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(in association with Conrad Grebel University College)
May 4 - 20, 2011
With tour leaders Tom Yoder Neufeld and Fred Redekop
This 17-day tour takes you to Turkey and Greece to explore places where Paul traveled during his missionary journeys. You will see many old sites depicting how life was in Paul’s day, and present-day life with mosques, churches and markets in bustling cities and in rural areas. Tom Yoder Neufeld, Associate Professor of Religious Studies (New Testament) and Peace Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo, Ontario, will lead Bible studies and interpret his understandings of Paul’s teachings. In addition to university teaching and administration, Tom is extremely involved in congregational preaching and teaching. He has been a pastor as well as hospital and prison chaplain. Fred Redekop, who is pastor at the Floradale Mennonite Church, Floradale, Ontario, and who has led previous tours to Turkey and Greece with Tom will be the tour administrator. This tour can be taken for university credit, although it will be of interest to all persons interested in enriching their Bible knowledge and learning about Paul’s world.
Click here to read past blogs about this tour.
The group will depart on an evening flight from Newark, New Jersey or Toronto, Ontario, via Frankfurt, Germany. Arrival in Istanbul, Turkey will be on Thursday afternoon. We will stay for three nights in Istanbul.
 St. Sophia's Mosque, Istanbul
Our tour of Istanbul today includes the Golden Horn area, the ancient city of Constantinople. It includes St. Sophia’s Mosque, built in 532 AD, which at one time was the largest church in all of Christendom; the Blue Mosque with six minarets and a middle dome of 109 feet; and an underground cistern. We will visit the Church of Saint George, the patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church; see old Christian and traditional Jewish quarters; as well as the Bulgarian steel church. On Saturday morning, we will visit the impressive Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, Topkapi Palace, home of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, and the Kariye Museum. Enjoy an afternoon cruise on the Bosphorus, the narrow body of water that divides the city and the continents of Europe and Asia, followed by a visit to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.
Our first stop this morning after crossing the Bosphorus will be in Iznik (Nicaea), the location where the Nicene Creed was adopted by the church. After visiting St. Sophia’s Church, we will head south to Bursa, for centuries the capital of the Turkish Empire. We will visit the Green Mosque and the Great Mosque of Ulu Camii and, time permitting, the ancient covered bazaar. On Monday, we will travel through this rich agricultural region to the biblical city of Sardis, one of the seven churches of Revelation. Then, it’s on to Pamukkale where thermal spring water cascades over white petrified lime from a height of some 300 feet. Overnight in Pamukkale area.
 View of the ruins at Ephesus
The day will begin at the fascinating ancient Hieropolis site, a thermal resort founded in 200 BC. Our next stop will be at Aphrodisias, the city dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility, where we will visit the temple, stadium, theatre and palace. We will stay for two nights in Kusadasi on the waters of the Aegean Sea. The entire day on Wednesday will be spent at Ephesus, Paul’s home base for several years, and the most impressive archaeological site in Turkey. We will visit the Archaeological Museum and ancient Ephesus with its famous Celsius Library, the theatre, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. We will also visit some excavated houses to see what life was like in Paul’s day. Then we will visit the Church of Saint John, the traditional site of his burial.
We will get an early start for Pergamum, passing by Izmir (biblical Smyrna) which today is Turkey’s third largest city. In Pergamum, one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, we will explore the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena, the world’s steepest amphitheatre, and the Asclepion, an ancient medical centre. Then, we travel to Troy, (close to Troas from which Paul left for Macedonia); and see the giant replica of the famous wooden horse, and continue on to Canakkale for dinner and overnight. On Friday morning, we will take a short ferry ride across the Strait of the Dardanelles from Asia to Europe. We will pass World War I battlefields of Gallipoli and travel across northwestern Turkey with fishing villages, orchards and resort towns to the Greek border. We will exchange our Turkish guide and driver for a Greek guide and driver. Lodging in Alexandropoulis on the coast of the Aegean Sea.
 Baptismal site at Philippi
We will drive through northeastern Greece (ancient Thrace) through fertile plains nestled between the Aegean and the mountains to the north to discover the biblical site of ancient Macedonia. Then we will visit Philippi where Paul baptized Lydia, the first convert to Christ in Europe. We will take time for worship at this site. In Kavala, the biblical port of Neapolis where Paul, accompanied by Silas, Luke and Timothy first set foot in Europe, we will have lunch in the old harbor area. Then we will proceed on to Thessaloniki, the capital of Northern Greece and another city important to Paul’s ministry, where we will tour the old section of the city.
 Greek Orthodox monastery at Meteora Before leaving Thessaloniki on Sunday morning, we will stop at the Arch of Galerius and the Mausoleum of Galerius. As we head south past Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece and home of the legendary Greek gods of mythology, we will visit the small community of Vergina, home to one of the most recent and fascinating finds from ancient history: the tomb of King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, and also Berea to see the mosaic commemorating Paul’s mission there, and the ancient Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Meteora (either late afternoon or Monday morning), we will tour one of the monasteries built by Greek Orthodox monks high above the plains on narrow pinnacle cliffs. Overnight in nearby city of Kalambaka.
On Monday, we continue southward through scenic valleys and the mountains of central Greece to Delphi, the centre of the ancient world, whose prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic World. In modern day, Delphi is considered by many archaeologists as one of Greece’s greatest cultural treasures. We will tour the most famous sites on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty. Lodging in Delphi. On Tuesday, we leave Delphi and travel through southern Greece with a stop in ancient Thebes, the traditional site of Luke’s tomb. We will travel on to Corinth where you will marvel at the 19th century construction of the Corinth Canal. Before arriving in Tolo for the night, a stop will be made in Epidauros, a major healing shrine and one of the best-preserved Greek theatres.
 Temple of Apollo, Corinth
On Wednesday morning in ancient Corinth, we will walk in the streets where Paul preached to the Corinthians. We will visit the ancient remains of first-century shops, the Agora where Paul was on trial, the Fountain of Peirene, Temple of Apollo, and the museum filled with treasures from the ancient sites. We want to stop at the ancient site of Cenchreae, one of the harbors for Corinth, where Phoebe presided over the church, before going on to Athens for a city orientation tour. Lodging for two nights in Athens. Thursday is our day to see the ancient sites of Athens, including the Acropolis with the Parthenon, the Acropolis Museum, the Areophagus on Mars Hill, the Agora and several ancient temples. Part of the afternoon will be free to explore on your own, shop or relax. Our farewell dinner will be outdoors at a restaurant.
We need to bid farewell to the world of Paul and return to North America. You will bring home fond memories of magnificent scenery, ancient sites, and modern-day Turkey and Greece, special spiritual moments and new friendships. You will have renewed insight into the beginnings of the early church that will enrich your Bible reading in the future.
For further information regarding regarding the complete tour fare, please
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To receive university credit for this tour, please contact:
Tom Yoder Neufeld
Conrad Grebel University College
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G2 Canada
Phone: (519) 885-0220, ext. 261 |
