Bible Matrix ⑦_165_REV 2:12~17 – The history of the church in Pergamum

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Bible Matrix ⑦_165_REV 2:12~17 – The background, history and meaning of the church in Pergamum that existed at AD 27~100

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmso001-ws8

Bible Matrix ⑦: Historical & Scientific Views on Daniel and Revelation

Part 2. Revelation

Revelation 2:12~17 - To the Church in Pergamum, Faith/Martyrdom, but the Church in Crisis of Idolatry

Revelation 2:12~17 - The background, history and meaning of the church in Pergamum that existed at AD 27~100

○ The history of Pergamum: The name of Pergamum means 'citadel, strong fortress, high castle, exalted'. The current name of Pergamum is Bergama. The Pergamum was an ancient Greek city located at an altitude of more than 300 meters above sea level. It was the center of politics and administration to the extent that there was a Government-General installed to rule the whole of Asia Minor during the rule of the Imperial Roman Empire(BC 27~AD 394). And it was a cultural city with a large-scale library with 200,000 books.

○ ‘Glaive’ as the single-edged sword: The Roman emperor (which emperor was unknown) bestowed his sword called ‘Glaive or glave or Latin gladius’ upon the governor of Pergamum. This ‘Glaive’ was the single-edged sword. The sword of the emperor was endowed with the power to execution to execute the death penalty at any time. Therefore, the governor who had the sword could execute the death penalty at any time. Because of this, Pergamum was famous as the only city in the Asia Minor region that had the power of execution. So people were afraid of the sword of the governor who had the power to execute.

○ However, Jesus has “the sharp double-edged sword” (Revelation 1:16, 2:12), which is incomparable to the single-edged sword of the governor. This means that Jesus is the one who has all the authority to judge (Matthew 28:18, John 5:22, 5:27, 9:39). We should not fear the authorities or rulers, but rather Jesus Christ who judges even our souls. This means, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” as written in <Matthew> 10:28 (NIV).

○ Many pagan temples as Satan has his throne: This place had many pagan temples, including the magnificent Temple of Zeus with a height of 12m built to commemorate the birthplace of the god Zeus appeared in Greek mythology and the Roman Empire's 'Emperor Worship Temple', therefore, in Christianity, it had been a city of struggle or fighting since the early church. So Jesus says, “I know you live – where Satan has his throne” (Revelation 2:13).

○ The building of the church of Pergamum was built on the river, which was on a low level, whereas other temples were built on high grounds. It is said that if you go to the basement where the actual church used to be, you can hear the sound of the river flowing. The building began to be used as a Christian church around AD 300, and after the fall of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) in 1453, it turned into ruins.