Steps of Paul

In the Spring of 2009, I packed and prepared for my journey from The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) onto the grounds of Eastern Thrace Lydia Lycia Phrygia Pamphylia Cappadocia Cilicia and all the way to Antioch (modern-day Antakya)…and here is my Story in verbatim to relatives and friends in 2009.

“Journey to Turkey (2009).

I am not the world’s greatest writer. I was gently nudged into producing this short article regarding my recent trip to Turkey, a land of Biblical importance rich in history and fascinating culture. When I told people I was going to Turkey, they would invariably ask me: “Business or Pleasure?”. My answer would be “Neither.” Neither did I want to sound like I would walk a pilgrimage journey because it wasn’t really meant to be.

Travel agents have for many years been selling “The journeys of St. Paul” to eager Christian Travelers. I have done enough research to know that it is not possible to follow the steps of St. Paul, let alone try to make any of His three journeys in these troubled times. Some places mentioned in the Scripture no longer exist, or even if they do, those places can never be reached today by people like me because of political or security reasons.

There are also many insurmountable problems to be overcome in both transportation and communications. However, names mentioned in The Acts of The Apostles such as Phrygia Pamphylia and Cappadocia brought out the adventurer and vagabond in me. Would it be possible for me to see places like Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea in this age and time? I had the desire to visit Ephesus, where Paul had spent a considerable length of time and perhaps from there to try to get to Tarsus (his birthplace) and then on to Antioch (modern-day Antakya) near the Syrian border.

I wanted and decided to travel this journey on my own by bus. Organized tours are too restrictive and regimented for me. I like to explore. Tarsus and Antioch on the Orontes (unlike Ephesus) are not places of interest for most travelers. Thousands of tourists visit the world-famous Ephesus every year. The majority of them travel there from the cruise port of Kusadasi or direct from Istanbul. Everyone who visited Ephesus is affected (if at all) in some way and came away with different feelings. My own feeling is reflected in the following words I wrote to my relatives and friends:

“Paul came to Ephesus trekking along a stony track;

I arrived in an air-conditioned bus with pads for my back;

Standing astride upon the mighty steps of Ephesus;

I tried to visualize a journey so long ago from Tarsus;

As I face the challenges of this my journey and yonder;

I thank the good Lord for this opportunity to venture and ponder…”.

I was in Turkey for almost a month and naturally had many stories to tell besides describing kebabs, Turkish Delights, and Baklava, but you don’t want to listen to them. It is even less desirable for me to write about them in The Apostle. There is, however, one incident (an unscheduled day trip) in my long journey that I wish to share with you, which I have already shared with my relatives and friends:

“A small step I took away from the Steps of Paul.

Stumbled I upon a sight I watched with awe.

There appeared before my eye the tomb of St. Nicholas,

He whom we knoweth well the night before Christmas;

St. Nicholas hath by temporal hand been commercialized,

during the wintry months in more ways than he had realized;

Knoweth so few St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra

in an unknown little town I have come to admire;

When flowers in Myra, I believe, were in full bloom,

that it was from its nearby harbour Paul set sail for Rome”.

From Myra, I traveled back to Antalya, and from there, I took an overnight bus to Cappadocia. In Cappadocia, I met a Zen Buddhist from Taiwan who related to me her own life experience and her faith.

With a group of eight, we explored the underground city and the fascinating and indescribable cave churches. I was mesmerized by the beautiful fresco inside the caves painted so many years ago.

My journey has strengthened and deepened my own faith and belief. I believe in the Living God, and as a Christian, I continue to seek the Truth. I cannot treat what has been revealed to me lightly. I had touched holy grounds. In my own way, I touched and felt the ground upon which Saul of Tarsus used to tread. I cannot cherry-pick the Truth he spoke.

I stood before the Altar of St. Peter’s Cave Church in Antioch and went back to the root of Christianity. I try in my own way to know and understand what Christianity is all about. That’s me, and as you can see, it is all “I” in this closing paragraph, but I had wished you were there with me to change that “I” into “We.”You would also have shared Antakya Kunefe (the most delightful and delicious dessert) with me …

PEACE

Nicholas ”

My thought: The Crusaders built the facade of St. Peter’s Cave Church during their rule of Antioch 1098-1268. Today two random Muslim friends took me (on their motorbike) to this Church. There is hope…

My revelation:  “A step away from the Steps of Paul…”

During my journey to Turkey in 2009, I was staying in a small hotel in Antalya, Turkey.  I had earlier booked a day tour of some local attractions. At 5:00 am, there was a knock on my door. It was someone from the hotel reception, and he said: “Mr. Fung, you have a phone call.” I was thinking: Who could be calling me at this unearthly hour? I went downstairs to answer the call (because I had no phone in my room). My travel agent told me that my tour for the day had been canceled because there were only 2 English-speaking tourists. He asked whether I would mind joining a Russian tour group. He told me that the tour might interest me because it would be taking the group to the Museum of St Nicolas. I had until that point in time never heard of The Bishop of Myra ( now revealed to me as St. Nick ). I wrote to my family and friends a short poem about it afterward, and the rest is a mystery …

Peace be with you

Nicholas

“For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe this: unless I believe, I will not understand.”– Anselm of Canterbury.

My Journey continues…