After another wonderful breakfast, we loaded up on the bus and headed for Old Corinth! On the way, we stopped at the Corinthian Canal which is 3.9 miles long and 26 feet deep.
There were several attempts at trenching the canal beginning in the late 7th century BC. Finally, the canal opened in 1883 largely because of the invention of dynamite.
Not long after leaving the canal, we arrived at the Archeological Museum of Ancient Corinth. The Courtyard displayed statues sculpted for various rulers in the ancient world. These statues were designed so that the heads and the hands would be interchangeable. Greek rulers changed so quickly and their sculptures are so intricate that exclusively sculpting the heads and hands was the most efficient way to keep the statues updated with the current ruler. This is why they are all displayed without heads or hands.
The halls surrounding the courtyard were lined with other various sculptures some of which depicted scene of battle or ancient inscriptions. Moving inside, they displayed all kinds of ancient Mediterranean pottery as well as sarcophagi. They also displayed mini sculptured figurines, common household items, women's beauty products, children's toys, and more.
Next, we ventured outside to explore the temple of Apollos and some city ruins. Interestingly, most of the ruins we can see today are not from the original Corinthian city. In 146 B.C. Rome decimated the entire city of Corinth, rebuilding it about a hundred years later. So, the ruins pictured are actually from Roman buildings not from Greek ones.
We stopped at the Bema Seat to reflect on when Paul was tried in Corinth before leaving Greece. in Acts 18. During my personal reflection, I read through the previous chapter that illustrates why Paul was arrested. Acts 17:23-25 says, "For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." I love how Paul isn't afraid to step into their culture and use it to direct them to Jesus.
Once, we finished at the Museum, we headed to Tavern Gemelos for Lunch.
Next on the agenda was Epidaurus, home of an ancient Wholistic Healing Center where they would perform surgeries, physical exercises, theatre, and anything else that would be healing to people.
They tried to convert the center to a Christian healing center but the Christians didn’t want anything to do with it. Several earthquakes occurred in the mid-6th century AD, followed by several wars which together destroyed the Healing Center and it was lost until the 1970's when archeologists recovered much of it. The healing god Asklepios was strongly associated with the healing center. The image of the snake on the pole that we often associate with physicians comes from the many statues of Asklepios holding a staff wrapped in a snake.
On the same property, we visited was the Epidaurus Ancient Theatre. This marvel not only has perfect acoustics but also the Greeks designed the theatre so that you can hear the performers on stage (without any kind of equipment) no matter where you are. Later the Romans added on seating, but the sound doesn't travel as well in the Roman section as it does in the Greek section.
Our main focus today was context. Just like context is important when understanding scripture. Context is just as important in understanding people's stories. We talk about this in a counseling setting because context provides perspective as we sit with clients. The truth is that this is relevant for every relationship and interaction we have with another human being. It can be so easy to become frustrated or offended by the people we encounter and it can be so easy to forget that there is an entire story behind their actions. When we approach people with the love of the Father, we learn to appreciate people's stories all the more.
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη
(Grace and peace to you)
- Norah
Comments
Post a Comment