Spiritual History of Turkey

This article is about the spiritual history of Turkey. This country, also called Asia Minor, was where Apostle Paul did almost all of his missionary work and where the 7 churches of John's Book of Revelation (given to him by Jesus as Rev. 1:1 says) were located. I hope you find this history to be interesting.

ANATOLIA’S UNDERWORLD: The Spiritual History Behind the New Testament & Modern TurkeyAdventurers in Turkey soon discover it to be a spectacular “open museum.” Past civilizations have left behind a rich treasure of ancient remains: pottery, marble columns, old aqueducts, and countless artifacts. Some of these physical treasures have been collected and stored in museums. Most however, remain buried under the dirt and debris accumulated over the centuries. The remnants on the earth’s surface are only the tip of the iceberg—a mere fraction of what lies beneath the surface. What can be seen with human eyes provides but a small glimpse of the real significance of Anatolia.The average tourist in Turkey subjectively feels the extraordinary convergence of the spiritual realm, but rarely acknowledges or understands it. Indeed, even long-time residents are often unaware of the active spiritual underworld nurtured throughout millennia due to fervent acts of devotion, festivals, and occult rituals. So what is the real meaning beneath the numerous mosques, loud calls to prayer, and the official line that Turkey is an Islamic land? The purpose of this chapter is to scratch beneath the surface in order to discover the deep realities of Anatolia’s spiritual underworld.When the Goddess RuledA revolution in human development emerged in Anatolia during the Neolithic Age (8,000-3,500 B.C.). Thousands of years ago, prehistoric groups wandered throughout the land—hunting, gathering food, and leaving their signature in the form of ritual cave paintings and animal cult figurines. Eventually these wanderers settled in agricultural villages. Some of these villages grew into fortified towns in centralized states and even into extensive empires. It was through this growing settlement process that the land came to possess such an extraordinary concentration of active demonic powers.The world’s most impressive example of prehistoric civilization is found in the ruins of Çatal Hüyük, located approximately thirty miles southeast of the modern city of Konya in central Turkey. Çatal Hüyük was founded in the ninth millennium B.C. and lasted a thousand years or more. Like most of prehistoric Anatolia, Çatal Hüyük’s religion was goddess worship. Their great mother goddess was portrayed through numerous shrines and statuettes. The goddess was often heavyset and usually in the process of giving birth. She represented the primary source of life—fertility, seasonal renewal, and everything having to do with life and death.It is believed that priestesses, rather than male priests, performed the diverse rituals of this prehistoric town of some seven thousand residents. Of the 139 buildings excavated so far, nearly a third seem to have been used for ritual purposes. The goddess figurines were often half-human and half-animal. They were sometimes shown seated between leopards, which served as arm rests while the goddess gave birth to an animal. Throughout the rest of Anatolian history goddess worship continued under various names. But the goddess always symbolized Anatolia’s earliest devotion to the spirits of nature and fertility.A Land of Gods and GoddessesIn the middle of the third millennium B.C., a progressive people group called the Hatti entered Anatolia from the east. They established their capital at Kanesh, which is located between the modern cities of Kayseri and Sivas. Eventually the Hatti culture (2,600-1,900 B.C.) spread so broadly that Anatolia itself became known as the “land of the Hatti.”Through written records left behind by Assyrian merchants living and working in Anatolia, we learn that the land of the Hatti was covered from one end to the other with gods and goddesses. Everything that seemed beyond human control–wild animals, fire, planets, storms, and mountains–was turned into a god or goddess to be worshiped and appeased. Each town and region had its own special deity, religious center, and multiple ritual practices. Anatolia became well populated—indeed, thoroughly polluted—with major and minor gods of every form, shape, and origin, ranging from the mother goddess Hepat to the weather god Teshub.Deity Saturation and AbrahamIn the midst of this deity saturation in Anatolia, Abraham’s family migrated from the city of Ur to Harran. Harran is located in today’s southeastern Turkey and was a center for the worship of the moon-god Sin. From here, God called Abraham to leave Harran and go to the land of Israel. He gave him the redemptive promise that through him “all peoples on earth would be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). God’s promise to Abraham is being fulfilled today as local churches are being planted among every people group of the world.The Great Pantheon of the GodsAs larger towns and cities were being built at the beginning of the second millennium B.C., Anatolia’s spiritual realm became more entrenched and concentrated through the Indo-European Hittites (2,000-1,200 B.C.). The Hittites are mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 15:20. After establishing their initial capital at Kanesh, the Hittites began to expand their influence throughout Anatolia. The Hittite kingdom eventually moved its capital to the elaborate city of Hattusa (modern Boğazkale). It emerged, along with Egypt, as one of the great powers in the Middle East. The Hittites flourished in Anatolia during the period of the Patriarchs, Israel’s exodus from Egypt, and the journey to the Promised Land.The primary reason for the increasing concentration of spiritual powers within Hittite civilization was their practice of absorbing and unifying the numerous Anatolian gods and goddesses rather than destroying them. The Hittite civilization was polytheistic to the core. One unearthed document speaks about the “thousand gods” of the Hittite kingdom. In fact, the Hittites were not satisfied with Anatolian deities only. They also captured the cult images of foreign gods and transferred them to their capital for continued worship.The Hittites allowed local communities to continue to worship their local deities. However, their kings actively grouped these numerous gods and goddesses into a national pantheon located in the capital city of Hattusa in central Anatolia. In so doing, the kings assumed that they could guarantee divine protection and prosperity for their kingdom. The national Hittite pantheon of gods is portrayed in its final form today at the rock-sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, located about two miles from Boğazkale. The mother goddess Hebat leads the procession of deities. The Hittite kings were deified after death and, during their reigns, served as high priests. They were responsible for preserving the religious devotion and fervency of the temples and worship centers throughout the kingdom. The kings were also expected to attend the many religious festivals held in honor of the gods throughout the year.The Hittites had thousands of temples and places of worship. Each temple was often the home to several gods. They were presided over by servant priests whose daily task it was to wash the gods, provide them with food and drink, and entertain them with dancing and music. It was believed that through this daily routine, the gods could be appeased and flattered. If this routine was interrupted, the Hittites feared thewrath of the deities upon their kingdom.The lives of the Hittite people were absorbed in magic. Their documents are devoted to the many methods and rituals used to drive out disease, bring physical healing, dispel evil spirits from houses, overcome failing crops, and curse enemies. An abundance of amulets (objects worn or carried for magical purposes) have also been discovered at Hittite sites. The practice of magic has continued up to the present day in the spiritual practices of many Turkish people.Kingdoms from the RubbleThe Hittite kingdom was invaded and scattered around 1,200 B.C. As a result, the next few centuries in Anatolia were a time of dispersion and reconfiguration. Out of this rubble, several smaller independent kingdoms emerged. They continued the Hittite spiritual culture of various gods and goddesses from 1,200 to 547 B.C. In eastern Anatolia a people from diverse origins established the Urartian kingdom on the shores of Lake Van. In western Anatolia, the Lydian kingdom was founded at the city of Sardis. The Phrygian people ruled Anatolia’s western central plateau. During this historic upheaval, the Phrygian’s worship of the goddess Cybele spread throughout the land. Eventually, Rome championed Cybele as the Great Mother of the gods.The Greek AdaptationIn the sixth century B.C., Cyrus the Great led the Persians (547-334 B.C.) to victory over the Assyrians before sweeping westward and taking control of the land of Anatolia. When Alexander the Great defeated the Persians, the spiritual heritage of Anatolia was absorbed and adapted by Hellenistic culture coming from the west. The Greek gods–including Zeus, Aretemis, Hera, Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and others—ultimately held full sway throughout the Anatolia. Adapting to Anatolia’s spiritual realm, Greek temples were built atop the many holy sites that covered the land. As the Romans entered Anatolia in the second century B.C., they creatively adopted and perpetuated the spiritual legacy of the Greeks.Ephesians’ Artemis and Magic GaloreOne of the best sources concerning the spiritual realm of Anatolia during the Greco-Roman period is the Bible, particularly the book of Acts and the letter of Ephesians. The Bible makes it clear that the land of Anatolia bubbled with demonic activity during the first century A.D. Demonic principalities and powers introduced at Çatal Hüyük were still spreading their fear and bondage through the worship of the Ephesian goddess Artemis. Believing Artemis had descended from heaven, countless enthusiasts idolized the goddess as Savior, Lord, and Queen of Heaven. The blatant ornamentation of her elaborate design boasted that she alone possessed cosmic ascendancy and power. The signs of the zodiac circling her neck declared her command over man’s astrological fate. Her chest, blanketed with apparent protruding breasts, accentuated her proposed ability to bestow fertility. The columns of animals adorning her skirt announced her dominance over the menacing spirits of nature. Identified closely with the goddess Hecate, Artemis’ designation as a goddess of the underworld also reveals that her worship included overt practices of magic and sorcery. She was recognized as possessing control over the demons of the dead by holding the key of Hades. It was common practice to invoke the name of Artemis during magical rituals to ward off feared demons. As Acts 19 and the letter of Ephesians reveal, nothing short of active spiritual warfare could liberate the masses of people entangled in the spiritual underworld of Anatolia.Turkish Folk IslamThe guidebooks and encyclopedias tell us that Turkey is ninety-nine percent Muslim. This official statistic requires clarification however. Initially the Central Asian Turks were shamanists, i.e., active worshipers of the spirits of nature. Although some Turks became Christians through the missionary activity of the Nestorians, they absorbed Islam into their shamanistic practices when they came into contact with Arab Muslims. The result was a hybrid spiritism, “Turkish Islam.” As the Turks settled in Anatolia, their popular culture was held together by the mystical practices of numerous spiritual brotherhoods and associations, such as the Whirling Dervishes religious order.Today many travelers to Turkey are surprised that a very small percentage of Turks go to the mosques when the high minarets broadcast the call to prayer. The explanation is quite simple. Most of the Turkish people do not practice the traditional religion of Islam. At the practical level of daily living, most practice a Islamic form of spiritism or occultism that includes performing rituals on special mountain tops and at ancient trees and holy graves. Many of these holy sites have been places of worship for thousands of years. Dr. Rick Love, in his well-researched book Muslims, Magic and the Kingdom of God, states that approximately eighty percent of today’s billion or so Muslims practice an animistic form of Islam. Animistic Islam has six primary spiritual power components:Powers: belief in many spirit beings.Power people: practitioners of magic and the occult.Power objects: the wearing of charms, amulets, fetishes or talismans with the belief that they contain supernatural power to protect or bless.Power places: locations or centers of spiritual power, where people can go to seek blessings and powers.Power times: special religious feasts and festivals.Clearly, in today’s Turkey, as in the days of the Apostle Paul, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). LINK