Patmos—Island Bilong Apocalypse

FROM MAN WEA RAET FOR WEKAP! LONG GREECE

SAMFALA taem, pipol bilong Patmos luk akros long Aegean Sea and lukluk long wanfala laet wea signol saed long wanfala maunten long island bilong Samos. Samfala sei datfala laet wea savve mekem man fraet hem kam from static electric, bat pipol bilong religion wea stap long Patmos no ting olsem. Olketa kwiktaem go talem neiba hao olketa kasem narafala saen from man wea stap long datfala island bifor wea planti pipol savve long hem, wea olketa raosem hem for go stap long disfala smol Greek island bilong Asia Minor klosap 1,900 bifor.

Luk olsem king bilong Rome, Domitian, nao judgem datfala man for stap long Patmos, from hem “tok abaotem God and givim witness long Jesus.” Long there hem herem voice bilong God, wanfala “voice olsem trumpet,” wea sei: “Mi nao Alpha and Omega, . . . Samting wea iu lukim raetem long wanfala scroll.”—Revelation 1:8-11.

Datfala scroll, or buk, hem last part bilong wanfala buk wea staka winim eni nara buk. Samfala storyim diswan olsem wanfala long olketa buk wea hard tumas for minim—datfala Bible buk wea olketa kolem Revelation, or Apocalypse, lastfala buk bilong Bible. Man wea raetem hem John, aposol bilong Jesus. Olketa vision wea John kasem abaotem lastfala big trabol bilong disfala wicked world mekem olketa reader interest long hem for planti handred year finis.a

Patmos Distaem

Planti visitor bae agree hao Patmos—long north saed bilong Dodecanese Islands—hem ples wea barava fitim disfala buk. Olketa hae volcano and deep hol long rok wea garem dark shadow long olketa flat area long olketa green hill and grass area wea garem flaoa wea sun long Aegean hem shaen long hem.

For lukim gud Patmos distaem, mi sail from Piraievs, wea hem nao main port bilong Greece. Bihaen midolnaet, taem datfala ship hem kam insaed long harbor bilong Skála—wea hem port and barava big taon bilong Patmos—skae kamap klia and laet from full moon showimaot klia datfala island.

Long next morning, taem mi drinkim Greek coffee wea saoa, mi redy for lukluk gud long datfala island. Long early morning mi lukim olketa granmami, wea werem blak kaleko from hed kasem toe, wea trae for kasem olketa smol pikinini wea ranran. Wanfala fisherman wea garem long beard wea sidaon klosap hem hammarem lunch bilong hem—wanfala octopus wea hem just spiarim long sea—antap long cement warf for mekem hem soft.

Winim wei for go long boat, mi disaed for klaemap saed maunten bihaen Skála mekem mi lukim full island. Hem spesol samting for lukim. Datfala island hem leidaon olsem wanfala map wea float long sea. Patmos hem thrifala smol island wea join tugeta and kamap wan—wea smol pis land nao joinim olketa tugeta. Wanfala long olketa smol pis land hia hem stap long Skála. Narawan hem stap long ples wea olketa kolem Diakofti, wea minim “Kat awe,” klosap long south saed bilong datfala island wea no staka pipol stap. Patmos hem 13 kilometer long, and long wanfala ples iu savve sut go kasem narasaed witim ston.

Thru Olketa Hard Taem

Pipol tingim Patmos hem holy start from taem wea firstfala pipol kam from Asia Minor samting olsem 4,000 year bifor. Olketa wea stap firstaem long there chusim mek-tu barava hae ples long datfala island for wakem temple for Artemis, woman god bilong hunting.

Samwea long 96 C.E., taem wea olketa tingse aposol John stap long Patmos olsem prisoner, Patmos hem anda long kontrol bilong Rome. Long mek-foa century, datfala island kamap part bilong Byzantine Rul wea followim “Christian Wei.” Then, midolwan mek-seven and mek-ten century, Islam kontrolem.

Gogo, pipol lusim Patmos and no eni plant grow long hem. Then, bihaen, long mek-11 century, wanfala Greek Orthodox priest start for buildim strong monastery bilong “Saint” John long ples bilong heathen temple bilong Artemis. Gogo samfala kam and wakem olketa naesfala white haos long Hora, taon wea still stap klosap long olketa wall bilong monastery.

For lelebet taem datfala island hem garem glory insaed olketa year bihaen 1800, from samfala long olketa citizen ownim olketa ship for duim bisnis wea barava rich long Mediterranean. Long samfala wei olketa ship hia kosim planti moa pipol for muv kam long there. Long olketa year bilong 1970, samfala rich pipol bilong world faendem naesfala land and building wea no kost tumas long disfala island wea luk olsem pipol no tingim for longfala taem finis. Olketa wakem gud moa samfala long olketa bigfala old haos bilong olketa wea duim bisnis long ship, and diswan witim olketa niu samting long port mekem Patmos kamap ples wea olketa tourist laekem tumas.

Kam kasem distaem Patmos hem free from olketa tourist wea klosap spoelem evribit olketa narafala island long Greece. Main reason hem from nomoa airport long there and olketa priest strong for keepim olsem holy ples.

History Mix Witim Kastom

Taem hem help for planim gogo bilong mi for lukluk long datfala island, man wea waka long ples for kaikai hia leadim mi long 400-year-old cobblestone road bihaen long taon bilong Skála, wea lead go ap thru ples bilong olketa pine tree wea smel naes and go long cave wea pipol tingse hem bilong John and go tu long monastery bilong “Saint” John. Long spialaen bilong taon, mi go pas long wanfala raeting wea stap long wanfala ston wall wea olketa raetem long red color: “Ohi sto 666” (Lukaot for 666), wanfala long olketa saen bilong Revelation wea pipol no minim.

Datfala Monastery bilong Apocalypse, garem smol church bilong “Saint” Anne, wea olketa buildim long 1090 for stap ovarem door bilong wanfala smol cave wea olketa bilivim John kasem vision long hem. Mi lukluk long wanfala woman hem nildaon and putim wanfala tama (offering) long piksa bilong “Saint” John. Olketa Orthodox wea faithful, wea bilivim hao datfala piksa savve duim mirakol, offerim tamata—smolfala iron wea luk olsem pipol, olketa part bilong body, olketa haos, and nomata olketa car and boat. Mi remember mi lukim finis olketa offering olsem wea olketa wakem long clay klosap long Corinth insaed temple bilong Greek god-doctor Asclepius. Waswe, hem samting wea happen nomoa?

Olketa Kastom Samting and Olketa Manuscript

Taem mi go insaed open area bilong datfala monastery bilong “Saint” John, wanfala man hem showaot from olketa dark corridor. “Papa Nikos” (Father Nick) hem hapi for showim long olketa nara tourist and mi olketa treasure bilong datfala monastery. Datfala monastery, wea ownim bigfala haf bilong Patmos, hem barava rich and garem big paoa long Greece.

Mifala wakabaot thru wanfala cold church rum wea kamap blak from smoke bilong kandol, ples wea olketa berem man wea startim disfala monastery, and then mifala go thru long Church rum bilong Virgin, wea samfala part bilong hem olketa buildim witim ston from temple bilong Artemis. Insaed long museum, mifala lukim big hip gold and jewel wea olketa czar donatem; agreement from mek-11 century bilong olketa priest for datfala island, wea Byzantine King Alexius I Comnenus hem saenem; and wanfala naes smol haf long Gospel bilong Mark from mek-6 century, wea olketa raetem witim silver and no witim ink long animal skin wea purple. Witim olketa samting hia, olketa monastery haos hia garem staka difren kaen Bible witim olketa manuscript.

Olketa Naesfala Ples Long Island

Disfala island garem tu olketa ples wea luk naes tumas. Tu-thri kilometer long south saed bilong Skála, wanfala klinfala sandbis go followim wanfala bay wea stap sef. Disfala sandbis hem flat and no luk interesting, bat hem garem Kalikatsou, wea minim “Seabird,” wanfala bigfala ston rok wea stap midol long datfala sandbis, wea hem samting olsem faev or six storey hae and fulap witim olketa cave olsem wanfala big Swiss cheese.

Best wei for enjoyim Patmos hem for go raonem and lukluk long evri ples. Iu maet want for sidaon anda long hot sun midolwan olketa old samting bilong acropolis long Kastelli bifor and lisin long olketa bell bilong sheep farawe and whistle bilong olketa shepherd. Or samfala aftanun taem cloud bilong Aegean spread akros long skae, iu maet want for sidaon and lukluk long sandbis taem olketa boat wea go aot taem olketa cloud kamap klia wea mekem hem luk olsem olketa klaem go ap long skae.

Long lastfala day bilong mi there, taem sun hem redy for go daon, wanfala naesfala red color bilong sun mekem taon long daon hem luk big fogud. Aotsaed long datfala bay, olketa fisherman wea iusim lamp go ahed for redyim olketa smol boat wea no iusim engine wea olketa kolem gri-gri, olketa smol duckduck, bikos wanfala main ship nao pullim olketa.

Full island hia hem luk shaen. Cold wind witim olketa hae wave pusim olabaot olketa gri-gri. Tu-thri hour bihaen, mi lukim olketa boat moa, from deck bilong ship taem hem kakam bak for Piraievs and hem go pasim area bilong olketa for fishing samting olsem wan or tu kilometer from shore. Olketa man hia laetem olketa barava braet laet wea olketa iusim for mekem olketa fish kam. Datfala naet, piksa bilong John wea stap olsem prisoner and raetem daon vision bilong hem long Patmos, hem go ahed for stap long mind bilong mi go kasem taem wea mi no savve lukim olketa and datfala island bihaen long olketa.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 15]

Datfala monastery bilong “Saint” John

[Credit Line long page 14]

© Miranda 2000