I remember running my hands over an ancient sarcophagus carved from marble while touring ancient Corinth. The Archeological Museum of Ancient Corinth was full of ancient artifacts. I was amazed at the elaborate detail and smoothness of the stone. The workmanship was incredible!. The trip made the history of all that I saw come to life. It was as if I could reach back through the centuries and identify with the people. I kept feeling like the people of ancient Asia-Minor were not different then the people today.
As the tour guide shared the history of the people, especially concerning war and conquest, I did not see much difference from then until now. The religious and political divisions that our guide recalled were not unfamiliar to me.
I kept thinking about the reconstructed drawings/placards of what the ruins may have looked like thousand of years ago placed throughtout the cities. The buildings were not huts made from straw or mud bricks. Most were marble buildings with tiled muriels and colorful decorations that would have glistened in the daylight sun. It was because of this experience I realized that the West is the product of this ancient civilization.
When I went to Washington DC several years before the trip to Asia-Minor, while standing before the US Capital building I remember thinking, ‘This would be a temple in the ancient world.’ After seeing the structures in ancient Greece & Turkey I was convinced.
I have not seen the biblical account from a Christian or Catholic lens since 2007, the trip solidified my position. Even now, as we witness the fall of Syria, the war Israel is battling, and the various religious-Islamic groups jockying for political power, our tour guide offered a very similar conversation throughtout our visit.
The beauty of that sarcophagus and the architecture of the Roman/Greek landscape, in the face of the military conquest and military defeats made that world not much different than mine.
What was the epiphany for me is this?
The future continued, it’s just our turn! The experience cemented into my entire being that the history of the Bible was not a Christian or Catholic story. I see the biblical account as more of a political story of how the ancient world existed. What the GOD of Israel offered was Statues, Commandments, and Instructions (Law) on how to not be what we continue to be!
The events happening across the globe are not original. What is peculiar to me is that history continues to advance inspite of the destruction that chases humanity through the pages of time.
I am forever indebted to my sister Desiree for taking me along with her (and our brother David.)
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