A PILGRIM IN TURKEY Visiting Classical and Early Christian Sites Second edition 2007 by Calum Gilmour     Price: NZ$25.00

This is a new edition of this attractive and informative book. It has been found useful by many who have travelled to Turkey since the 1st edition of 2000 was written. This new edition has been revised and enlarged.

The book has many illustrations including a number of pages in full colour. There are 88 pages including a select Bibliography and Index.

The purpose of this book is to provide a succinct account of the sites in Asia Minor which are connected with early Christianity. The pilgrimage begins at modern Istanbul, ancient Constantinople, and moves by way of Troy down the Aegean coast to Pergamum and Ephesus and inland to sites in the river valleys. A visit to the port city of Antalya leads along the Mediterranean coast and then into central Anatolia and Cappadocia.

The aim is to provide information on the sites, make the connections with early Christianity, and enable the modern Christian traveller to make an intelligent visit. The text is lavishly illustrated with the author's own photographs. The book can easily become a travelling guide book or be used as a reference tool.

The text relates the sites to the Scripture passages where they are mentioned and connections are made with the history of the early Church which was so strong in this area. We walk in the footsteps of Ignatius of Antioch, the early 2nd century Bishop who was led from Syria to Rome to be martyred. We visit Smyrna, the home of St Polycarp who was burnt to death for his faith. We travel to Cappadocia with Basil of Caesarea the 4th century bishop, and with St Paul to Pisidian Antioch, one of the most interesting of the recently excavated sites.

There is a complete new translation by the author of the early account of The Martyrdom of Polycarp included as an Appendix. A second Appendix has a description of Caesarea Maritima in modern Israel which was Herod's port city and from which most travellers in ancient times left for Asia Minor. The book will be found invaluable to those travelling to Turkey, and to students of the Bible who want to know more about the background of Acts and the Letters.