Monday started out like most of our trips--at the crack of dawn. We had to be downstairs at 6:45 AM in order to pack ourselves sack lunches for the day, since it was to be filled with sites, leaving very little time for food. Our flight out of the country left Athens at 9:30, and after a two hour flight we touched down in Italy! As soon as we got our bags, the race was on. Dr. Edwards covered Rome in two days, so he had us MOVING! The modern city of Rome has been since 1871 the capital of Italy, a country with 56 million people (one fifth the population of the US in a country smaller than Texas!). IT is the number one tourist country in the world, and looking back on our trip I can see why. As we entered the heart of the city of Rome, Dr. Edwards pointed out the initials S.P.Q.R., which are everywhere and refer to the Senate and People of Rome, harkening back to its initial beginnings as a republic of the people. Almost as evident are the rainbow colored flags, which are draped out of many windows and say "PACE", "peace", in protest of the war in Iraq. Strange times...
Without stopping, we headed straight for the Church of Saint Peter in Chains. It is one of 440 churches in the city and is of importance not only religiously, but historically as well. It was built specifically to hold the golden chains that supposedly bound Peter when he was arrested and held under the reign of Nero. Also in the church is the famous statue of Moses by Michelangelo. The statue, strangely, depicts Moses with two horns coming out of his head. Apparently this was a common depiction of the times because of a translation error from the Greek Bible. From what Dr. Edwards said, one word that means "shaft of light" is very close to the word for "horns", so the idea just stuck and wha-lah--Moses with horns.
From the Church of St. Peter in Chains, we traveled to the hightlight of the day--The Colosseum. The structure is so massive--I was absolutely speechless when I saw it. The huge ampitheatre was built in 80 AD and could hold as many as 55,000 people! Its 80 entrances allowed for quick filling and emptying of the complex and much of its design is still used today in the construction of stadiums and theatres. Over the years, the Colosseum was used for plays, gladiator matches, and reinactments of famous battles. The Romans sure knew how to put on a good show, and they spared no expense. The audience didn't even have to watch in the rain, as there was a giant expandable canopy that could extend from the edges to cover the seats, much like modern stadiums of today. Sometimes, to reinact battles or hunts over mountainous terrain, thousands of tons of rock and dirt would be brought in and a literal mountain would be built in the center. Other times, in order to reinact naval battles, the inside would be completely flooded with water so ships could actually sail inside the Colosseum! Its base had two underground levels, which housed animals, actors and gladiators, and elevators allowed for them to make their entrance through the ground. Although legend tells of Christians being persecuted here, it is a myth. Christians were killed and tortured about a mile from the Colosseum, at the Circus Maximus. However, because of the traditionally held notion, the building eventually fell into disuse for roughly 1,000 years when the Catholics dubbed it unholy. Only after the Pope blessed the complex by erecting a massive cross could Christians again enter the giant stadium.
After our visit to the Colosseum, Dr. Edwards spoke a little of the history of Rome during the glorious period of S.P.Q.R. Rome grew and grew until their domination covered the entire known world. Their ultimate downfall came from this expansion, however, as they spread themselves too thin and were unable to defend all of their borders from the Barbarians. A series of maps along the road to the Roman Forum illustrated the vast size of th Republic of Rome and also demonstrated its rapid expansion under the Caesars. The Romans were very efficient in their expansion and construction that it really is amazing to grasp. When they would conquer and "civilize" a nation, they even let that nation keep its leaders and laws, making them abide only by two major rules: 1. they must pay taxes to Caesar, and 2. they must keep the peace. As long as they kept those commands, they would prosper. If they broke them but once, they would be completely and utterly destroyed. Thus, most of the world just continued to live out normal lives under the dominion of the Roman Empire.
As we continued, we came to the Roman Forum, the agora and marketplace of the ancient city. When we reached the end of the street, above the Forum, we entered the Church of St. Joseph of the Carpenters. Underneath the church is a cell where it is held that Paul and Peter were imprisoned when Nero began his persecution of the Church. According to legend, while in chains, the two apostles converted and baptized over 100 people, including prisoners and prison guards, who were subsequently martyred. Outside again were the Arches of Constantine and Titus, which were built during times of war in order to provide a place of triumphal entry back into the city for returning solders commemorating yet another victory abroad. Also nearby is a statue of a she-wolf suckling two baby boys. These are Romulus and Remus, the two infants from mythology left to die, who, after being nursed back to health established the city of Rome (Romulus later killed his brother for the city).
As we continued further up the stairs, we came to Capitoline Hill, the birthplace of the Roman Republic which was designed and built by Michelangelo. To the side of this monument is the unbelievably massive monument to Victor Immanuel II, also called the "wedding cake monument" because of the raised sculpture around the focal statue. There we also saw one of the 13 Egyptian obelisks in the city, taken from the ancient civilization to show the greatness and power of the Roman Empire.
Our last visit was to the catacombs of St. Callisto outside of the city walls. There are 40 of the huge underground complexes where early Christians would bury their dead. Unlike the Romans, who cremated their dead, the Christians preserved the body entirely because they wanted it to be ready for the Resurrection of the Dead. The tombs we visited were part of a vast underground system consisting of 5 levels, 25 feet tall each, which hold the remains of literally millions of early Christians. All told, there are over 20 kilometers of underground passageways beneath the largely volcanic, porous rock. After a moving devotional in one of the chambers, we made our way out and back to the hotel.
Following a dinner of Roman Pizza, we were on our own, so a bunch of us decided to walk back down to the Colosseum. The building by night was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was completely lit up against the black sky and since the place was empty it was very peaceful. I was so amazed today at the structures that the men of ancient Rome were able to construct. The empire of Rome, however great it was, still fell though. It is a testament to the fact that throughout time, no matter how "great" a people became, God had a way of showing them otherwise. Something for America to keep in mind, I'm afraid...