Seven churches of Asia
- For the Possessed album, see Seven Churches
The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as the The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and The Seven Churches of Asia (properly Asia Minor), are seven major churches of early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation. All the sites are in modern-day Turkey and no longer have significant Christian populations since they were emptied of Christians under the Treaty of Lausanne. In Revelation, Jesus Christ instructs his servant John to:
Write in a book what thou seest, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
— Revelation 1:11, KJV
It should be understood that "churches" in this context refers to the community of Christians living in each city, and not merely to the building or buildings in which they gathered for worship[1][2].
The seven churches are located in:
- Ephesus (also see Church of Mary)
- Smyrna
- Pergamos
- Thyatira
- Sardis (the See of Sardis)
- Philadelphia
- and Laodicea, near Denizli (see Laodicean Church)
Seven Messages
Chapters 2-3 of the Revelation procede to lay out specific messages for each of these seven churches, respectively. These follow a common pattern: the speaker first addresses each church and identifies himself (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14), then declares things that he knows about the church in question (2:2-3, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15-17). After this a challenge or reproach is given (2:4-5, 10, 14-16, 20-25; 3:2-3, 9-11, 18-20), followed by a promise (2:7, 10-11, 17, 26-28; 3:4-5, 12, 20-21). In all seven cases the admonition is included, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), although sometimes this comes before the promise and sometimes after. Despite this overall pattern, each of the seven messages is unique in its details.
References
- ^ John (1994). Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger (ed.). The Greek New Testament. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - ^ Walter Bauer (1979). William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker (ed.). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. University of Chicago Press.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
See also
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