Sardis and Hierapolis

On Tuesday our group left Kusadasi and headed north east. We stopped first at Sardis. This site is incredibly important for the study of the New Testament and Judaism because we find here, in the middle of this large Roman city, a large synagogue. Inscriptions tell us that the land for the synagogue (probably built in the 3rd century CE) was dedicated by the city to the Jewish community. So we see here evidence of a Jewish community that was wealthy and influential in an otherwise extremely Roman city. Normally we think of Judaism after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70CE as a weak, poor person movement. Here, though, we see evidence for a correction to this view. After Sardis, we headed to the modern city Pamukkale (means "cotton castle" in Turkish), which is the ancient city of Hierapolis (an important center of Pauline Christianity). What is incredible here is the natural springs that arise, and the white cliffs that are formed as a result (Sodium bicarbonate in the rock is under intense pressure, and the water from the natural springs releases carbon dioxide and leaves calcium carbonate). So we see why the Turks call this the "cotton castle." This site was also a major Roman city, and it has a fantastic necropolis (graveyard). We also have above the city the shrine of St. Philip (the apostle), a 5th century church.

We stayed the night in Pamukkale where we enjoyed the hot springs and naturally heated pools. The hotels continue to get nicer, so we have that to look forward to.

Here you get a view of the Sardis synagogue from the back, with several of my Emory colleagues looking on. You'll notice the lavish mosaics on the floor, the altar at the front, and the incredible size of the space. This was no poor Jewish community!









To give you a sense of how integrated the synagogue at Sardis was to the surrounding city, check out the view of the baths taken from the synagogue. This structure is impressive, and house a complex system of Roman baths. Certainly the Jews must have been an integral part of the community.







Now we've moved to Hierapolis. You see here the church of St. Philip, way up on a hill overlooking the entire city. The church is just ruins today, but it combines an interesting octagonal architecture, with several important early Christian icons carved into the stone.














Here's the view of Hierapolis and the white rocks from the church of St. Philip.













And here's a closeup of the white rocks. Water flows over different sections of the rocks at different times; here no water is flowing over these rocks.