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Episode 2 | Eastern Mediterranean

January 23, 2020

26:31

Dave Stotts journeys to Istanbul, Turkey to continue his exploration of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread from Jerusalem to the Eastern Mediterranean region.

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Episode 2 | Eastern Mediterranean

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♪♪♪
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Dave Stotts: Hi,I'm Dave Stotts,
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and I'm in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Known in the ancient world asByzantium and Constantinople,
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this epic city has acted as thegatekeeper between East and West
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for a millennia.
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Now, I'm here at the start ofour epic exploration of how the
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gospel of Jesus Christ spreadfrom Jerusalem to the eastern
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Mediterranean region.
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Dave Stotts: Over 2.000 yearsago, the man known as Jesus
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of Nazareth was born ina small town of Bethlehem
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in the land of Judea.
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His extraordinary life,brutal execution, and miraculous
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resurrection from the deadattest to the truth of his claim
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to be the only son of God.
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This is the storyof how Jesus--
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through the livesof his faithful followers--
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has become knownaround the world,
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impacting all of human historyfrom the first century
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until today.
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This is "Drive Thru History:Ends of the Earth."
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Dave Stotts: After Pentecost,thousands of new believers
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returned home from Jerusalem.
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This means that in the lands ofmodern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan,
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Cyprus, Armenia, and Turkey,new followers of Jesus were
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gathering around dinner tablessharing the gospel in synagogues
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and serving theirneighbors in the streets.
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Then the Apostlesstarted going out.
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Unlike other regions of theworld that sometimes waited
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centuries for the gospel, theeastern Mediterranean heard the
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good news of Jesus from thosewho actually walked with him.
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Peter moved from Jerusalemtowards Rome, Andrew journeyed
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northwest toward the BlackSea, John ministered in Ephesus,
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James went as far as Spain,Bartholomew and Thomas traveled
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to areas of modern Pakistanand India, and so it went.
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By the early secondcentury, other giants of early
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Christianity steppedonto this eastern stage.
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Names like Ignatius andPolycarp became renowned
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for their courageous faith,sound teaching,
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and willingness to diefor the gospel.
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Ignatius was the bishopof Antioch after
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the fall of Jerusalem.
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Antioch was the primary churchin the eastern Mediterranean
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where followers of Christwere first called Christians.
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Ignatius was a studentof the Apostle John.
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He wrote on a variety of topicssuch as the role of the church,
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sacraments, and the bishops.
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On a trip to Rome, Ignatiuswrote a series of letters that
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became a central part ofthe collection known as the
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Apostolic fathers, stillconsidered an important text on
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Christian history and theology.
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Tradition holds that Ignatiuswas martyred for his faith
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in the Circus Maximusof Rome in 108 A.D.
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Polycarp was also a studentof the Apostle John.
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He was trained in Ephesusand later became the Bishop
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of Smyrna, a major Romancity on the Aegean coast.
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Like Ignatius, Polycarpwrote significant works about
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Christian theology and wasconsidered one of the apostolic
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fathers of the early church.
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He was also famousfor his martyrdom.
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In 155 A.D. Polycarp was burnedat the stake and pierced with
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a spear for refusing to burnincense to the Roman Emperor.
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As he died, Polycarp said, "Ibless you, father, for judging
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me worthy of this hour so thatin the company of the martyrs
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I may share the cup of Christ."
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During the early church, theeastern Mediterranean world was
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Roman, it was polytheistic,it was idolatrous,
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and it was bloody.
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Men were killed in arenasjust for entertainment.
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Christians were killed merelyfor refusing to worship
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the emperor as a god.
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But two centuries of Christianpersecution subsided with the
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conversion of Roman EmperorConstantine, who is commemorated
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with this column rightbehind me in about 312 A.D.
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After this Christianity wasencouraged, churches were built,
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and entire regionsturned to Jesus.
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Within years, Armenia laid claimto being the first people group
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to adopt Christianity asits official religion.
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Then Constantine chose toleave pagan Rome altogether.
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He came here and establishedancient Byzantium as the new
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capital of the Roman Empire.
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By 330 A.D. his new capitalin the east
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was renamed Constantinople.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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This is ancient Constantinople,present day Istanbul.
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Istanbul is the largest city inTurkey with a population of over
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14 million people.
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This strategic city hasstraddled Europe and Asia here
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at the Bosporus straitfor centuries.
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Now, I'm at the top of anine-story medieval structure
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known as the Galata tower.
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When it was built in 1348,it was the tallest building
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in Istanbul.
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Today, it's been convertedto a restaurant offering
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incredible views ofIstanbul's strategically
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important peninsula.
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This spot below me is known asthe Golden Horn, the primary
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inlet of the Bosporus.
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This is one of three bridgesspanning the narrow waterway
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connecting Europe and Asia,the place in the world
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where east meets west.
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This is my go-to car in Turkey,the rather awesome Fiat Doblo,
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otherwise known as theman van of Asia Minor.
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For the last 15 years,that's how I roll here.
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Why do I love the Doblo so much?
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Is it the forgettable shape?
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The lack of anydiscernible style?
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The donut sized wheels?
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Cheap plastic interior?
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Now, it's not anyof these things.
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Actually, it's all of thesethings put together, thus making
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for a vehicle so appliance gradeand lacking in any discernible
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style that the pure irony of itall makes it impossibly cool.
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♪♪♪
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From the mid-fifth centuryto the early 13th century,
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Constantinople was the largestand wealthiest city in Europe.
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It was famous for its palace,university, hippodrome,
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and the Grand Bazaar.
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♪♪♪
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This is the amazing GrandBazaar of Istanbul, an historic
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Labyrinth of shops that'sbeen here for centuries.
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I don't think there'sa more colorful place
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on earth.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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male: Hello.
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Dave Stotts: Hey, I'm Dave.What's your name?
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Lion: Lion.
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Dave Stotts: Lion,like the animal?
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Or like you enjoylyin' to tourists.
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Hey, okay.
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Thank you, but no.
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Thank you Lion, excuse me.
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I'd like a little--whoa!
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Finally.
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Lion: Take it.
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Dave Stotts: Alright.That's awesome.
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Huh?
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Come on.
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Give me that.
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Lion: Thank you.
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Dave Stotts: Thanks, Lion.
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♪♪♪
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Dave Stotts: And then there werea number of Byzantine era
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churches that set thestandard for Eastern Orthodox
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architecture, although many ofthe surviving churches have been
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converted to mosques or museums,they serve as small beacons
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of light throughoutthe city of Istanbul.
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♪♪♪
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This is Chora church locatedjust south of the Golden Horn.
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Originally built in the earlyfourth century, the church's
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full name was the church of theHoly Redeemer in the Country, or
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in the fields, because it waspart of a monastery complex
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outside the city walls.
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In Greek, chora meant thepolitical territory outside
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the city proper.
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Anyway, the church waslater incorporated within
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Constantinople's expandingcity walls, but the name stuck.
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Although converted to a mosquein the mid-16th century, and a
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museum in the mid-20th century,this renovated church still
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serves as a great exampleof medieval Byzantine
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Orthodox architecture.
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While not as large as some ofthe other Byzantine churches
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that survive in present dayIstanbul, Chora church
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is uniquely preserved.
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Inside we see some of the oldestand finest Byzantine mosaics and
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frescos anywhere in the world.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Instead of being destroyed whenthe church was converted into a
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mosque, much of theartwork was covered in plaster.
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Remarkably, this preserved theancient pieces for centuries,
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which were meticulouslyuncovered and restored when
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the mosque was transformedinto a museum.
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Although damaged in places,the visual depictions
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of the gospel accountsare truly stunning.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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The Byzantine Empire survivedfor 1.000 years and gave birth
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to stunning architecture,produced a legal code that still
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shapes Western law today,and produced churches of such
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grandeur that entire nationswere drawn to Jesus because
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their emissaries visited them.
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The most famous exampleof these churches is
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the incredible Hagia Sophia.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Hagia Sophia, meaning HolyWisdom in Greek, was built
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by the Byzantine EmperorJustinian starting in 537 A.D.
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The church was dedicatedto Jesus Christ, the logos,
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the wisdom of God.
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The Hagia Sophia was consideredthe epitome of Byzantine
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architecture and the focal pointof the Eastern Orthodox church
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for nearly 1.000 years.
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It was famous for its massivedome, an engineering marvel
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of its time.
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It was also the world's largestchurch for the same 1.000 years
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until surpassed by the SevilleCathedral in the 16th century.
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In 1453, Constantinople wasconquered by the Ottoman Empire.
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Mehmed the Conqueror ordered theHagia Sophia the main church
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of Orthodox Christianityconverted to a Muslim mosque.
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The bells, altars, and relicswere destroyed, and the artwork
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depicting Jesus, Mary, andthe saints were destroyed
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or plastered over.
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In 1935 this entire complex wasconverted to a museum, revealing
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Christian mosaics and frescosfor the first time
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in hundreds of years.
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This now famous mosaicof Jesus probably dates
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to the 13th century.
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It's widely considered thefinest in the Hagia Sophia
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because of its well-preservedcolors, tones, and expressions.
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In this panel, we see the VirginMary and John the Baptizer
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seeking Christ's intercessionfor humanity on Judgment Day.
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This style of icon is one of themost used religious images of
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eastern Orthodox Christianity.
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Generally a mosaic or frescoof Christ Pantocrator occupies
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a center position in artsand architecture of most
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Byzantine churches.
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From the Greek, pantocratortranslates as almighty
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or ruler of all.
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Today, the Hagia Sofia museumis the most visited tourist
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attraction in the predominantlyMuslim country of Turkey.
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As such, this image of ChristAlmighty, ruler of all,
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speaks volumes.
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In addition to Constantinople,other cities of the Eastern
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Mediterranean played a majorrole in early Christianity.
00:15:04.829 --> 00:15:08.399
Here in present day Turkey, thevery first church councils met
00:15:08.433 --> 00:15:12.503
to determine Christian doctrineand practice that lasted
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for centuries.
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Even today, Christians who can'tname a single council generally
00:15:17.709 --> 00:15:21.479
believe what thosecouncils taught.
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The first Ecumenical Councilof Christian Bishops met
00:15:24.582 --> 00:15:27.719
in Nicea in 325 A.D.
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From the Greek, ecumenical meansworldwide, so basically, this
00:15:31.222 --> 00:15:34.959
was the first officialmeeting of the worldwide church.
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Let's drive about two hourssoutheast of this temple
00:15:39.397 --> 00:15:43.167
to tell this important story.
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♪♪♪
00:15:46.404 --> 00:15:56.381
♪♪♪
00:15:56.414 --> 00:16:06.324
♪♪♪
00:16:06.357 --> 00:16:11.863
Today Nicea isalso known as Iznik.
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A city of about 15.000 people,it lies in a fertile basin at
00:16:15.366 --> 00:16:19.771
the eastern end of Lake Iznik,bounded by mountain ranges
00:16:19.804 --> 00:16:24.075
to the north and south.
00:16:24.108 --> 00:16:27.378
The ancient city was surroundedon all sides by 30-foot walls,
00:16:31.949 --> 00:16:36.387
this included a wallrising from the Lake itself.
00:16:36.421 --> 00:16:39.957
There was also a double ditchon the land portions with
00:16:39.991 --> 00:16:43.227
over 100 protective towersat various locations.
00:16:43.261 --> 00:16:48.066
Three large gates providedthe only access to the city.
00:16:48.099 --> 00:16:52.437
Today the walls are pierced ina number of places for roads,
00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:56.407
but as you can see, manyportions of the ancient
00:16:56.441 --> 00:16:58.843
structure still survive.
00:16:58.876 --> 00:17:00.845
♪♪♪
00:17:00.878 --> 00:17:10.855
♪♪♪
00:17:10.888 --> 00:17:15.726
This is lake Iznik.
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Here just off the shore are theincredible ruins of a recently
00:17:20.231 --> 00:17:24.569
discovered Byzantine churchthat dates
00:17:24.602 --> 00:17:27.605
to the fourth century A.D.
00:17:27.638 --> 00:17:30.908
Back in 2014, governmentsurveyors using drones captured
00:17:31.409 --> 00:17:35.346
photos of a strange structuresitting just below
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the lake's murky surface.
00:17:38.683 --> 00:17:40.818
Archaeologists quicklydetermined it was the ruins
00:17:40.852 --> 00:17:43.621
of a church lost long agobeneath the lake's
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rising water level.
00:17:47.158 --> 00:17:50.361
But it wasn't just any church.
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Historical records tell us itwas built in the fourth century
00:17:52.563 --> 00:17:56.067
to honor a 16-year-oldboy who was killed by
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Emperor Diocletianin 303 A.D.
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The boy's crime was simplybeing a follower of Jesus.
00:18:03.941 --> 00:18:09.447
The dedication of this church--the ruins of which are under
00:18:10.615 --> 00:18:13.518
water right out there--to a Christian martyr
00:18:13.551 --> 00:18:16.521
was no accident.
00:18:16.554 --> 00:18:18.489
Just a few years priorto its construction,
00:18:18.523 --> 00:18:19.857
Emperor Constantine issuedthe Edict of Milan,
00:18:19.891 --> 00:18:23.261
declaring an end to Romanpersecution against Christians
00:18:23.294 --> 00:18:27.565
and setting the stage for theunderground Church to go public.
00:18:27.598 --> 00:18:32.103
Then in 325 A.D., Constantineconvened the first Ecumenical
00:18:32.136 --> 00:18:37.708
Church council here onthese shores, one of the most
00:18:37.742 --> 00:18:41.612
important theological gatheringsin Christian history.
00:18:41.646 --> 00:18:46.117
At Nicea, Christian bishopsfrom all over the Mediterranean
00:18:51.289 --> 00:18:55.092
debated church doctrineconcerning the humanity
00:18:55.126 --> 00:18:58.896
and divinity of Jesus Christ.
00:18:58.930 --> 00:19:01.399
In particular, they consideredthe views of Arius,
00:19:01.432 --> 00:19:04.569
an influential church leaderfrom Alexandria, Egypt,
00:19:04.602 --> 00:19:07.805
who taught that Jesus wascreated by God and was not
00:19:07.838 --> 00:19:11.609
of the same natureas God himself.
00:19:11.642 --> 00:19:14.679
In the end, the church rejectedArianism and adopted the first
00:19:14.712 --> 00:19:19.417
universal statement ofChristian belief known
00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:23.020
as the Nicene Creed.
00:19:23.054 --> 00:19:26.290
We believe in one God,the Father Almighty,
00:19:27.325 --> 00:19:30.494
Maker of all things visibleand invisible.
00:19:30.528 --> 00:19:33.831
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,the Son of God, begotten from
00:19:33.864 --> 00:19:39.036
the Father, [only begotten; thatis, from the substance of the
00:19:39.070 --> 00:19:42.940
Father, God from God,] Lightfrom Light, true God from true
00:19:42.974 --> 00:19:48.112
God, begotten, not made, ofone substance with the Father;
00:19:48.145 --> 00:19:54.118
through whom allthings came into being.
00:19:54.151 --> 00:19:56.887
Things in Heaven and things onEarth; Who because of us men,
00:19:56.921 --> 00:20:00.791
and because of our salvation,came down and became incarnate
00:20:00.825 --> 00:20:05.196
and became man; and suffered androse again on the third day,
00:20:05.229 --> 00:20:10.167
and ascended to the heavens;and will come to judge
00:20:10.201 --> 00:20:13.371
the living and the dead.
00:20:13.404 --> 00:20:15.539
And in the Holy Spirit.
00:20:15.573 --> 00:20:18.776
The second Ecumenical Councilmet in Constantinople in 381.
00:20:22.747 --> 00:20:27.618
It reaffirmed the NiceneCreed and added some additional
00:20:27.652 --> 00:20:30.821
wording about the identityand role of the Holy Spirit.
00:20:30.855 --> 00:20:35.326
The third EcumenicalCouncil met in Ephesus in 431.
00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:39.730
Again, the Nicene Creed wasreaffirmed and false teachings
00:20:39.764 --> 00:20:43.234
were rejected.
00:20:43.267 --> 00:20:45.403
The fourth council met inChalcedon, just outside
00:20:45.436 --> 00:20:48.606
Constantinople in 451.
00:20:48.639 --> 00:20:52.109
The fifth and sixth councilsmet in Constantinople during
00:20:52.143 --> 00:20:55.379
the sixth and seventh centuries.
00:20:55.413 --> 00:20:58.883
And the seventh and finalcouncil of the early church
00:20:58.916 --> 00:21:01.552
period met back in Nicea in 787.
00:21:01.585 --> 00:21:06.357
This was the locationfor the final council
00:21:06.390 --> 00:21:09.193
of the early church period.
00:21:09.226 --> 00:21:11.095
Also known as the Hagia Sophia,this much smaller cousin
00:21:11.128 --> 00:21:15.566
of the Cathedral inConstantinople was built
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:18.369
in the center of Niceaby Emperor Justinian
00:21:18.402 --> 00:21:21.939
during the sixth century.
00:21:21.972 --> 00:21:25.109
In the end the purpose of allthese early church councils
00:21:26.510 --> 00:21:29.847
was to reject false doctrinesand reaffirm
00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:33.117
a universal Christian creed.
00:21:33.150 --> 00:21:35.686
To this day, the easternOrthodox Church and the Catholic
00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:38.956
Church accept these first sevenmeetings as legitimate worldwide
00:21:38.989 --> 00:21:44.028
councils, each of whichtook place here
00:21:44.061 --> 00:21:47.465
in the historic land of Turkey.
00:21:47.498 --> 00:21:51.302
♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
00:21:59.009 --> 00:22:06.951
John Chrysostom was theArchbishop of Constantinople
00:22:09.286 --> 00:22:13.057
at the very beginningof the fifth century.
00:22:13.090 --> 00:22:15.693
He was considered a great publicspeaker and one of the most
00:22:15.726 --> 00:22:19.130
prolific authors in theearly Christian church.
00:22:19.163 --> 00:22:21.966
In fact, only Augustine of Hippohas more Christian writings
00:22:21.999 --> 00:22:26.137
that survive to this day.
00:22:26.170 --> 00:22:29.540
John led the church inConstantinople until he was run
00:22:29.573 --> 00:22:32.877
out of town at about 405.
00:22:32.910 --> 00:22:35.546
He was well liked by the commonpeople but not so much by
00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:38.482
the political and religiouselites of the city,
00:22:38.516 --> 00:22:41.218
who viewed him as a threat.
00:22:41.252 --> 00:22:43.554
He died in exile two years laterwith his last recorded words
00:22:43.587 --> 00:22:47.458
being: Glory be toGod for all things.
00:22:47.491 --> 00:22:51.796
John Chrysostom was the firstin a long line of significant
00:22:51.829 --> 00:22:55.266
thinkers and theologians thatcalled Constantinople home.
00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:59.904
For the next millennia,Constantinople was the central
00:22:59.937 --> 00:23:02.506
hub of the ChristianChurch in the East.
00:23:02.540 --> 00:23:06.076
Then in 1453,everything changed.
00:23:06.110 --> 00:23:11.582
Sultan Mehmed the second wasonly 21 years old when he
00:23:17.488 --> 00:23:21.358
and his army of 250.000Ottoman Turks laid siege
00:23:21.392 --> 00:23:25.796
to Constantinople.
00:23:25.830 --> 00:23:28.132
The Byzantine Empire stoodfor 1.000 years as a beacon of
00:23:28.165 --> 00:23:31.735
civilization, learning, andChristian culture in the East,
00:23:31.769 --> 00:23:36.106
and for centuries IslamicCaliphs from the other side
00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:39.310
of the Bosporus strait dreamedof defeating it, making it
00:23:39.343 --> 00:23:43.013
the jewel in the crown ofa worldwide Caliphate.
00:23:43.047 --> 00:23:46.217
On May 29, 1453, the great cityof Constantinople finally fell.
00:23:46.250 --> 00:23:53.824
Mehmed won the title ofconqueror, changed the name
00:23:54.925 --> 00:23:58.329
of the city to Istanbul,and made it the new capital
00:23:58.362 --> 00:24:02.032
if his Islamic empire.
00:24:02.066 --> 00:24:04.368
Mehmed's engineers immediatelybegan the task of fitting the
00:24:04.401 --> 00:24:08.005
Hagia Sophia-- for over 900years the largest and most
00:24:08.038 --> 00:24:11.976
magnificent Christian cathedralin the world--
00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:14.778
with Islamic Minarets.
00:24:14.812 --> 00:24:17.948
Christians throughoutthe globe were shocked.
00:24:17.982 --> 00:24:20.951
The Christian Byzantine Empirethat lasted more than
00:24:20.985 --> 00:24:23.988
1.000 years had fallen inunbelievable bloodshed.
00:24:24.021 --> 00:24:29.260
Almost immediately,Mehmed the Conqueror built
00:24:29.293 --> 00:24:32.162
the Topkapi Palace, whichserved as the main residence
00:24:32.196 --> 00:24:36.000
and administrative headquartersfor the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
00:24:36.033 --> 00:24:39.537
For the next 400 years,the Gospel of Jesus Christ
00:24:39.570 --> 00:24:43.007
is held in check.
00:24:43.040 --> 00:24:45.042
Throughout much of theeastern Mediterranean,
00:24:45.075 --> 00:24:47.678
Christian persecution was oftenbrutal and merciless.
00:24:47.711 --> 00:24:53.017
With the defeat of the OttomanEmpire after World War I,
00:24:57.321 --> 00:25:00.658
the colonial powers began toexert control in the region.
00:25:00.691 --> 00:25:04.595
As a result, historicChristianity had glimmers
00:25:04.628 --> 00:25:07.698
of revival; however, bythe late 20th century,
00:25:07.731 --> 00:25:11.502
Communism and later Islamicextremism were once again
00:25:11.535 --> 00:25:15.205
working against the gospelof Jesus Christ.
00:25:15.239 --> 00:25:18.609
Christian flight from placeslike Syria has almost entirely
00:25:18.642 --> 00:25:22.146
stripped the faith fromits historic roots there.
00:25:22.179 --> 00:25:25.883
Yet despite horrendous storiesof death and persecution,
00:25:25.916 --> 00:25:29.920
courageous missionaries anda stalwart orthodox church
00:25:29.954 --> 00:25:33.958
continue Christ's missionto the eastern Mediterranean
00:25:33.991 --> 00:25:38.262
and to the ends of the Earth.
00:25:38.295 --> 00:25:41.799
♪♪♪
00:25:42.967 --> 00:25:52.943
♪♪♪
00:25:52.977 --> 00:26:02.886
♪♪♪
00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:12.896
♪♪♪
00:26:12.930 --> 00:26:22.906
♪♪♪
00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:25.275
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Episode 2 | Eastern Mediterranean

Episode 2 | Eastern Mediterranean

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Episode 2 | Eastern Mediterranean

Episode 2 | Eastern Mediterranean

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