Delphi & Meteora
The sun was out this morning in Delphi! It is a beautiful area in the mountains and certainly easy to see why peoples from the Myceans of the 1100’s BC all the way to the later Roman period found this to be a special place - unfortunately worshipping all manor pagan Greek and Roman deities.
In the pictures you can see the main temple to Apollo, the theater and the stadium. Delphi was at the height of its glory in the 6th to 4th century BC and continued to be active until the late 300s AD when Rome outlawed ancient pagan religions.
An important archeological find at Delphi for Christians is the Gallio inscription. The inscription is from emperor Claudius to Gallio the proconsul of Achaia (Ancient Greece) and it dates Gallio’s term as proconsol to about summer of AD 50 to AD 51 or 52 (usually a 1 year, sometimes 2 year post). In Acts 18, Paul is brought before the proconsol Gallio while in Corinth. This helps date Paul’s second missionary journey.
We had a little drone crash scare, but no damage ( to the drone or to Craig during the retrieval process!). This is story we will have to tell in person!
We drove north through central Greece to Kalambaka and the monasteries of Meteora. This is a unique geological area of rock pillars ( rock forest ). About the 14th century a group of Greek Orthodox monastics started monasteries here in the crevasses and caves and over time built 24 separate monasteries communities perched atop these rock pillars. They actually used big net baskets on long ropes with winches at the top as access in and out of the community. These monasteries are famous for their incredible vivid iconography. We visited just one of the surviving 6 monasteries and it’s chapels / library / vestments are stunning.
Meteora is famous with photographers… the picture at sunset is without any filters or alteration at all. Every turn of your head, every hairpin turn in the road, is an otherworldly view. You certainly feel the grandeur and beauty of Gods creation which no doubt drew the early monks to this site.
On to biblical Berea and Thessaloniki tomorrow! Good night and God Bless!
