Paul only had a short stay in Thessaloniki. He managed to stir up violent opposition there, and had to flee the city. He took refuge in Berea where he was welcomed by the Jewish community. However after only a few days, pursuers arrived from Thessaloniki seeking to kill him. In an amazing act of hospitality to a stranger, some of the Berean Synagogue took Paul down to the sea and accompanied him back to Athens, meeting all the very considerable costs involved.
We visited the site of that Synagogue, though the present building is 16th century. Our guide explained that typically the Jews preferred to live outside the city walls to avoid the ritual contamination of living with pagans. But for their own safety, they developed a style of building that involved creating a large circle of houses all joined, with just two gates allowing entrance into the centre where they had the synagogues and other buildings. This was known as the ghetto, a term that later came to have much more perjorative meaning. Very few Jews remain here. During World War 2 the Germans sealed all the Jews within the Ghetto and some 800 were murdered. Most others migrated to Albania or later to Israel. The ghetto buildings are being refurbished as upmarket homes, preserving their old character. We visited one that has 6 bedrooms and operates as a boutique hotel.
After lunch we continued north to Vergina, the site of the ancient capital of Macedonia known as Aigai. Here is found the tomb of Phillip 2 of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. He was assassinated here, and his 20 year old son Alexander hurriedly arranged the elaborate and lavish entombment. The site was covered over by an artificial hill and remained unknown until 1978 when an archaeologist discovered the intact tomb. On display when one goes down underground are the actual burial chambers of Phillip, his wife and a teenage prince, probably Alexander 4, the son of Alexander the Great. The tomb treasures are startling in their opulence. Golden crowns and diadems; silver dinner sets, untarnished after 1700 years; the metal ornaments from clothing that has decayed etc... And the triumph of it all, the solid golden casket in which the cremated bones were stored.
It was an 80km drive from there into Thessalonoki, a ciity now of 1.5 million. It was in times past one of the two capitals of the eastern empire. Today it is Greece's second city and a major trading centre. Our first visit was to the ancient agora or town square only recently excavated, and founbd to have a basement under it that was to store food and water for the entire city in case of a siege. No minor builidng
project. The modern city square is next door.
Then we visigted the Basilica of St Demetrius. He was a Roman soldier who was a christian, and under the persecution of Diocletian was put to death here. After Theodosius 2 was in Thessaloniki killing off all the pagans, the basilica was built to honour Demetrius. Later, under the Ottomans, it was turned into a mosque. And again later restored as a church, and the saints relics that had been taken to the Vatican were returned. As it happened, yesterday was his feast, so his relics were still in place of honour before the altar, the church was cecked out in flowers, and crowds were coming by to venerate the saint. All a bit too "papist" for my Protestant companions.
We are at a really classy hotel here for 2 nights, although I would not give their set dinner top marks. Tomorrow we head off on the last day of th tour at 8 am for Philippi.
Today's photos are here.
No comments:
Post a Comment