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(Possibly Acts
19:10; Revelations 1:11; 2:8-11)
INTRODUCTION:
Smyrna (Izmir), covering an
area more that 4 miles, is the third largest city of Turkey
and has also largest natural harbor of western Turkey. The
oldest settlement was discovered at the head of its natural
harbor, in a small historical mound called Bayraklİ.
According to archaeological research, history of the town
dates back to 3rd millennium BC, and is contemporary with
the first settlement of Troy.
The city moved to Mount Pagus (Kadifekale) during the time
of Alexander the Great. During the Roman times, Smyrna
became the rival city to Ephesus. It prided itself as being
the Rome's most faithful ally, and built a temple for
Goddess Rome as early as 2. Century BC and for Emperor
Tiberius later on. Christian faith in Izmir started with the
activities of Paul who sent some of his disciples. According
to ancient sources, the earliest bishop of Smyrna was
Apelles. The city housed a great Jewish colony and some of
these Jews accepted the Christian faith at early stage.
The church in Smyrna had a great struggle against tremendous
political and religious opposition and experienced poverty
and tribulations because of their faith. It is claimed that
Saint John returned to Izmir from Patnos after his exile.
The letter addressing to the church in Izmir is full of
sympathy and love. It was written to the church nearly 60
years before the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp. Because of its
magnificent location, the city was captured by various
people through its history.
LOCATION and POPULATION:
The second city of the seven churches of Revelation to
receive the message from the Apostle John was that of Smyrna.
Established as a Roman commercial center, the city was a
port located on the Aegean. Smyrna was established thirty-five
miles north of Ephesus on the road that lead to Pergamum. It
was built near the ruins of a Greek colony destroyed by the
Lydian Kingdom in the C7 BC. Following the death of
Alexander the Great, a General of Alexander's army named
Lysimachus took over the region, and established the new
Hellenistic city (C3 BC).
The port was a natural one, and had the distinctive fortune
of the Hermus River which flowed from inland to this natural
gulf. Because of the river access to inland along with the
major north-south highway the city grew to importance. The
well watered region produced significant crops, and this
provided the backbone of a prosperous trade between land and
sea.
The city was reputed to be "the most faithful ally" of Rome
according to Cicero, as the city had a history of siding
squarely with Rome. In the conflicts of Rome and Seleucia of
195 BC, and the war between Mithridates and Rome the city
showed true loyalty, and received significant patronage from
the Emperors in exchange.
The city was noted by the geographer Strabo for its "beautiful"
public buildings:
Next one comes to another gulf, on which is the old Smyrna,
twenty stadia distant from the present Smyrna. After Smyrna
had been razed by the Lydians, its inhabitants continued for
about four hundred years to live in villages. Then they were
reassemble into a city by Antigonus, and afterwards by
Lysimachus, and their city is now the most beautiful of all;
a part of it is on a mountain and walled, but the greater
part of it is in the plain near the harbour and near the
Metroum and near the gymnasium. The division into streets is
exceptionally good, in straight lines as far as possible;
and the streets are paved with stone; and there are large
quadrangular porticoes, with both lower and upper stories.
There is also a library; and the Homereium, a quadrangular
portico containing a shrine and wooden statue of Homer; for
the Smyrnaeans also lay especial claim to the poet; and
indeed a bronze coin of theirs is called Homereium. The
river Meles flows near the walls; and, in addition to the
rest of the city's equipment, there is also a harbour that
can be closed. But there is one error, not a small one, in
the work of the engineers, that when they paved the streets
they did not give them underground drainage; instead, filth
covers the surface, and particularly during rains, when the
cast-off filth is discharged upon the streets. It was here
that Dolabella captured by seige, and slew, Trebonius, one
of the men who treacherously murdered the deified Caesar;
and he set free many parts of the city.(Strabo 14.1.37)
It's roads were commended for their geometric design. With a
stadium that likely seated as many as 20,000 people, and a
well developed infrastructure, scholars believe the city
grew to about 100,000 by the time of the Apostle's Paul and
John. Tacitus records the city had requested and gained
permission to build a Neokorite Temple (to the Emperor
Tiberius) in the following record:
The deputies from Smyrna, on the other hand, after retracing
the antiquity of their town-whether founded by Tantalus, the
seed of Jove; by Theseus, also of celestial stock; or by one
of the Amazons-passed on to the arguments in which they
rested most confidence: their good offices towards the Roman
people, to whom they had sent their naval force to aid not
merely in foreign wars but in those with which we had to
cope in Italy, while they had also been the first to erect a
temple to the City of Rome, at a period (the consulate of
Marcus Porcius) when the Roman fortunes stood high indeed,
but had not yet mounted to their zenith, as the Punic
capital was yet standing and the kings were still powerful
in Asia. At the same time, Sulla was called to witness that
"with his army in most critical position through the
inclement winter and scarcity of clothing, the news had only
to be announced at a public meeting Smyrna, and the whole of
the bystanders stripped the garments from their bodies and
sent them to our legions". The Fathers accordingly, when
their opinion was taken, gave Smyrna the preference.
(Tacitus, Annals 4.56)
The Church of St. Polycarp reminds the modern visitor that
Polycarp, an "Apostolic Father" and student of the Apostle
John, was martyred in the city in 155 AD. His famous speech
concerning his dedication to Jesus is recalled here.
The site has little excavation, as this important commercial
port city is the second largest population in the modern
Republic of Turkey. Because of the Christian community, the
city carried the appendage "infidel Smyrna" for some time.
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