Laodicea Turkey
The site of Laodicea is a large and developed site. We visited in 2021 and a fascinating “house church” was being excavated from the 1st Century AD. It is a rare early example of a typical house, but a church or we might say a small chapel has been added to structure. It gives us a look into how the early church met and developed. First in people’s houses and then churches grew out of that and people wanted dedicated spaces to worship together. Unfortunately, since it was being excavated we could not get very good pictures.
Laodicea has column lined streets, numerous temples, a market, two theaters, churches from later times in history, and a cute small little shop with two young clerks who were very eager to sell us two diet Coke’s on a hot and sunny day. Possible someday we might find here the missing letter from St. Paul to the Church of Laodicea? “For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.”
Colossians 4:13, 15-16 ESV.
