Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

Here is the last slideshow in my series dubbed " Images of Antiquity ". This set of photos covers the sites of Cenchrea and Corinth, both of which are mentioned in the New Testament and both of which were frequented by the Apostle Paul. The first picture of is the shore in Cenchrea. This is one of the locations where Paul, when he was sailing / boating, would have docked. Acts 18.18 reports that oen time, at this location, Paul cut off his hair because of a vow that he made to God. This is also where Phoebe ministered (Rom. 16.1). The second photo is a picture of a typical small temple; this one is of the Apollo Temple in Corinth. Following this, we see a bust of the Emperor Augustus. After that, there is a picture a colored plaque with a lion's head. I post that here to remind us that in antiquity, things like statues, columns, busts, arches, etc. were all colored. They did not have the plain, marble look that they do today. After the lion picture, we see another photo w...

So, I've been trying my hand at "flash" lately and in just a few minutes, threw together this "Pisteuomen" flashplayer. I thought I'd use it for part 12 of the "Images of Antiquity" series. I've made a number of things in flash but never a "flash player". I just wanted to see what I could do in the course of a few minutes. Not bad, I think.

It has been a while since I've done an entry for the "Images of Antiquity" series on Pisteuomen but this one's been sitting in draft mode for about 5 or 6 months, so, I thought I'd go ahead and publish it. I took the photos in the slideshow above while visiting ancient Philippi. The first photo was taken very early in the morning. It was freezing outside but it was so beautiful. Legend has it that this is where Paul baptized Lydia, the dealer of purple clothes. In all actuality, she was probably not baptized at this exact spot but it isn't a huge deal as she was baptized somewhere within the vicinity. As you can see in the picture, there is a "cross-shaped" cut-out etched into the small creek. The steam rising off of the water made for a beautiful picture. In the second picture you see the new Church that has been built in honor of St. Lydia. The sanctuary is magnificent as it has stained-glass windows of biblical characters, a painted dome ceiling o...

Exactly one year ago today, I set out for a study trip to Turkey and Greece. At present, I am finishing up a video commentary of that trip (I've been sifting through about 8 hours of very raw footage) which I will post soon. For now, though, I am just going to share a few more pictures for my Images of Antiquity series. In the first photo of the slideshow, we see a statue of the famed Amphipolis lion. There isn't much significance to this photo other than the fact that it marks the ancient territory of Amphipolis ("around the city"). Of course, Amphipolis is one the cities that Paul traveled through after leaving Philippi. It is mentioned in brief at Acts 17.1. Amphipolis was a fortified city located about 3 miles from the Aegean, a body of water which Paul was no stranger to. The second photo is a picture I took while walking through the Jewish Quarter in Berea (pronounced with a "V" as in: very-uh). The building seen here is the present-day synagogue locat...

It’s been a while but I’ve finally managed to return to my “Images of Antiquity” series. Formerly, I shared photos and information about sites I journeyed through in the country of Turkey (formerly, Asia Minor). Now, I will cross over into Greece and speak about some of the places I visited there. Feel free to use the pictures in their current form; please, no manipulating them. Enjoy. Philippi The first photo in the slideshow is of King Philip’s tomb. This is actually not located in Philippi (rather, it is in Bergina). I offer it here, though, because Philip was the founder of Philippi. One of Philip’s children was the notable Alexander the Great, perhaps one of the greatest military strategists of all time. Philip’s wife was Helen whom he named Greece after (Hellas). If you visit Philippi today, you can see Philip’s castle, perched over the city. Another testament to Philip’s influence on ancient Greece is seen in the second photo, an engraving, which speaks to Philip’s rule in the R...

Below are two posts that contain the links to two of my ongoing series: Images of Antiquity and Studies in Mark. Enjoy.

Here are the Asia Minor entries from my Images of Antiquity Series: #1 - Smyrna & Thyatira #2 - Sardis & Philadelphia #3 - Pamukkale & Pergamum #4 - Laodicea #5 - Ephesus #6 - Assos, Alexander Troas & Troy #7 - Asia Minor Compilation #8 - Pix From Ben Witherington

Okay, so, I said before that I had completed my visual tour of Turkey. Well, come to find out, Ben Witherington has posted some incredible aerial photos that are simply "must see"! Check out these pix by clicking the following link: Aerial Pix of Turkey . Also, don't forget to check out my slideshow located at the bottom of the right column, which contains about 50 of my pictures from Turkey.

Having completed the first portion of my series "Images of Antiquity," which led us through Turkey (aka ancient "Asia Minor), I figured that I would gather all of those pictures and put them in one place for viewing. Thus, near the bottom of the right hand column on this page, I have posted a slideshow containing 50 pictures (which have all been shown and described in previous posts). If you use these photos, please do not manipulate them in any way, otherwise, feel free to use and share them (freely).

In this set of pictures, we will be looking at a few ancient sites in Turkey: Assos, Alexander Troas and Troy. If you copy or download the pictures, please do not manipulate or change them in any form from their current state. Otherwise, feel free to use them. Enjoy. The first photo is of the waterfront in the city of Assos. Assos is located in Northwestern Turkey and is not far from the other two sites mentioned here (Alexander Troas & Troy). Assos is mentioned twice in the New Testament, both times in conjunction with Paul's missionary journeys in Acts 20 (verses 13-4). The text says, "We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene." When we arrived at Assos it was late at night and honestly, I have never seen that many stars at once, it was incredible. In the morning, as we were eating brea...

In this set of pictures, we will be looking at ancient Ephesus. If you copy or download the pictures, please do not manipulate or change them in any form from their current state. Otherwise, feel free to use them. Enjoy. In the first photo, you can see a number of things in the background but the focus is on the mosaic sidewalk. The design on the sidewalk is very detailed and intricate as it forms a number of artistic pictures. One of the things you realize when you travel through these ancient cities is that there were many talented artists who paved the way for much of how the Western world does art today. The sidewalk on which the mosaic rests is a much smaller part of a long street, one of the main streets that ran through the city. Also, the mosaic sits in front of a number of small workshops and houses. You can also see some columns running alongside the sidewalk, which takes us to photo #2. In the second photo, you see me, posing behind a statue. These were "caesar" st...

*Okay, so after posting this, I noticed that somehow, the pictures changed order. That could happen again, who knows, so, even though the pictures may have numbers in the bottom right corner, to go along with my comments below, take the picture of the theater as the first of the series (thus, theather pic = photo #1). Continuing my series "Images of Antiquity," I offer here some photos and thoughts on ancient Laodicea, located in Turkey. You may copy, save, use and distribute these pictures in their present format. Please do not manipulate or change them. Thanks and enjoy! In photo number one, you can see the Laodicean theater. Of all of the theaters I visited in Turkey, this was by far the largest one I saw (and I saw a lot of them because practically every sizeable city had one). It appears that this theater was used predominantly for plays and musical performances. The acoustics of this theather were amazing, one person could stand down in the center pit and another could...

Continuing my series "Images of Antiquity," I offer here some photos and thoughts on sights near Pamukkale & Pergamum, both in Turkey. You may copy, save, use and distribute these pictures in their present format. Please do not manipulate or change them. Thanks and enjoy! Pamukkale The picture to the left is of a theater in Pamukkale. Actually, the theater is located in a city that was known as Hierapolis. This is one of the most restored and therefore detailed theaters that exists today. You can see the decorations at the back of the stage and the various entrances onto the stage. The musicians would sit in the semi-circle in front of the stage or sometimes beneath the stage. Located just behind the stage (you cannot really see it here, is a temple of Apollo). Hierapolis means "Holy City" in Greek. It was known for it hot springs and is located not far from the ancient cities of Colossae and Laodicea. When one visits Hierapolis today, they have to first go thr...

Below are some more photos from my journey through Turkey. I have posted a selection of photos from the ancient sites of Sardis and Philadelphia. Enjoy. (Please, if you download or save any of these pictures, do not crop or manipulate them in any form. Otherwise, feel free to copy and use them.) Sardis This photo is an overview of part of the city of ancient Sardis. From the viewer's point-of-view, to the right of and behind the two tallest columns are the ruins of a temple of Artemis. To the left and in front of the columns sits a small, fourth century chapel or church building. It is interesting that the house of worship backs right up to the temple of Artemis. Also, you can see the mountains in the background. Basically, mountains like this one encircle this area. In fact behind where this photo was taken, was the acropolis of Sardis (now the equivalent of a chunck of fortress perched on a cliff). There was a mudslide, perhaps caused by an earthquake that caused all that is in t...

In a number of previous posts, I have shared photographs from a trip that I took through Turkey and Greece. Because so many believers never have the opportunity to journey to and through these ancient sites, I want to share some of my photos; this might allow some people to put a face on or an image with the places that they read about in Scripture. So, along with my series on “Studies in Mark,” I want to begin another new series: “Images of Antiquity.” Below is the first part in this new series. Enjoy. (Click the photos for larger, more clear viewing.) Smyrna These are Roman aqueducts located on the outskirts of "Izmir," or ancient "Smyrna" (you can sense the etymology at work in the name change). Smyrna is mentioned in Revelation 1.11 and 2.8ff. This is a photo of modern-day Izmir. When it comes to bibical studies, next to nothing of antiquity can be found in this large city. The city, is very large and very compact. Like most U.S. cities, it is predominately secu...