John's Tomb

A few days after my run in Hierapolis I find myself in a town called Selcuk, which is North and West of Pammukale, near the Mediterranean Sea.

Selcuk is the modern town that grew up after the ancient city of Ephesus was abandoned. Ephesus used to be a major seaport, established by Alexander the Great around 300 BC. It was quite prosperous for a long time, and was a trade hub for the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine empires, but the climate changed, and the ocean receded away from the city, making it no longer relevant to regional trade.  The city declined and was eventually abandoned.

In the late first century, it is said that the Apostle John, along with Mary, the mother of Christ, made their way to Ephesus and lived there until their deaths. John is supposed to have written Revelations on the hill that overlooks what is now modern Selcuk.

I wander this hill and ponder the Revelation of John. I read it once, a long time ago. It’s a fevered dream of fear and self-righteousness. I cannot imagine writing such things in such a peaceful place.

The Byzantines built a Cathedral here, one of the largest ever built. But fire and earthquakes ravaged it, and now the only thing remaining on this hill are piles of stones. What would have been the fifth largest domed building in the world today, built on the hill where the end of the world was written, and housing the bones of an apostle of Jesus Christ, was destroyed not once, but twice by an act of God.

I wonder what these people did to offend their God so.

The cathedral lies in rubble, with John’s tomb in the middle. It is a chained off section of marble slabs exposed to the elements. It was opened, years ago, but all that was found was dust. While the sun goes down, I park myself on a ruined wall and stare at the tomb, trying to make sense of it.

The ruined church, the dying light, the roped off marble slab; like the Aya Sofia, it gives me a strange feeling of unease. This man was important. Not to me, but to millions, perhaps billions of people worldwide and over the course of time. I’ve been to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. I’ve seen the glorious tomb that apostle got. It seems a strange juxtaposition to see John’s lonely, empty grave.

I stay until the light drains away.

-Doug