Philadelphia
Rev. 1:11;3:7
The sixth letter of the St. John to the seven churches of Asia Minor
was the letter to Philadelphia. 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
BCE) in the C2BCE, and the name was likely after his brother Attalus
(later reigned 159-138 BCE), who through loyalt
y
won the title Philadelphus (brother love). The city was handed over
to Roman rule in 133 BCE 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 CE, 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 Vespasians rule (69-79 CE), 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.
Biblical Sites in Turkey List