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(Revelations 1:11; 3:7-13)
INTRODUCTION
The sixth letter
of the Apostle John to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor was
the letter to Philadelphia.
The city of brotherly love, Philedelphia, was founded by
Pergamon king Attalos II for his brother Eumenes. Attalos
wanted his new city to become the center of the Greco- Roman
Civilization. After being annexed to the Roman Empire, the
city was a strong ally of Romans who often changed the name
of the city during the time of certain Emperors helping to
the city. Philadelphia stayed always faithful to Christian
Faith till end of its history. Since it was a famous city
for its grape production; naturally, the most important
divinity was the god of Vine, Bachus. After the great
earthquake of 17 AD, the city was rebuilt with the help of
Emperor Tiberius who changed the name of the town to Neo-Caeseria.
Ancient writer Strabo who visited the area wrote that the
city suffered from so many earthquakes, so people of
Philedelphia lived in their farm houses in the countryside.
During the time of emperor Vespasianus, the city was named
after the Empress name, Flavia.
LOCATION:
The city lay along a fault line, and is subject to frequent
and sometimes powerful earthquakes, making the task of
recovering the past in archaeology a difficult one. The
city may have been founded by Eumenes King of Pergamum
(197-160 BC) in the C2BC, and the name was likely after his
brother Attalus (later reigned 159-138 BC), who through
loyalty won the title Philadelphus (brother love). The city
was handed over to Roman rule in 133 BC on the death of
Attalus III. The city may well have been founded for a
social purpose. Ramsey states that the city “was a
missionary city from the beginning, founded to promote a
certain unity of spirit, customs, and loyalty within the
realm…”
Located along the Cogamus River, the valley connects with
the Hermus River basin to the northwest, where Sardis stood
26 miles away. The valley road was the lifeline connection
between the Phyrgian territory to the east and the harbors
of the Aegean to the west.
The earthquakes are amply recorded in history, a severe on
occurring in 17 AD, which destroyed this city and eleven
others. Sardis fared worse from the initial quake, but
Philadelphia shook more frequently from severe aftershocks,
traumatizing the population. Strabo noted the city was “ever
subject to quakes”. After Emperor Tiberius aided in their
rebuilding, it took the new name of “Neocaesarea” (New
Caesar). Under Vespasian's rule (69-79 AD), it changed names
to “Flavia”. By the third century, paganism had held on in
the face of a Christianizing Empire, and the city became
known as “little Athens” for its dedication to deities. None
of these names or epithets lasted, and today the modern city
is called Alasehir.
Early Church history reveals that Ignatius made a visit to
the city on his way to his martyrdom in Rome, and sent a
letter to the church there.
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