnidus Acts 27:7
Acts 27:7Colossae Col. 1:2
Col. 1:2Derbe Acts 14:6 - 20;4
Acts 14:6 - 20;4Ephesus Acts 18:19-24; 19:1-35; 20:16-17; 21:29,
1 Cor. 15:32; 16:8, I Tim. 1:3
II Tim. 1:18; 4:12, Rev. 1:11, 2:1
Euphrates River Gen. 2:14; Jer. 13:4, 6, Rev. 9:4; 16:2
Galatia Province Acts 16:6; 18:23, I Cor. 16:1, Gal 1:2; 3:1, II Tim 4:10, I Pet 1:1
Harran II Kings 19:12, Isa. 37:12, Ezek. 27:23, Acts 7:2-4
II Kings 19:12, Isa. 37:12, Ezek. 27:23, Acts 7:2-4Hierapolis Col 4:13
Col 4:13Iconium Acts 13:51; 14:1-21; 16:2, II Tim. 3:11
Acts 13:51; 14:1-21; 16:2, II Tim. 3:11 Laodicea Col 2:1; 4:13-16, Rev. 1:11; 3:14
Col 2:1; 4:13-16, Rev. 1:11; 3:14Lystra Acts 14:6-21; 16:1-2, II Tim. 3:11
Acts 14:6-21; 16:1-2, II Tim. 3:11Miletus Acts 20:15-17, II Tim. 4:20
Acts 20:15-17, II Tim. 4:20Mt. Ararat Gen 8:4, II Kings 19:37, Isa 37:38
Gen 8:4, II Kings 19:37, Isa 37:38Myra Acts 27:5-6
Acts 27:5-6 Patara Acts 21:1-2
Acts 21:1-2Perga Acts 13:13-14; 14:25
Acts 13:13-14; 14:25Pergamum Rev. 1:11; 2:12
Rev. 1:11; 2:12Philadelphia Rev. 1:11; 3:7
Rev. 1:11; 3:7Pisidian Antioch Acts 13:14; 14:19-21, I Tim. 3:11
Sardis Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4
Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4Seleucia Acts 13:4
Acts 13:4Smyrna Rev. 1:11; 2:8
Rev. 1:11; 2:8Tarsus Acts 9:11; 9:30; 11:25; 21:39; 22:3
Acts 9:11; 9:30; 11:25; 21:39; 22:3Thyatira Acts 16:14, Rev. 1:11; 2:18-24
Acts 16:14, Rev. 1:11; 2:18-24Tigris River Gen. 2:14, Daniel 10:4
Gen. 2:14, Daniel 10:4Troas Acts 16:8-11; 20:5, 6, II Tim. 4:13 II Cor. 2:12
Acts 16:8-11; 20:5, 6, II Tim. 4:13 II Cor. 2:12Troy Acts 16:8-11; 20:5, 6, II Tim. 4:13 II Cor. 2:12
Acts 16:8-11; 20:5, 6, II Tim. 4:13 II Cor. 2:12Jewish Heritage
The first Jews are estimated to have settled in Anatolia in the 6th century B.C., making the Jewish community in Turkey one of the oldest in the world. Biblical references in Isaiah (66;19 and Joel (3;4-6) testify to Jewish Presence in Anatolia, pointing to a place called Sepharad in Obadiah (1;20).In the 3th century B.C., Antiochus brought 2.000 Jews to Phrygia and Lydia, thriving civilizations in western Anatolia, and the first Synagogues in Asia minor were built during this time. Cicero informs us that the monies that Jews from Bergama had gathered for Bet Hamikdash (Holly Temple) in Jerusalem were confiscated, confirming in this context the Jewish presence at the time.
St. Paul was born in Tarsus and lived as an influential and well -to- do Jew until he became an apostle of Jesus Christ. Later, during his many journeys to preach the gospel, he targeted locations in Anatolia with large Jewish communities.
In the first few centuries A.D. there were rich Jewish units in Hierapolis (Pamukkale) and Cappadocia (Kapadokya) in central Anatolia. During the time of Byzantine Empire, most Jewish communities were settled in western Anatolia and in Istanbul, than Istanbul called Constantinople. Jews’ rights were significantly restricted by laws enacted by Byzantine rulers Constantine, Theodosius and Justinian, and they suffered the most severe blow during the Crusades when Constantinople was temporarily occupied by the Latin Kingdom and the Jewish districts were set on fire. Thus, when Mehmet II. Conquered Constantinople in 1453.the Romaniot (Byzantine) Jewish community hailed him as a liberator.
Over the next two centuries, the country became a heaven for Jews fleeing repression and expulsion from various parts of Europe, including Hungary, France, Spain, Sicily, Salonika and Bavaria. Ottomans greatly encouraged Jewish immigration, which became a torrent When Spanish and Portuguese Jews were expelled from their homes by the Spanish Inquisition and fled to Turkey. These Jews used their international connections and linguistic skills to develop the Ottoman Empire’s foreign trade.
In the liberal atmosphere of Ottoman rule, Jewish activity flourished and many Jews held important positions. Istanbul was the home of great rabbis and scholars and one of the main centers for printing of Hebrew books. The community began to ebb in the 17’th century, reflecting the decay of the country’s international position. In the 19th century conditions for Jews to emigrate. The majority settled in the Americas. At the turn of twentieth century, about 100.000 Jews lived in Turkey. 46.000 in Istanbul, over 16.000 in Izmir, 5.700 in Edirne, 23.700 in Canakkale, Bursa and Cappadocia.
Modern Turkey emerged as a secular, democratic republic out of country’s debacle in World War I. 1992 Jewish community celebrated the 500th anniversary of arrival of first Sephardim. Today, approximately 25.000 Jews live in Turkey as a Turkish citizen. The Jewish community is officially recognized by state through its Chief Rabbinate.
Harran
Harran was the abode of Abraham for an extended period of time (Genesis 11;26.25:10). Houses in Harran are built of blocks of stone in Igloo style to avoid direct sun exposure. each dome covers a separate room, and room mostly have no windows for purpose of keeping the heat out. The architecture in Harran has remained the same since the time of Abraham.
This is the opening to a Christian cave church. You can see the crosses which are prominently displayed.
Cappadocia
Christians used Cappadocia as a refuge the way others had done so through Anatolian history. They hid in underground cities and carved churches into the soft rock across the countryside.
Underground cities in Cappadocia generally had a number of features in common: rooms for food storage, kitchens, churches, stables, wine or oil presses, and shafts for ventilation.
The underground city in Derinkuyu, which covers eight levels and extends to a depth of 85 meters, was large enough to shelter thousands of people together with their livestock and food stores. The city could be closed from inside with large stone doors. Up to 10,000 people could hid in this underground city. With storerooms and wells that made long stays possible, the city had air shafts which are up to 100 feet (30 m) deep. Not every floor was provided with a well, however, some wells were not connected with the surface in order to protect the dwellers from poisoning during raids. Derinkuyu has a tunnel of almost 8 kilometers in length that leads to another underground city of Capadocia, Kaymakli.
One of the heavy stone doors. They have a height of 1–1,5 m, 30–50 cm in width and weigh 200–500 kg. The hole in the center can be used to open or close the millstone, or to see who is outdoors.
A Cross Section of One of the Underground Cities
You can read more on the Harlot here (some pages still under construction)
Hagia Sofia
"a 2nd Jerusalem"
Hagia Sophia now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the greatest Christian cathedral of the Middle Ages, later converted into an imperial mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire, and into a museum in 1935. It is located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is considered one of the greatest and most beautiful buildings in history. Its conquest by the Ottomans at the fall of Constantinople is considered one of the great tragedies of Christianity by the Greek Orthodox faithful.
It was constructed in five years, from 532 to 537, at the orders of Emperor Justinian I and designed by Isidore of Miletus.
For more than 900 years, Hagia Sophia was the most important building in the Eastern Christian world: the seat of the Orthodox patriarch, counterpart to Roman Catholicism's pope, as well as the central church of the Byzantine emperors, whose palace stood nearby.
Immediately after the Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque. In 1935, the first Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, transformed the building into a museum. The carpets were removed and the marble floor decorations appeared for the first time in centuries, while the white plaster which covered the mosaics were peeled off with the long and careful work of experts.
The church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, was the center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity for many centuries.
The magnificence, spirituality and prestige of the Great Church led to its being appropriated as an imperial and religious symbol by the Ottoman sultans. The church of Christ was possessed and converted into a mosque, until it was decreed a museum.
The following below was taken from the Hagia Sophia Website:
If you believe in the just case that Hagia Sophia should be restored to its proper religious role as a church, for which it was built in the first place, then please support this petition to the EU Parliament that Turkey should not be admitted as a member of the European Union until it restores Hagia Sophia to its original purpose as a church and not a museum.
A minimum of 1.000.000 signatures are needed in order to persuade the European Union to consider this proposal seriously.
As you know, Turkey is doing everything it can today to convince the European Union that it is a worthy country to join it. If you believe that Turkey should not be admitted to the EU before restoring justice to Hagia Sophia, please click on "Your Signature" and send your message.
Historic mistakes can be reversed and corrected. By taking the big and noble step of redeeming Hagia Sophia, the Turkish state would prove its genuine respect for the Christians of Europe and the world. Restoring Hagia Sophia to Christian worship would be THE revolutionary gesture of wisdom, progress and civility. Such an act would offer Istanbul the rare privilege of hosting not only a great monument of world art, but also one of Christianity’s most important places of worship, a truly rare diamond.
While
Turkish Islamists demand the reconsecration of Hagia Sophia as a mosque, a position once espoused by Turkey's current prime minister, 54-year-old Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who, as a rising politician in the 1990s, asserted that "Ayasofya should be opened to Muslim prayers." (Erdogan frightened secularists even more at the time by declaring his support for introduction of Islamic law, announcing that "For us, democracy is a means to an end.") Erdogan went on to become mayor of Istanbul and to win election as prime minister in 2003 to date.
The interior of the church is vast. The building is covered with a big central dome which is 56 m., 150 feet high, 33 m.,72 feet in diameter. The dome was decorated with Arabic calligraphic writings during the Ottoman Era. The building is strengthened with columns in green and purple color. Purple (porphyry) was the sacred color of the Byzantium. The emperors were born to purple color fabrics, used this color in their costumes and buried in purple color fabrics. Upon walking into the church, one sees a square which was “Coronation Square” of the Byzantium Emperors. All of the Byzantine Emperors were coroneted in Hagia Sophia Church.
The Church has many images depicting the mother goddess known by other names throughout history, Artemis, Cybele, Venus and Aphrodite. Entwined snakes stand for Adam and Eve and the good and evil. The fact that Mary is seated on a throne is a reference to the cult of the mother goddess. Tarot signs can be seen above the throne and masonic symbols can also be seen in the marble slabs on the floor.
It has been said that the pattern created by the veins in the marble on the wall to the right of the mimbar (pulpit) on the ground floor bears a resemblance to the devil. Therefore, some people believe that the devil is imprisoned within the walls of Haghia Sophia.
To the Early Christians Hagia Sophia was the Church of the Holy Wisdom - Mother Church of Orthodox faith and symbolized the second divine tribute to the Holy trinity - to Muslims it was renamed the Mosque of Holy Wisdom and Jewel of Istanbul.
The Mother goddess: Sophia
Orthodox Teaching
Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, now Istanbul , was built by the Emperor Constantine in honor of Sophia ("Wisdom")
Early Greek Christians portrayed the feminine face of God as Hagia Sophia, or "Holy Female Wisdom." It was believed that Sophia's spirit entered Mary to conceive Jesus and, as a dove, entered Jesus at his baptism. She gave voice to the apostles at Pentecost. This ivory colored statue with blush undertones is one of our most magnificent and regal likenesses.
Haghia Sophia is the third great church to be built on this site. However, it is the first to bear the name of Haghia Sophia, meaning 'Holy Wisdom'. The prior two churches were called Megale Ekklesia (Great Church). When Constantius constructed the first Megale Ekklesia in 360, he sent his mother Helena to Jerusalem where she excavated the Temple of Solomon. She found the Cross, Crown of Thorns and Jesus's clothes and brought them to Megale Ekklesia. The cross was plated with gold and displayed on the Million stone located 20m from Haghia Sophia.
Legend has it that the plans for Haghia Sophia came to Emperor Justinian in a dream which he then imparted to his head architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. At the dedication of Haghia Sophia, Justinian is said to have exclaimed, 'Solomon, I have surpassed you!' referring to the splendours of the Temple of Solomon. For 800 years after its construction in 537, Haghia Sophia was the most important and largest structure in the world.
While the primary aim of Crusades was to rescue the Temple of Solomon from the Muslims, the 1203 Crusades bypassed Jerusalem, heading for Constantinople instead. They besieged the city for months, ransacking it when it finally fell. The Crusaders took the treasures of the city, including the cross and many other untold sacred relics.
Materials were brought from Ephesus, Athens, Rome, and Delphi to be used in the construction of this magnificent building. Eight columns of red porphyry were brought from the Diana Temple at Ephesus. Other marble was obtained from classical sites and from some of the finest marble quarries of the Byzantine world. The work began in 532 AD, and was completed in five years, 11 months and 10 days. The church was consecrated on 26th December, 537 by the Emperor Justinian.
There is no doubt that John has labeled Pergamos as where Satan's seat is and where Satan dwells in Rev 2:13. Flip chapter and verse to Rev 13:2 and we have this scripture concerning the AC. Here we are told that the AC is given 3 things from the dragon (Satan). He is given his power, seat, and great authority.
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Turkey/Asia Minor in the Bible and the Early Church
This page was last updated: February 8, 2011
Inside Hagia Sophia
"To more ideological Islamists, Hagia Sophia proclaims Islam's promise of ultimate triumph over Christianity. In November 2006, a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Hagia Sophia prompted an outpouring of sectarian rage. The pope intended this as a gesture of goodwill, having previously antagonized Muslims by a speech in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor's characterization of Islam as a violent religion. But tens of thousands of protesters, who believed that he was arriving to stake a Christian claim to Hagia Sophia, jammed surrounding streets and squares in the days before his arrival, beating drums and chanting "Constantinople is forever Islamic" and "Let the chains break and Ayasofya open." Hundreds of women wearing head coverings brandished a petition that they claimed contained one million signatures demanding the reconversion of Hagia Sophia. Thirty-nine male protesters were arrested by police for staging a pray-in inside the museum. When the pope finally arrived at Hagia Sophia, traveling along streets lined with police and riding in an armored car rather than his open popemobile, he refrained from even making the sign of the cross."
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