Penny Mulvey
10 January 2025
The adventure started in Istanbul, November 2024. An Irish man, an English man and 40 Aussies met in a (hotel) bar, bags packed and ready to go on a pilgrimage/study tour/journey. Whichever word you choose to call it, the tour was a remarkable experience that will no doubt stay with all 42 travellers.
We were about to follow in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, the man uniquely responsible for spreading the Gospel across Türkiye, Greece, Italy, the Holy Land and the globe those many centuries ago.
Our little group did not cover all those regions in a fortnight, but we did travel to Tarsus, Paul’s hometown. For those who have tried to understand the conundrum of how the apostle Paul was both Jew and Roman, a strange quirk – Jewish citizens of Tarsus were granted Roman citizenship.
Our trip was a little more comfortable than the many trips the apostle Paul undertook as he preached in cities and towns across Asia – Pergamum, Thyatira, Smyrna, Sardis, Ephesus, Laodicea, Miletus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Tarsus, Joppa, and the list goes on.
He walked. We travelled by plane, car ferry and coach. Some of us even tried out a hot air balloon over the white calcium terraces in Pamukkale on our way to Philadelphia (one of the Seven Churches in Revelation).
11th century Mosaic in the Hagia Sofia Grand Mosque. Picture: Penny Mulvey
And on the journey, our lives changed a little. Many of the group were ordained clergy, most from Melbourne, but they were also studying a theological subject as we travelled (the study tour was a Ridley subject).
How did our lives change? First, it was the experience of being together. New friendships grew and blossomed. Second, we cared for each other. Those who were older and less steady on their feet, were gently supported by other younger individuals. People checked in with others. They ensured no one was left on their own.
And we, certainly I, were filled with wonder. This story, read, heard, spoken aloud, in church, study groups, written about, came to life. The Apostle Paul, the enemy of Christians, so dramatically transformed by his road to Damascus experience, was oozing into our lives as we encountered the early Christian church more than two thousand years later.
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We stood where Paul had stood in Iconium (now called Konya). Acts 14 starts, “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.”
From there we travelled to Pisidian Antioch. Acts 14 describes what happened to Paul, verse 19: “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.” Our study tour guide, the Reverend Dr Mike Bird, theologian and Ridley deputy principal, reminded us that being in this place, we can remember that what God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus from the dead.
What happened at Pisidian Antioch all those years ago, “was part of the one story of redemptive history,” Dr Bird said, “and the promises from God remain for his people now.”
The Reverend Mike Bird preaches a small sermon in the Great Basilica, also known as the Church of St Paul, in Pisidian Antioch, Türkiye. Picture: Penny Mulvey
Each day we travelled to a new/old location. A place where, as recorded in the New Testament, Paul had preached, dined, walked to, been stoned or whipped. Our little group had joined thousands upon thousands of other Christians who will have gone on the same pilgrimage over these last centuries.
On our third day, some of us viewed the extent of the ancient sites of Laodicea and the Phrygian city of Hierapolis from a hot air balloon. The archaeological site is massive. The amphitheatre is used for outdoor events, such as operas, etc. It is both humbling and wondrous to walk around these sites, imagining the people who lived and worked there in around 200 BC.
Laodicea is one of several churches named in Revelation. Chapter 3:14-16: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!”
Paul mentions a letter to Laodicea in Colossians, but what the letter contained, and who actually wrote the letter, remains a mystery. Sadly, our study tour did not solve the mystery. Maybe the next group will succeed.
Ephesus! A World Heritage listed site. Not surprising given the extent of the city, the condition of the Baths of Scholastica, the Temple of Hadrian and the Great Theatre. Our group spent some time wandering around this extraordinary site, built in the 10th century BC! The Ephesian Christians were important to Paul. In his letter to the Ephesians, he writes in chapter 1, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.” (v 17)
Study tour group at the Temple of Apollo in Didim, Türkiye. Picture: Supplied
I was number 15. Whenever we returned to our coach, we did a count. It provided some considerable amusement. Who would have thought how much you can tell about an individual’s personality by how they call out one number! The ‘naughty kids’ down the back of the bus would bring life, noise and wit to just a single number. I suspect the ringleader might have been the delightful Isaac! Isaac brought joy and kindness to all he engaged with. He was loud, funny and passionate for the Lord. I suspect he will be a great minister when the time comes.
Naomi Bird had the challenge of corralling this crazy group of people. She did it with firmness, humour and, at times, resignation, all while feeling unwell.
One of the highlights for me was Gallipoli. We started at Anzac Cove. The memorial was beautifully tended, the big expanse of green grass immaculate. Turning 180 degrees from the ocean are the hideous overgrown trenches of Gallipoli, the place where so many men, both Turks and ANZACS, senselessly lost their lives.
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Visiting Lone Pine Memorial was something I had never imagined I would achieve. So, to see my great uncle (my grandfather’s brother) Frederic Christie Mulvey, a Lance Corporal in the 2nd regiment of the Australian Light Horse Brigade, acknowledged on the second stone within the memorial was remarkable. A hydrological surveyor from Newcastle NSW, young Frederic eagerly signed up in 1914, was on a boat to Egypt in 1915, arrived at Gallipoli on 12 May and was dead on 14 May. One of many, many senseless casualties on both sides of the war.
Lone Pine Memorial. Picture: Penny Mulvey
Prior to visiting Gallipoli, we travelled to Assos, a small Aegean coastal town, where Paul and Luke rested overnight, as written in Acts 20:13. I suspect the town might look different now – it is a quaint old fishing village situated right on the Mediterranean Sea.
Our time in Türkiye was concluding. Soon we would be flying to Athens. But we still had a few more important theological sites to visit. Travelling to Philippi, we went to the site where Paul allegedly baptised Lydia, believed to be the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe. (Our tour guide was sceptical about the claim that she had been baptized in that precise small river, but not about Lydia herself.) Lydia was a businesswoman; she traded in purple cloth. Paul and Silas stayed with Lydia after she persuaded them, saying “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” (Acts 16:15)
We also visited the Ancient Theatre of Philippi, a place dear to Paul’s heart. The Roman Road, Via Egnatia, passed through Philippi, and we could imagine Paul walking and preaching as he travelled, spreading the Gospel.
Still more ruins, this time the Ancient city of Corinth, and then to Athens to see the Acropolis, the birthplace of politics and philosophy. Remarkable constructions, made of enormous marble blocks, built to last, so that travellers throughout the centuries have been able to marvel at the strength and beauty of Ancient Greece and the power of the Romans!
And suddenly, the pilgrimage was over. Bags packed. Coach loaded. A few later departures, and we all dribbled away — back to our families, churches, lives, more holiday — but forever touched by each other and the great adventure we had been on.
Final day at Athens. Picture: Penny Mulvey
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