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Princeton Theological Seminary MDiv candidate Brandon Bradley didn’t bring any preconceived expectations with him when he embarked on Revelation and Empire in Turkey, a 12-day course that brought students and faculty members to Istanbul and beyond this spring. “My only expectation was to dwell in another culture and see how people lived and worked with one another,” he says. But by the time he landed back in the United States on June 3, Bradley was calling this experience the best of his life.
This journey through Turkey was not just a trip,” echoes MDiv student Maddie Abbott, “but a profound educational and spiritual journey that will stay with me forever.
At its core, the course aimed to immerse students in places deeply formative for the New Testament and early Christianity. “We wanted them to walk those paths, see the archeology alongside modern urban landscapes, and imagine what it may have been like for early Christians to live in these cities,” says course co-lead Eric Barreto, Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament.
This goal found a rich expression in Istanbul, where the cohort of 19 students and two faculty members spent their days visiting historic sites, taking in the city’s rich culture, and experiencing the faith traditions of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, who live and pray side by side.
“There’s something important about place that can connect us to the past in a way that reading about it—which is lovely, and opens doors for us—cannot do,” says course co-lead Heath Carter, Director of PhD Studies and Associate Professor of American Christianity. “It breathes life into the texts we read week after week behind the pulpit, offering a tangible connection to the people who lived here thousands of years before and who wrestled with the same big questions about God and life that we take up in Seminary.”
Abbott’s favorite stops in Istanbul included the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, a church that was constructed in 537 CE and was the official seat of the patriarch of Constantinople. “Standing in the Hagia Sophia, a place that has served both as a cathedral and a mosque, was a deeply moving experience,” she says. “It symbolizes the intersection of faiths and histories, embodying centuries of spiritual and architectural grandeur.”
In addition to taking a walking tour through the city’s traditionally Jewish neighborhood of Galata, the group explored a number of mosques, gaining insight into the complex interplay between Christianity, Islam, and empire across centuries. The physical transformation of churches into mosques (and vice versa) serves as vivid reminders of the turbulent histories of negotiation, conquest, and colonization that have shaped global faith traditions.
“Central to our course was contemplating what it means to interpret the Book of Revelation within the context of the Roman empire,” Barreto adds. “Turkey’s history mirrors the rise and fall of empires, illustrating how faith communities have grappled with shifting power dynamics over time.”
After spending about three days in Istanbul, the group journeyed south, making stops in Nicaea, Pergamum (one of the seven churches of Revelation), Thyatira, and Sardis (the ancient capital of Lydia). Along the way, they explored significant landmarks such as the foundations of the great Temple of Zeus, the temple of Athena, grand colosseums, and more. “Our tour guide’s storytelling brought the landscape to life for me,” says Bradley. “Where stones, towers, and pillars now stand, I could envision thriving civilizations, people filling stadiums, and communities coming together in sacred spaces.”
Continuing their journey, they arrived at Hierapolis (“holy city”), renowned for its healing thermal springs that have been used since the second century BC. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts an amphitheater, column-lined streets, the Christian basilica, and the Martyrium, traditionally associated with the crucifixion site of the apostle Philip. The course continued with visits to the unexcavated ruins of Colassae and the ancient city of Laodicea, where the cohort explored ruins, baths, and the church addressed in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Bradley describes these encounters as “a walking museum where the information was limitless,” spanning architecture, scripture, and daily life in ancient times.
The trip concluded in Ephesus, a vibrant and important Greco-Roman port city where Saint Paul resided from 52-54 CE and where it is believed that Mary, mother of Jesus, lived the last years of her life.
“This trip was part of the Seminary’s Alternative Context course requirement and held particular significance for our students preparing to serve in multicultural and global communities and congregations,” explains Carter. “Turkey, in particular, offers crucial insights into biblical contexts as well as the sites that shaped Christian doctrine. There was definitely a pilgrimage aspect to this journey, as we visited paces important to the formation of our faith.”
MDiv candidate Jasmin Gonzalez initially enrolled in the course because of its connection to the Book of Revelation, but came away valuing the moments of conversation, prayer, and reflection the most.
One of her most memorable experiences occurred one afternoon towards the end of the trip when the cohort had some free time. She and another student wandered in search of coffee; “instead, we found repose and reflection,” she says. While discussing the theological and social issues that arose during the trip, the pair stumbled upon children’s talent shows, trade markets, and even a protest. “In this moment, the bridge between the ancient cultural sites we had been visiting and the way that our text meets a contemporary audience became apparent,” she says. “It gave us more room to contemplate the objective of the course from our perspective as Seminary students in a well-established institution far removed from the context we were studying.”
