To view "In
Search of the
Messianic
Secret -
Caesarea
Phillipi," click

here.
To view
"Caesarea
Maritima as
Kown to  
Saint Paul"
click
here.
To read "A
Reflection of
Jerusalem & the
New Jerusalem
from the Ground,"
 click
here.
To view Group
photos of
Cincinnati
Pilgrims in
Jerusalem  
click
here.
To view "Confession
of a Gentile in
Jerusalem: The
Paradox of the 5
Shekel Blessing"
click
here.
To view
"Into the
Heat of the
Hebron
Cauldon,"
click
here.
To view
"Pilgrimage to
Bethlehem,
Birthplace of
Jesus," click
here.
To read "The
Wilderness of
Abraham,
Jesus & Israel-
Palestine,"  
click
here.
To view
"Herodion:
 A Fortress
During the
Gospels,"
click
here.
To view
"The Call for
Simon
Peter,
Fisherman,"
click
here.
To read
"Descending
to the Dead
Sea and
Ascending to
Qumran,"  
click
here.
To read
"Jury for
Jericho,"
 click

here.
To view
"The
Empty
Tombs,"
click
here.
Photography on this page by Charleston C. K. Wang, Shirley Wang, or Arthur Wang
Copyright 2010-2012 All Rights Reserved Charleston C. K. Wang, Esq., Publisher
To view "The
Garden of
Gethsemane
and Church
of All
Nations,"
click
here.
To view
"Two
Very
Different
Houses"
click

here.
WANGNEWS  SERVICE
An Independent Source of News & Views
To read:
"The Holy
Isle of
Patmos,
clic
k here
S U F I S    R U M  I    K O N Y A
S U F I S    R U M  I    K O N Y A
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (Persian:   جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى‎) (September 30, 1207 – December 17, 1273) popularly known as Mevlānā in Turkey, and as Rumi in the West, lived
most of his life in the City of Konya.    He is called Rumi because he gained renown as a poet living in the Selçuk Sultanate of Rum in Anatolia which once was part of the
Eastern Roman Empire.  Rumi was a Persian poet, Muslim jurist, and Sufi mystic.   Sufism, or originally
taṣawwuf (Arabic: تصوّف‎), is defined by the practice of the inner, mystical
dimension of Islam.  Sufism began in the seventh century as a response to the worldly materialism of the Umayyad Caliphate and Sufis trace their precepts to the Prophet of
Islam.  Sufis strive to repair the heart and to turn it away from all else but God.   Stated alternately, the effort is to purify oneself of contamination, in order to travel into the
presence of God, even by quelling the self and developing sufficient ardor  or love as to attain union with the Divine.  To the Sufi elect, ultimately there is nothing but God -

la mawjuda illallah a
nd tawhīd (the oneness or unity of God) becomes the unity of and with God, there being nothing else (to one whose first university degree was in
chemical engineering from the quantitative school at University of Delaware this statement has the  simple yet perfect elegance of a mathematical  calculus theorem).
   Rumi
taught that such union is attainable through poetry, music, singing, and dance.   He is the founder of Mevlevi Order of Sufis and his tomb is now the Mevlana Museum of
Konya, Turkey, which we visited on May 3, 2012 as part of the St. George's College in Jerusalem course entitled "St. Paul and the Early Church in Turkey. "  For the devout,
the site is a holy shrine.  Rumi's writings have transcended human boundaries and continues to be widely read in the world - in 2007 he was described as the most popular
poet in America.  The Mevlevi liturgy manifests in the
Sama Ceremony, otherwise known as the Dance of the Whirling Dervishes.  During the dance, accompanied by music
and singing, the Dervish embarks on a mystical journey of the ascent of the mind  through love to perfection.  The
dhikr (remembrance of the names of the Almighty)
becomes prominent.   The Dervish appears to levitate as the whirling reaches climax.   He then descends and returns in order to serve creation.  
Sama literally means
"listening,"  

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God,  did not regard equality with God  as something to be exploited, but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,  being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form,  he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on
a cross.    Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus  every knee should bend,  in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   
The Christ Hymn - kenosis - Philippians 2: 5 - 11.


The Question then is:   If A => B, then is B => A?  
Charleston C. K. Wang, 6/2/2012.
S U F I S    R U M  I    K O N Y A
THE BAND STRIKES UP
THE BAND AT REST
On the day of our visit, this Turkish Military Metal Band and a television crew
were on site on some special  program.  At one time attached to the Janissary
Corp, such bands (Mehter Takımı), rank amongst the oldest marching bands of
the world.  It is not clear to me how Rumi would have viewed this music.
To read:
"Ephesus
of St. Paul
& St.
John",
clic
k here

پارسی گو گرچه تازی خوشتر است — عشق را خود صد زبان دیگر است
Say all in Persian even if Arabic is better – Love will find its way through all languages on its own.
To read:
"Meditating
Medi-
terranean",
clic
k here,
To read:
"Antioch at
Pisidia:
Wrath of
Paul", clic
k
here.