Pergamum for a brief period of time was the capital city of this Roman province (later it became Ephesus).
The city of Pergamum was actually built on a hill...
Pergamum....the city with a library...and what a library it was.! In the known world at the time of this writing by "John", this library was second in renowned status... only the great library in Alexandria (made by Alexander the Great) was of more popularity. This library in Pergamum was quite extensive, and was thought to house as many as 200,000 volumes of reading material, mostly from the writings of Plutarch, a Greek historian who wrote on Greek and Roman history and philosophical views on life. Plutarch's most well-known book was entitled "Parallel Lives and Moralia"...and helps to give an idea on how the residence of Pergamum looked at life...and the afterlife. Pergamum was estimated to have as many as 200,000 people living there at that time. Here is an excerpt from "Parallel Lives and Moralia":
" The soul, being eternal, after death is like a caged bird that has been released. If it has been a long time in the body, and has become tame by many affairs and long habit, the soul will immediately take another body and once again become involved in the troubles of this world. The worst thing about old age and the soul's memory of the other world...it grows dim, while at the same time it's attachments to the things of this world becomes so strong that the soul tends to retain the form that it had in the body, until liberated by higher powers, quickly recovers its "fire" and goes on to higher things."
This gives us a general idea of Greek thought and how many of the residence of Pergamum looked at life...both in the present and in the life to come. The acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ would not be that difficult to accept by most the people in Pergamum...as long as they could bring their "other gods" along with them...and there was the real problem. Jesus Himself had made this perfectly clear in the Gospel of John: " No one comes to the Father...except through Me...". Being a Christian in Pergamum meant you serve and worship only one God...God the Father...through our only Lord...the Lord Jesus Christ...and that made possible by the power of His Precious Holy Spirit. There was no other way to enter the afterlife, nor was there any way a person could have "other gods" to assist them on their spiritual journey.
It was a this point Christians were not looked upon with favor..and caused many in the city to resist Christians...violently if necessary.
One other note concerning the great library in Pergamum, it was here the "books" began to be written on parchment ( a thin hide of goat or sheepskin). This was a big economic and supply breakthrough. Up to this time, everything was written on papyrus, which was expensive because this type of "writing paper" could only be made in Egypt. The invention of parchment was about to make writing a little easier and much less expensive.
Today, not much is left of this city named Pergamum. The remains of the ancient city is still on a hill...yet now it overlooks the modern Turkish city of Bergama. To view and see the ruins of Pergamum, you have to go by way of gondolas...to get there. In the nearby city of Bergama, the residence living there currently are 99% Muslim.
Yet, in the day when "John" was writing the letter of what we call "The Revelation", Pergamum was well known to be a "strong and spiritual place".
The city of Pergamum was filled with beautiful ornate Greek architecture type Temples, and the gods were numerous.
Many of the gods the citizens of Pergamum worshipped were from the Greek mythology...the gods of Zeus.
There was Athena, a daughter of Zeus, and she was a goddess that was hard not to like. The Romans referred to her as Minerva, and she was one of the more compassionate gods(esses) of Greek mythology. Her influence on peoples lives included wisdom, courage, inspiration, strength, strategy, and skill. She was told to have stopped a slaughter by Hercules...because of the purity of justice. She was also regarded as the goddess of philosophy and was reported to influence the great minds of Plato and Plutarch.
Then, there was Dionysus..a son of Zeus. He was said to have the ability to offer life...after death. Yet, festivities and rituals to his honor included men getting drunk on wine and having sex with whatever women they chose...as an act of worship to Dionysus. How wild was it? Well, Rome outlawed the worship of Dionysus...because it was so immoral.
And then there was the god Asclepius...the "snake god of healing". any citizen of Pergamum seeking medical attention would go to a type of hospital or public medical center for help. All medical areas would have the symbol of the snake god of healing Asclepius, and they would receive treatments which often included water. Patients would be given mud baths or drank from "holy water"...which might included specific herbs in relation to the healing they were seeking.
Wait!...it gets even "better". When a person received healing from the god Asclepius, they would also inscribe on a large white stone their name and ailment...that had been cured...for the purpose of a public testimony. Sound familiar?...It will!
A Gleaning from Revelation 2: 12-17
" Write this to the Angel of the church in Pergamum...
First, let it be known I AM the One who comes with a sharp, double-edged sword...capable of cutting down the things in this life and cutting off those things from entering the after-life!
Trust Me...I am fully aware where you live...right in the center of Satanic worship...the very throne where Satan himself dwells. I also recognize how you continue to honor Me, and speak boldly in My Name! You have never backed down...even when they killed Antipas...My faithful witness. Even after his death, you did not turn your back...on Me!
{NOTE: Tradition has recorded Antipas may have been a physician in Pergamum who spread the Gospel. This also means he most likely belonged to a physicians guild, which required giving homage to the Roman Emperor (an act of worship). If Antipas did not do so, he more than likely was expelled from the guild and exposed as a Christian. Tradition also reads Antipas was put inside a large metal bull ( a type of graven image), and it was heated by fire until the metal bull was red hot...thus killing Antipas.}
Yet, there are a few things that if not dealt with now, can reek havoc on the church and cause division in our friendship...that is...between you and I!
There are some within the church here that holds on...and I mean clings to idolatrous teachings with all their hearts. These false teachings revert back to the ancient teachings of Balaam, who passed these idolatrous teachings on to Balak.
Here then lies the problem:
Some within the congregation are eating food that have been dedicated to worthless gods...a seemingly common problem the early church faces...right? Yet, here is the thing that abhors Me...these believers don't care... and why don't they care?...because it also gives the opportunity to participate in sex with any woman of their choosing....which they have embraced as a part of their lifestyle. They actually look forward to the festivals of Dionysus...because they love doing so. This is exactly what Balaam instructed in centuries past. He had the men of Israel get involved with women of other cultures...so that the men of Israel would be weakened morally and end up worshipping the "no-name" gods of the women they pursued!
This is exactly what will happen here!...unless it is dealt with! This must be repented of!
Along with this, there are people within the congregation who adhere to the false teachings of the Nicolaitans...which go "hand in hand" with the perverse behavior brought down through Balaam.
So, repentance is of the utmost necessity! The time is NOW to turn back, change this whole train of thought, and repent of these godless mindsets and lifestyles!
Remind those within the church I will come suddenly...and will cut to pieces the present godless lifestyles with My 2-edged sword...putting to death the things in the present life that are unpleasant to Me...as well as any false teachings that are adhered to...concerning the Afterlife!
If you have ears, let Him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches...
Everyone who is victorious over these vicious and godless lifestyles...will receive the nourishment needed to be strong in Me...for I have manna...hidden away for times like this...for My victorious ones!
And as far as the white stone that is so proudly displayed form the evil and false god Asclepius...I too have a white stone...a stone for each of My victorious ones...and it only has One name on it...known to the one who receives this white stone!"
Note: I guess the library didn't really impress Christ Jesus...just sayin'
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