The Social World of the
Apostle Paul:
Italy, Greece, and Turkey
under Roman Rule
JUNE 16-JULY 5, 2012
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The
ancient Romans created perhaps the most influential society in recorded
history. There would be no Western
civilization without the Romans, nor would there be any religion called
Christianity. The path of history would
have been vastly different if not for the Romans.
This
educational trip will explore the social, political, economic, religious, and
artistic climate of the early Roman Empire, focusing especially (though not
exclusively) on its relevance for understanding the life and ministry of the
apostle Paul and the rise of Christianity.
The
trip consists of three discrete segments—Italy, Greece, and Turkey—that can be done
individually or together. Instruction
will be provided by two professional scholars who will travel with the tour
group (see below), together with occasional input from trained local tour
guides. On-site instruction will be
supplemented by reading assignments that will be distributed before and during
the trip in order to help participants understand what they are seeing.
The
trip is open to people of all ages, though anyone who has mobility problems
should pay careful attention to the materials on the FAQ page
concerning the physical demands of the trip.
Academic credit is available for undergraduate and graduate students who
complete a series of reading and writing assignments with one of the
instructors.
OPTION 1: ITALY (JUNE
16-22)
Those
who wish to begin the tour in Italy will leave their home country on June 16
and arrive in Rome on June 17. The
educational program will begin on June 18 with visits to Ostia Antica, the port
of ancient Rome, and Isola Sacra, an ancient Roman burial ground. The next day will be spent touring the
excavations of the renowned city of Pompeii.
On June 20, the group will visit the Villa Regina, an ancient Roman
country house, and the ruined city of Herculaneum, which like Pompeii was buried
under the mountain of ash that emerged from Mt. Vesuvius when it erupted in 79
AD. The last two days of the trip will
be spent exploring the ruins of ancient Rome.
Those who wish to continue with the group to Greece will fly together to
Athens on June 22, while those who would like to conclude their trip here will
fly home.
For
a detailed itinerary of the Italy trip, click here. For pricing information, click here.
OPTION 2: GREECE (JUNE
21-25)
Those who wish to
join the trip in Greece will depart from their home country on June 21 and
arrive in Athens on June 22. Here they
will meet up with the group flying in from Rome. The educational program will begin on June 23
with a walking tour of the ancient Athenian acropolis (including the Parthenon)
and agora (civic center), with side trips to the National Archaeological Museum
and the Acropolis Museum. The next day
will be spent on the road, with stops at Cenchreae, the port of ancient Athens;
Eleusis, the site of the ancient mystery rites of the goddess Demeter;
Epidauros, the home of a famous healing center dedicated to the god Asklepios;
and Corinth, a Roman colony in which the apostle Paul lived and worked and to
which he wrote several letters. The
final day will be devoted to a trip to Delphi, the site of the renowned Oracle
of Delphi that was consulted by people from throughout the Greek and Roman
world. Participants who wish to end
their travels here will fly home on June 25, while the others will fly together
that evening to Istanbul, Turkey.
For
a detailed itinerary of the Greece trip, click here. For pricing information, click here.
OPTION 3: TURKEY (JUNE 24-JULY
5)
Those who wish to join
the trip in Turkey will leave their home country on June 24 and arrive in Istanbul
on June 25, where they will meet up with the group flying in from Athens. The educational program will begin on June 26
with a walking tour of historic sites in Istanbul (ancient Constantinople),
including the famous Istanbul Archaeological Museum. On June 27, the group will travel south to
visit the site of ancient Troy and the ruins of Alexandria Troas, a city where
the apostle Paul stayed during the course of his travels, ending the day at
Assos, an ancient port city that Paul also visited. From there the trip will continue southward
to the magnificent ruins of the city of Pergamum (mentioned in the book of
Revelation), followed by two days touring important sites on the southwestern
coast of Turkey, including Miletus, a port city visited by the apostle Paul,
and Ephesus, where Paul lived and worked for a time and to which he directed
one of his letters. From Ephesus the
tour will turn inland for the next few days, visiting an important site of
Emperor worship (Aphrodisias), an ancient (and modern) hot spring resort (Hierapolis),
and the excavations at Laodicea (mentioned in the book of Revelation) and
Pisidian Antioch, a city visited several times by the apostle Paul. From Antioch, the tour will turn southward
toward the port city of Antalya (ancient Attalia) on the Mediterranean Sea,
concluding with visits to several well-excavated coastal cities that will
provide a final glimpse of life in a first-century Roman civic center. From here all participants will return to
their home countries (most likely through Istanbul).
For
a detailed itinerary of the Turkey trip, click here. For pricing information, click here.
To view the
itinerary of all three tour options at once, click here. For general information about the tour,
including frequently asked questions, click here.
TOUR LEADERS
Dr.
Chris Stanley, professor of theology at St. Bonaventure University in New York,
is the author/editor of four scholarly books and numerous professional articles
on the apostle Paul. He travels
regularly around the world to present papers, give lectures, and teach courses
at conferences, seminaries, and universities.
For more information, see http://www.sbu.edu/About_SBU.aspx?id=11500.
Dr. Scott Craver, assistant professor of art
history at St. Bonaventure University in New York, is a Roman archaeologist and
art historian who worked and wrote his dissertation on the excavations at Pompeii. He conducted archaeological research in Italy
for three years and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. For more information, see http://www.sbu.edu/uploadedFiles/About/Directory_Contact/New_Faculty_Profiles/S_Craver_Vita.pdf.