The Seven Churches of Revelation – Which Church are You?

In May, a group of Southern Cross readers made a pilgrimage to Turkey and Medjugorje, visiting the Seven Churches of Revelation – the 1st-century Christian communities in Asia Minor addressed by Christ through the visions of St John in the Book of Revelation. Günther Simmermacher looks at these Churches and the messages to them, and why they are relevant today.

Travelling to the ancient sites of what once was known as Asia Minor is also a journey to the cradle of our Christian faith.  St Peter led the Church in Antioch before he decamped to Rome; St John wrote his Gospel in Ephesus, the great orator St Philip was martyred in Hierapolis; and St Paul travelled through the region repeatedly and wrote some of his epistles in Ephesus. The first Seven Councils of the Church — from the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD to the Second Council of Nicaea in 768 — were held in what is now Turkey.

Our group visited the church (now a mosque) of the Second Council of Nicaea in modern-day Iznik, and in that city recited the Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the First Council of Nicaea (the site of that, a palace, is now underwater). We also visited the tomb of St Philip in Hierapolis, now the resort town of Pamukkale.

This region was so important in the development of the Church that the Christian communities of seven of its cities were addressed by name in the Book of Revelation. Collectively, they are known as the Seven Churches of the Revelation.

The Book of Revelation was written by St John while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. The Church’s tradition is that this John was the apostle and evangelist. Others argue that there were two prominent Johns active in the region, and that the author of Revelation is distinct from the evangelist. Whatever the truth may be, John of Patmos had a series of mystical experiences and visions which gave rise to the Book of Revelation.

In chapters 1-3 of Revelation, John recounts a vision in which Christ himself dictated letters to the Churches of these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatria  Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. In South African terms, we night imagine Christ sending messages to the dioceses of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Kimberley. Limited to seven — always a significant number in Scripture — these places are representative of those that are not addressed. The messages apply to all Churches in all areas and throughout all time.

These cities existed in the Roman Empire at a time when paganism was the state religion. Since Jews were exempt from pagan worship, and Christianity was still a sect within Judaism, the followers of Christ were technically also exempt. But Gentile converts weren’t, and if Christians were expelled or otherwise alienated from the synagogue, as they were in Philadelphia, their protection as Jews fell away.

In these messages, the Christian communities are praised and rebuked, encouraged to persevere, or commanded to do better. These seven Churches had their own character and challenges, and all of these we can find even today in the Church, in dioceses, in parishes, and even within our individual selves.

So visiting the Seven Churches of Revelation offers us an opportunity to review the character of our own Church, dioceses and parishes, and of ourselves.

Are we committed and faithful, like the Churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna? Are we lukewarm, like that of Laodicea? Have we lost our way to the ways of the world, like Pergamum and Thyatria? Are we outwardly pious but have lost our passion for Christ, like Ephesus? Are we spiritually dead, like Sardis? Often, our parishes and we ourselves may be a bit like some or even all of these Churches.

Here are the seven Churches, in the order in which we visited them:

Pergamum

Our first of the seven Churches was that of Pergamum, now a World Heritage Site (we’d see so many of those on our pilgrimage that this label almost lost its lustre). A rich city, Pergamum was a centre of commerce and learning. Galen, the famous 2nd-century “Father of Modern Medicine”, was active in Pergamum. It had a library that housed 200000 scrolls — made of parchment, which was invented in this city — and a theatre built into the steep slope of the city’s acropolis holding 10000.

Pergamum was a thoroughly pagan city, at a time when failing to conform to pagan practices could see Christians persecuted, or at least excluded from civil life. Indeed, often the worst persecutions in the Roman empire were in the East, and almost always they were based on Christians refusing to compromise their faith by participating in pagan rituals. Revelation calls Pergamum “Satan’s throne” — probably referring to the huge monument to Zeus — and notes that a Christian named Antipas, likely a bishop, was martyred here.

Many Christians, as individuals and collectively, withstood that community pressure, refusing to pay lip-service to paganism, even when that was expedient. So Christ praises the Church of Pergamum for withstanding the demands to conform to the prevalent pagan culture. But before the local faithful can pat themselves on the back, they are warned that some members have compromised the Christian teachings by dabbling in things of the prevailing culture — much as we might do today when expedience demands it.

For those Christians, this might have involved partaking in pagan ceremonies, such as sharing food that had been sacrificed to idols, so as to protect or enhance their social and professional prospects. Some Christian leaders of the time even argued the case for such compromises, but Christ says that this is not allowed and threatens fearsome retribution if they don’t mend their ways. They need to repent, and when they do, the slate will be wiped clean. (Revelation 2:12-17)

Thyatria

Thyatria, today’s vity of Akhisar, was a wealthy city that was on the forefront of being evangelised. Lydia of Thyatira is mentioned in the New Testament as the first documented convert to Christianity in Europe (Acts 16:14–15).

In Revelation, the Christians of Thyatria receive praise for growing in their faith and serving the Lord — except some of them. Christ sees them: “You tolerate this woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the food sacrificed to idols.” By this, he refers to pagan feasts whose rituals included sexual orgies. As in other places, such as Pergamum, some Christians took part in these so as to conform to society.

Christ says that we must not take part in what is immoral in order to fit in. The lesson for Thyatria applies today, maybe especially to young Christians who are feeling pressured to conform to society’s expectations.

The warning about false prophets is important for us all. We have many of those vying for our loyalty: politicians, business tycoons, celebrities, prosperity cult preachers, and so on — and maybe even some Catholic men of the cloth! Christ warns us to resist the temptation to fall for them. (Revelation 2:18-29)

Sardis

Sardis was a historically powerful and wealthy city located on a strategic trade route. This is the place where it is said that King Midas rid himself of his troublesome golden touch by bathing in the Pactolus River; the gold was caught with the wool of sheepskin, giving rise to the “Golden Fleece”. Sardis was also the place of the fabulously rich Lydian King Croesus in the 6th century BC.

In Sardis at the time of Revelation, the Jewish community — of which Christians were still a part — assimilated into the civic culture, which was strongly pagan. This is exemplified by the location of the synagogue right next to the imposing gymnasium — both are impressively preserved.

The Christians of the metropolis get a bad review in Revelation. They keep up a façade of piety, but inside they are spiritually empty. They are warned that they had better change their ways now, lest Christ “come like a thief in the night” and deliver his judgment.

The lesson for us is obvious: We mustn’t go through the motions in our faith but feed our spiritual life — for example by going on a pilgrimage or reading about it in a Catholic magazine. (Revelation 3:1-6)

Philadelphia

The city of Philadelphia in Asia Minor is sometimes mistaken as one of the cities of the Decapolis, the federation of ten cities which is mentioned in the Gospel. There were more than one Philadelphias; the one of the Decapolis is now Amman, the capital of Jordan. The Philadelphia in Revelation, modern Alasehir, was one of the earliest patriarchates of the Church. The Christians of Philadelphia also suffered persecutions, but more from Jews than from pagans.

At the time when Revelation was written, the followers of Christ were still a sect within Judaism, even though the inclusion of Gentiles had complicated that relationship, as did, obviously, the Christians’ belief that the Messiah had already come.

Here we must understand Judaism as a community of very different theologies, bound by the faith in the true God and by shared social attributes. In the Gospels, we see two of these parties of Judaism in action, the Pharisees and Sadducees. There were more such parties, and initially Christianity was one of them.

In Philadelphia, things became so heated in the Jewish community that the Christians were expelled from the synagogue. This was a huge problem: it caused the followers of Christ social and commercial ostracism, and put them at danger of persecution should they refuse to take part in pagan rituals, from which Jews were exempt.

Christ condemns the persecutors and encourages the Church of Philadelphia. He tells its members that if they remain faithful, they will receive his protection in the “hour of trial”. Christ promises: “I have set before you an open door which no man can shut; for you have little power, and you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

The message for us today is not to yield to the pressures of persecutors or of secular society but to remain true to our Church, as the Christians of Philadelphia did 1900 years ago. (Revelation 3:7-13)

Laodicea

Perhaps Revelation’s most scathing judgment is reserved for Laodicea, a wealthy city known for its purple garment industry and eye ointments (both of these are referenced in Christ’s message). And it’s not even that the city’s Christians were particularly bad. They were just lukewarm in their faith, neither hot nor cold. This is not to Christ’s taste, so he threatens to spew them out of his mouth.

Laodicea was like many Western Churches today. Living in the comfort of prosperity, they called themselves Christians and went through the motions as they performed their Christian duties. But while they had comfort and wealth, they were spiritually impoverished.

Christ’s message is that the only wealth that counts is spiritual, and that can come only through him. (Revelation 3:14-22)

Ephesus

The greatest of all the cities in the region was Ephesus. Here we can locate St Paul, who spent time here and later addressed his epistle to the locals, the Ephesians, and wrote to the nearby Colossians. In Ephesus we also find St John the Apostle, who might or might not be the author of Revelation. It is quite likely that St John wrote his Gospel in Ephesus. Later, in the 5th century, three Church Councils were held in the city.

Since Jesus entrusted his mother to John, it is thought by some that Mary accompanied him to Ephesus. Her reputed house is now a small shrine. Our group had the final Mass of the pilgrimage in the Catholic chapel there. While it is attractive to think that this was the place where Our Lady lived, the stronger tradition — and the one at the basis of the dogma of the Assumption — places her final moments in this world firmly in Jerusalem.

Ephesus was a centre of learning and commerce. Its Temple of Artemis was one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Built in around 550 BC with funding by King Croesus, it was destroyed in an act of arson in 356 BC. Only a column and bits of stone have survived. Better preserved is the Library of Celsus, the remains of which still impress the multitudes of tourists who come here. St Paul and St John never saw it; the library was built around 110 AD.

Addressing the Church of Ephesus, Christ is generous with his praise. The community has resisted the lure of accommodation with paganism and is commended for “your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance”, even when that has come at a price of hardships.

But just as the Ephesians are getting quite pleased with themselves, Christ issues a criticism: “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” We’re not sure what exactly he means: have they lost the love for the Lord, or the love which the Christian is called to have for others, and each other? Whatever it is, Christ is taking it very seriously: “Repent and do the things you did at first.” And if they don’t? “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” That’s a promise of darkness.

What Christ really wants is an open heart for the Holy Spirit. “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.” This is a lesson which we have to take to heart especially today, when the vitriol Catholics scream at each other — and even at the pope! — drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit. And during the current process building up to the 2023 Synod on Synodality, we must be acutely attentive to the voice of the Spirit. (Revelation 2:1-7)

Smyrna

The ancient port city of Smyrna is still a metropolis. Known since the 1930s as Izmir — the phonetic relationship to its old name is evident — it is Turkey’s third-biggest city, with a population of about 3 million. This means that most of ancient Smyrna is below the ground, unlikely to ever be excavated.

Smyrna was the city of the saintly bishop St Polycarp, who was martyred by a mob of pagans and Jews in 156 AD.  These kinds of attacks on Christians must have been common already in the time of Revelation, which notes that the city’s Christians are faithful even in the face of persecution. The Church of Smyrna was poor and oppressed, but steadfast in its faith.

Christ warns that more trials are coming, and encourages the Christians to remain faithful, “even to the point of death”, because their suffering will be short in comparison to the glory of life everlasting.

Many Christians are persecuted today, by followers of other religions and increasingly by those without, as they were under communist regimes. The encouragement for the people of Smyrna in Revelation is an encouragement for persecuted Christians today, and for all of us who feel put upon because of our faith. Christ calls us to persevere! (Revelation 2:8-11)

Which Church are you?

A journey to the Seven Churches of Revelation is not a traditional pilgrimage on which one visits a series of holy sites and their churches. Here the pilgrim stands in communion with the earliest Christian communities, those that kept the flame of Christ alive when it was most at danger of being extinguished, in the places where they lived almost 2000 years ago — the people and the places which Ss John, Peter, Philip and Paul knew. No other place on earth outside the Holy Land brings the pilgrim as close to Scripture than the old Asia Minor.

As we stood in the Roman streets and the agoras, and in front of the remains of the pagan temples which our ancestors in faith had to resist, the Seven Churches of Revelation showed us that the challenges of the earliest Christians are not unlike those faced by Christians today. Here we were reminded of our own temptations to conform to the world, and of what keeps us faithful to Christ.

In a way, the absence of churches  in this part of our journey animated us to make an interior pilgrimage, an examination of the self. And that is what a pilgrimage is supposed to do.

So, which Church of Revelation is your parish? Which one are you? And what does Our Lord Jesus Christ expect from us?