Historical Notes on the Seven Churches Addressed in Revelation

To what extent did the churches resemble their local cities and cultures?  How does knowledge of the history of each city inform our understanding of each letter in Revelation?

EPHESUS                 

            With a population of over 250,000, Ephesus was one of the four most powerful cities in the Roman Empire.  A harbor city at the mouth of the Cayster river, it was the economic center of Asia Minor. 

            Ephesus was home to the temple of Artemis (Acts 19:23-41).  The statue to the goddess Artemis was a meteorite which fell from heaven.  The temple was the largest building in the ancient world and one of the seven ancient wonders. 

            In addition, Ephesus was declared the guardian of the Imperial Cult (which worshipped Roman Emperors as gods) by Emperor Domitian, who was ruling when John wrote Revelation.  Apparently many practiced magic as well (Acts 19:19-20).  We know that Paul addressed the problem of false teaching at Ephesus (Eph. 4:14, 1 & 2 Timothy).

            Due to silt buildup in the harbor, Ephesus lost its status as a trade center and fell into decline over the course of several centuries.

SMYRNA

            This was another harbor city located only 35 miles north of Ephesus.  It is the only one of the seven cities that has continued to the present day (now known as Izmir).  In A.D. 26 it won the right to build a temple to worship Emperor Tiberias, and became a center of the Imperial Cult. 

            It was home to a sizeable Jewish community known for its hostility to Christians.  By the 80s, the Jewish community had “excommunicated” all the Christians and often denounced them to the Roman authorities.  Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, was burned alive in 150 A.D. for refusing to worship Caesar during a time of persecution against Christians largely instigated by the Jewish community.

PERGAMUM

            The city of Pergamum was located on the plain below a major hilltop fortress.  It became a major intellectual center due to its library of over 200,000 volumes.  The city was a major religious center, boasting temples to Zeus, Athena, Dionysus and Asklepios, as well as a temple to Augustus erected in A.D. 29 (the first temple dedicated to a living Emperor).

            Emperor worship was closely associated with civic loyalty and patriotism.  Those who refused to worship the Emperor were not only considered atheists, but also political and cultural subversives. 

THYATIRA

Originally a border post and military garrison town, Thyatira was the least prosperous and well known of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation.  It was known for its large number of trade guilds that covered any and all types of trade.  It was also known for its dyes (Acts 16:12-15).  The trade guilds were the center of economic, social and religious life.  Each guild had its own god or goddess and the rituals of worship necessary to invoke the favor of the particular deity.  Participation in the guilds was not mandatory, but it was a pre-requisite to economic prosperity. 

In addition, there were temples to Apollo, Artemis and Sambathe.  Emperor worship played a minor part in the religious life of Thyatira.

 SARDIS

            Founded in 1200 B.C., Sardis was one of the oldest and most glorious cities of Asia.  It was a prosperous city and the first to mint gold and silver coins.

Placed at the top of a hill, it was protected on three sides by near vertical cliffs falling 1500 feet to the plain below.  The steeply sloping fourth side was heavily guarded and fortified.  Through centuries of conflict it only suffered two major defeats.  The first in 546 B.C. when a single Persian soldier ascended the cliffs, entered the city and opened the gates.  It was such an unexpected and astonishing feat that “capturing Sardis” became a common Greek phrase for “doing the impossible.”

Ironically, the same thing happened again in 214 B.C., when Lagoras and fifteen others scaled the cliffs and opened the gates from within while the defenders protected only the obvious approach to the city.

Sardis was home to a large and wealthy Jewish population, which appears to have been very intertwined with local Greco-Roman culture.  Many of the Jews were able to attain Roman citizenship.

PHILADELPHIA

            Known as the “gateway to the East,” Philadelphia was a center of trade and agriculture surrounded by rich vineyards.  The patron god of the city was Dionysus, the god of wine. 

Philadelphia was largely destroyed in an earthquake in 17 A.D. and then rebuilt with significant aid from Rome.  In the 80s, out of gratitude to Rome, the city called itself Flavia in honor of the dynastic name of the current emperor.  In A.D. 92 Domitian ordered half of the vines around Philadelphia destroyed, leading to significant economic hardship for the city. 

LAODICEA

            By the first century A.D., Laodicea had become a major banking center.  It was also well known for its black wool and was a leading manufacturer of woolen fabrics. 

            Several thousand Jewish families had been moved to Laodicea by Antiochus III (late 2^nd C. B.C.), yet by the time of Revelation they had largely accommodated to the paganism surrounding them. 

            Interestingly, Laodicea had no local sources of water.  An aqueduct brought lukewarm water from Denizli six miles to the south.  Ten miles to the west, Colossae was known for its cold springs.  Hierapolis, six miles to the north, was home to hot springs known for their healing powers. 

--John Overmyer