Monthly Archives: August 2025

My first visit to Colossae was with two friends and teaching colleagues at Florida College. I was concluding a Bible Land tour in Rome. Melvin Curry and Phil Roberts agreed to meet me in Athens, Greece. I arrived in Athens after they had already turned in for the night, but early the next morning we took a short flight to the island of Samos, and from there we boarded a ferry to Turkey. We visited the area of the Seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation as well as other sites in the general area.

Colossae is not one of the Seven churches mentioned in the Apocalypse but it is a short distance from Laodicea. Our photo was made with a view of the tell or huyuk of ancient Colossae. We went near the site on a dirt road. The road to get to the mound is now paved.

Because of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church many scholars hoped for an excavation. We all wanted to know more about the city that was home of the church we read about in Colossians. Timothy joins Paul in the address to the saints at Colossae.

The modern city known as Honaz stands in the shadow of Mount Cadmus. In this photo the town is hidden by the mound of Colossae.

Anarchaeological excavation of the site is now in progress under the direction of Dr. Barış Yener of nearby Pamukkale University. Good news.

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