Patmos and the 7 churches

fig 1. The 7 churches of revelation located in Asia minor and
the location of the island of Patmos.

Revelation is a letter that was written on a small island in the Aegean sea called Patmos to 7 churches based in Asia Minor (fig 1) which is now modern day Turkey.  This page aims to give details of the context and culture of these important locations to give insight into the letter of revelation.

Patmos
The island of Patmos is situated off the coast of Turkey and is a small land mass of around 13 sq miles.  It is a rocky island with little vegetation and so the land would only support certain crops. Archaeological findings show that the island was inhabited from around 500BC first by Greeks and then from around 2BC by the Romans.


The population of the island dropped during the Roman occupation and it was during this time that Patmos was used as a place of exile for those the Romans wanted to have out of sight and out of mind.  The island made an ideal place to send exiles as it was small and had one main harbour that was easy to defend.  The inhospitable nature of the island also made it difficult for those sent there to thrive and its lack of natural resources meant that its inhabitants would be able to get by and nothing more.

Ephesus

fig 2. The ancient site of Ephesus where most of the important
archaeological sites are situated.  Also marked is the modern
day town of Selcuk. 

The first church that is mentioned in revelation is that of Ephesus which was situated on the coast and had an major harbour. Ephesus was an important city, first for the Greeks and then for the Roman empire who built it up to become the second largest city in the Roman empire after Rome.  It was also the capital for proconsular Asia and the governor was situated there.

The site of Ephesus now is found about 4 miles from the coast line and this is because the river that Ephesus was built upon and which formed part of the harbour constantly silted up which moved the coastline further and further away.  There are records of various attempts to counteract this problem such as dredging and damns and in certain early instances moving the entire city closer to the coast again.

We know Ephesus had a major Christian population due to its mention's in Act's and the letter which the apostle Paul wrote to the church there.  Paul spoke in the synagogue there (Acts 18:18-21) baptised there (Acts 19:1-4) and was involved in a riot there (Acts 19:23-41).  Paul also wrote 1 Corinthians whilst he was based in Ephesus and he sent Timothy there to help the church (1 Tim 1:3).

The biggest tension between the followers of 'the way' and the residents of Ephesus was due to the worship of the chief deity in Ephesus known as Artemis.  The ancient temple dedicated to the goddess was situated in the city and was one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world though nothing but foundations and debris remain of this grand building now.

fig 3. An engraving of the 
goddess Artemis at Ephesus.

fig 4. A statue of Artemis 
now in the museum of Efes.

Artemis was a Greek goddess who was connected to the hunt, wild animals, virginity and child birth. In depictions of Artemis found in the ruins of Ephesus she is often depicted as the many-breasted goddess as shown in fig 3 and 4. It was the silversmiths that made images of Artemis that began the riot against Paul in Acts 19 because they were losing trade due to those converting to Christianity.  

Smyrna
The second church in revelation was situated to the north of Ephesus and was a coastal city.  Today the city site has been engulfed by the sprawling modern day city of Izmir but evidence of the ancient city can be found in the excavated agora (meeting place) as well as from the many statues of various gods that have been discovered.

fig.5 The agora in Smyrna.

Smyrna was another major city in Asia minor and vied with Ephesus and Pergamum to be crowned the capital of the area.  One of the factors that led to the city prospering so well is that it had a large harbour that was a major trade route between the Greek mainland and Asia minor.

Evidence shows that a number of gods were worshipped in Smyrna and there were a number of major temples dedicated to Cybele, the mother earth goddess and Zeus.  Other statues depict the deity's Aphrodite, Hermes and Hestia all of whom would of been worshipped in the area.  Smyrna also set up worship of the imperial cult in order to impress Rome and became an important centre for this belief.

Pergamum


Thyatira




Sardis




Philadelphia




Laodicea