The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

Crusader castle at Kolossi

On Friday, Oct. 7, we drove south to visit Athanasios, the Metropolitan of Limassol. We were anticipating the audience, because Athanasios is Fr. Maximos, the main character in The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality, by Kyriacos Markides. We read the book as part of our preparation for coming to Cyprus.

The bishopric is in the old part of the city, where narrow streets made before the advent of cars, and the driving habits of Cypriots, made for some close calls. We emerged shaken but safe. Driving in Cyprus is an adventure. Police pretty much just let things happen. I read before we came that Cyprus ranks among the worst countries in Europe for driving safety. I believe it. Of course, non-European countries like Egypt are worse.

Castle has thick walls

We finally found a place to park in a dirt lot. Lynne wanted me to park on a sidewalk like Cypriots do, but I am not yet sure when that common practice is okay. We made our way to the bishop’s office and waited. When he finally arrived, he began speaking to us in Greek. We stared at him. It was embarrassing. Somehow, when the lady at the Fulbright office made the appointment, the little detail of our not speaking Greek got lost.

After a bit, a disheveled man in a T-shirt, shorts and a ponytail appeared; and he haltingly translated for us. Athanasios, who is immensely popular with the Cypriot people, spent years on Mt. Athos and is a mystic. He told me that we know little about Barnabas. But then we don’t really know all that much about Jesus or Mary or Paul from the New Testament. For him, it is fine that I do my historical research; but it will not change anything for him. What is most important is the mystical experience of faith. He had no particular advice for me.

Castle has low doorways.

Kolossi Castle

When we got out of Limassol in one piece (after getting lost and having to navigate alleys that were made for donkeys, not automobiles), we headed west to a castle built by Crusaders about 1454. The walls are thick, the interior is dark, and the spiral staircase up to the top of the castle is an adventure in itself. I worried about Lynne, but she made the ascent and descent without incident. Things get interesting when folks going up are trying to pass folks going down. The spiral steps taper to nothing on the inside and are not that wide on the outside.

Spiral staircase.

We got royally ripped off on the price of lunch at a café by the castle. One should always ask for the price when one does not get a menu. Anyway, we next tried to find the archaeological site of Kourion. The Roman agora dates to the third century AD, and the theater and several villas were either built or renovated in the second or third century AD. The site also contains a fourth century bath complex built by a wealthy Christian, as well as an early fifth century Christian basilica. We walked for several hours around the site, just taking our time. For photos of Kourion, see

Caldarium. The little round columns supported a floor. Hot air circulated under the floor, producing a steam bath.

http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/CB2E60AEDED0A248C225719B0038B505?OpenDocument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kourion

For an explanation of Roman baths, see sites like

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermae

Home at Last–but not for long.

The drive home was okay, except we got off on the wrong road in Nicosia and wasted 30 minutes trying to get back to the main road. When we got back to CAARI, we had a simple meal of leftovers. We were tired from a long day. And then we discovered that we were going to have to get up at 4:30 Saturday morning. Better than being bored!