Thyatira, Asia Minor (Akhisar Turkey)
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first….’ “ Revelation 2:18-19
Thyatira is the 4th church spoken of in Revelation and gets the longest letter. Christ sends of message of praise to the faithful Christians in Thyatira, but also warned of the danger to faith posed by their tolerance of a woman who was leading people astray - a “Jezebel”.
Thyatira, unlike some of the other important cities in Asia Minor, is not a port and is not in a high defensible place. It was, and is, midway between Pergamon and Sardis along an important trade route. In the 3rd century BC, one of Alexander the Great’s generals placed Macedonian soldiers here as a first line of defense of Pergamon from the east. When the Attalid kingdom was bequeathed to Rome in 133 BC, Thyatira continued as a trade and commercial center. Thyatira, like many other cities, had numerous trade guilds which were important in the life of the citizens and tied to various gods and pagan temple practices. Lydia the seller of purple cloth who was baptized by Paul in Philippi came from Thyatira.
In 2023 we visited a city block in downtown Akhisar where there are some excavations. Most of ancient Thyatira is covered by the modern city today. This city block has ruins of a public building with an apse from the 5th or 6th century AD. A monumental arched entrance to a colonnaded street has been partially restored. The large civic building has another long rectangular building remains next to it. Columns lined this street in the 2nd century AD. Many inscriptions have been found at Thyatira that demonstrate the importance of the guilds and mention at least 3 gymnasiums, shops, temples to Apollo Tyrimnaeus and to Artemis, and colonnaded stoas. We were unable to visit the museum where many of these inscriptions are held. Thyatira also has the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) that was once a church, and long before that likely a Roman shrine or temple…unfortunately our time was too short …. Next time!!!
Thyatira, Asia Minor (Akhisar Turkey)
