Journey to Patmos

Journey to Patmos

By His grace, we arrived safely on the island of Patmos in the year of our Lord 2016. Patmos is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea measuring only about 12 km long and at its widest is 10 km from east to west. It is situated at the northernmost of the Dodecanese, 15 more significant, and many other smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea near Turkey. Patmos is an important destination for Christian pilgrimage because it is associated with St. John’s writing of the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is the only book in the New Testament where the place of writing is given: ” I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ” – Revelation 1:9 (KJV).

The Skala Village is the centre of life on Patmos.

During my first journey to Ephesus in 2009, I learned about the Basilica of St. John, which is situated on the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill, Selcuk, about 2.5 km from Ephesus. Although not biblically mentioned, I also learned then (from early church traditions) about John bringing Mary to Ephesus (Ref: “Steps of Paul”) and his later exile to this island.

” When I heard one of these (islands) close by was Patmos, I wanted very much to put in there, to enter The dark sea cave. For unlike Cyprus, rich with springs, Or any of the others., Patmos isn’t splendidly situated  ...” –Friedrich Holderlin’s epic poem “Patmos.”

Whether we think Patmos is “splendidly situated” or not, in our time, thousands of visitors go to the island of Patmos every year. Many of them on pilgrimage. For modern pilgrims, there are many ways and forms of transportation to get to this island. We met a middle-aged couple from Ontario. A husband is a Greek man originally from the Greek island of Samos, and the wife is a woman of Chinese heritage. They told us they sailed to Patmos from Samos by ferry. May and I were in Rhodes the previous day. As we sailed towards Patmos, the first thing I noticed was the monastery of St. John, crowning the hill of Chora like a Byzantine castle and a fortress. The weather condition was perfect, and our small ship (unlike larger cruise ships that have to anchor and tender) could be docked at the port of Skala. From the village of Skala, we would take a coach up the hill to The Cave of Apocalypse (the Cave of St. John) and the Monastery of St. John.

A approached the seaport of Skala (the Town of Patmos).

Patmos is essential for Christian Pilgrimage. Today it is also the most visited place on the island because it is its only port. There are many hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, gift shops, bars, cafeterias, and other amenities you would expect to find in a commercial harbour port.

The village of Skala (the town of Patmos). The Monastery of St. John can be seen at a distance on the top of the hill.

Sometimes I ask myself why I go on pilgrimage, especially to sacred destinations. Perhaps there are many reasons – to feel the presence, learn, remember, honour, and above all to give thanks and tell stories about them and share my journeys with those who care. Unlike the strenuous walk along the Camino de Santiago (Ref: http://www.freepilgrim.com/camino-de-santiago-2/), the pilgrimage to Patmos does not take much time and is not particularly physically challenging. Before we started on this journey, I had already read about the Cave of Apocalypse, this location, and knew a bit of the Saint’s life and legacy.

Background & Motivation

St. John the Apostle Church Port Moody.

In 1996, while on sabbatical, I attended St. John the Apostle Church in Port Moody. May had been “led” to this small Anglican parish church not too far from our home in Coquitlam. Our son Nigel was baptised in this church. Although born and raised in the Lutheran tradition, I learned that Orthodox and Catholic churches are often named after saints. I think it is nice to have a congregation of a church under some patronage. An Anglican priest once said to me that the name of a parish is important to him, and he does not take the name lightly. Our parish church’s reputation has fascinated me since I joined St. John the Apostle Church’s congregation. I still do not know why our parish church (built-in 1899) had chosen St. John as the patron saint. I decided to learn about this Apostle John, also known as John theologian, and John, the evangelist.

I learned that John was part of Jesus’ “inner circle,” along with Peter and James. John, together with Peter and James, witnessed Jesus’ Transfiguration on mount Tabor -Matthew 17:1-9. The Apostle John (not to be confused with John the Baptist) is the brother of James (Ref: “Camino de Santiago”), another of the twelve disciples of Jesus. The two brothers were called “Boanerges” (sons of thunder)- Mark 3:17, and from this, we can find a key to John’s personality. From scripture, we come to understand that John, in his early days as a disciple of Jesus, sometimes acted quite boldly and impetuously -Luke 9:54. We read about him forbidding a man to cast out demons in Jesus’ name because that man was not part of the twelve -Mark 9:38-41. However, by the crucifixion, he had enough confidence in John to place Mary’s care over to him. “Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”- John 19:27.

The exterior of the surrounding buildings and the path leading to the entrance outside the Cave of Apocalypse (Cave of St. John).

A small encounter

During our journey to Patmos, we met a friendly Indian couple from Melbourne, Australia. Perhaps they were supposed to come into our lives even for just a short while. The man, Felix (who introduced himself to me at breakfast), is a physicist. He is of Indian heritage, so he probably thought I thought he is Hindu. Preemptively he told me he is not Hindu but a Christian who came originally from Goa, India. I wanted to tell him that May and I had paid respect to St. Francis Xavier in The Basilica of Bom Jesus, but I preferred to listen to him. Felix told me he had spent ten years in Saudi Arabia before immigrating to Australia with his family. He had worked in Saudi Arabia as an engineer setting up medical equipment in the government hospitals there. His specialty is in calibration. To me, his wife Alice is a devout Roman Catholic. She later related to us and shared with us her experience as she entered the Cave of St. John. She revealed to us that she somehow felled on her knees as she entered the Cave.

It was Sunday as we arrived at the Cave (which is now also a Greek orthodox chapel), and a Sunday service was underway. A sign displayed outside the Cave stated that no cameras, video, or photography were allowed inside the Holy Cave. I dutifully followed this instruction and stored my cameras inside my small backpack. As I entered the Cave, I was perhaps deep in thought until I realized that an older woman (a member of the Greek Orthodox congregation) beckoned to me to go in front of the congregation to touch the rock somehow; I managed to do. This rock was believed to be where St. John slept on, using it as a pillow. I also witnessed a devout middle-aged man making the sign of a cross and kissing it in veneration. I can only assume that the middle-aged man was Greek Orthodox. Seven silver lamps were hanging in the Cave. I have always known that we each have individual consciousness of the things around us. And people are affected differently (if at all) when they visit places such as this.  Christian traditions concerning such sites point to a mystery that neither theologians nor the scientific community have yet explained.  Even though I did not fall on my knees (nothing physically happened to me in any way, as much as I was aware), I also had a similar experience as Alice had…

Cameras allowed in the entrance hall to the Cave.

Gate to the entrance hall of the Cave of St. John.

The display charts in the entrance hall showing the setup of the buildings surrounding The Cave of St. John

The Monastery of St. John.

On top of the hill (not far from the Cave) is the Monastery of St. John, constructed in 1088. With donations coming from the Byzantine emperors and countless private contributions, this Monastery is the richest in the Dodecanese. After the coach dropped us off, we had to walk up a steep, narrow paved road on the left of the road to Chora. We then passed a couple of restaurants and gift shops. At the end of the paved road, next to Artemis gift shop (where I bought a Visitor’s Guide), we saw the stairs that lead to the Monastery. A man was in attendance in a kiosk to sell tickets and advised us that there are five chapels to visit.

As we entered the gate, we immediately came across a courtyard laid with pebbles and cobblestones. There were graceful arches above me. I looked around and noticed many different levels of the Monastery. These were probably due to reconstructions, rearrangements, and additions that have taken place over the centuries. In the centre of the courtyard, I saw a covered structure that looks like a well. On my left was the main chapel constructed in 1090. I turned and faced the main chapel (Katholikon) of the Monastery. There were four arched colonnades, and behind the colonnades is the outer narthex with wall paintings painted centuries ago. Someone mentioned that the upper images were from the 17th century, showing and representing different Saint John’s miracles.

As I entered this magnificent Monastery, I was mesmerized by the graceful archways and the paths and corridors paved with pebbles and cobblestones.

The arched colonnades outside the main chapel.

The paintings on the wall outside the narthex of the main chapel (Katholikon) of the Monastery.

Entrance to the main chapel (Katholikon).

One of the inter-connected staircases

There are several interconnected courtyards, arcades, and stairways leading to five chapels. As we entered the Monastery, on the right is a stairway going up to the old Treasury (where no photographs were allowed to be taken) and from there to the roof terraces.

The staircase leading to the old Treasury/ museum housing collections of chalices, crowns, vestments, and rare icons.

On the way to the old Treasury/Museum.

The entrance to the old Treasury, which is now also a museum.

We walked up a narrow staircase to the roof terraces from the museum to have a closer look at the church bells, which we had noticed from the courtyard down below.

narrow staircase to the roof terraces.

The church bells at the roof terrace.

The old treasury (which is now a museum) houses more than 13,000 manuscripts and volumes dating back to the Monastery’s 1000 years history. I finally left this magnificent Monastery, caught the view of the Aegean from above, enlightened and enriched, as we made our way down to the seaport of Skala. I am thankful and feel blessed with the opportunity to visit these places…my journey would continue to the Meteora in Northern Greece…

View of  Aegean  from the Monastery of St. John

Just a thought:

Scholars of both critical and traditional orientation agree that John appeared to have been in some form of imposed exile on the island of Patmos (by the Roman Emperor Domitian 95 A.D and released by Emperor Nerva around 97 A.D). However, some modern biblical scholars believe that the Johannine works’ Authorship (the Fourth Gospel, the three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation) was not by the same author because of the style. I have tremendous respect for those biblical scholars. I do not know whether they are right or wrong. As for myself, I believe that even if the works were in a different style as some modern biblical scholars think, that style could be moved or changed by the Holy Spirit. If we believe so, then we understand. If we do not think so, then we will not understand.

Perhaps the life of John can constantly serve as lessons that I can apply to my own life. A love for the people should always balance zeal for the truth. Zeal can turn to harshness and judgmentalism without love. On the contrary, love can become meaningless sentimentality when it lacks the ability to discern truth from error and good from evil. Secondly, Confidence is a wonderful virtue, but without humility, it can become evil pride (to be distinguished from “good ego”- see: “The Road to Ancient Corinth”) which can lead to boasting and an attitude of exclusiveness. When that happens, the witness of the grace and glory of God is tainted. “But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” Ephesians 4:15 (KJV).

I believe John was the only one of the original twelve disciples, not martyred. His brother James (St. James the Greater of Camino de Santiago) was first singled out for martyrdom-Acts 12:1-2. After Jesus’s Crucifixion, John moved to Ephesus and took Mary with him. Perhaps for God’s purpose, he was exiled to Patmos and then back in Ephesus, where he lived out the remainder of his life until 100 Anno Domini. I believe he wrote the book of Revelation during a period when the Christian churches were experiencing persecution. I learned from John that even though he remained bold and courageous to his last days, his confidence was balanced by the humility he learned at Jesus’ feet. Perhaps from this Apostle, I have also known never to have false pride get in our way and understand that there is a need for humility in those who desire to be great…