The Church of Pergamum in Revelation

Pergamum was a royal city in Asia Minor. The provincial council of Asia Minor and the residence of the Roman governor were both situated on the city’s hillsides. Located 55 miles north of Smyrna, Pergamum did not lie directly on the Aegean Sea but was a hub of political and religious authority. It was situated in an inland mountainous area and was originally the capital of the Attalid Kingdom.

In 133 BC, the last Attalid king bequeathed his kingdom to Rome in his will, and Pergamum subsequently became the administrative center of the Roman province of Asia. The people of this city were taught to revere the emperor as a god. They burned incense to the emperor’s statue and proclaimed, “Caesar is Lord.” Emperor Domitian once issued an edict that stated, “Our Lord and God, the Emperor, has commanded this, and everyone must obey without fail.” Anyone who refused to burn incense, worship the emperor’s statue, or dared to declare, “Jesus is Lord,” was considered guilty of treason and was often sentenced to death. It is unclear how the church in Pergamum was established, but its survival in this city was no easy feat. 

Furthermore, Pergamum was a center of advanced culture with various temples dedicated to the Greek god of medicine, Zeus, Dionysus, Athena, and Caesar. The most famous of these was the temple of Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine, who was represented by a serpent. This serpent god’s shrine was set on a mountaintop. This is likely what is meant by the phrase, “where Satan has his throne.” Pergamum also boasted a great theater with a capacity for 10,000 people and a library that held 200,000 volumes, second only to the Library of Alexandria. The people of Pergamum invented parchment, which replaced Egyptian papyrus. The English word “parchment” is derived from the name “Pergamon.” The church in Pergamum was likely established when Paul preached in Ephesus for over two years during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:26).

As the administrative capital, many early Christians were martyred in Pergamum, which explains why it is called the place “where Satan has his throne” and “where Satan dwells.” The “throne of Satan” likely refers to the Great Altar of Zeus on the mountain in Pergamum. It could also refer to the fact that it was the official center for Caesar worship, being the first city in the province of Asia to be allowed to build a temple for a living Roman emperor. Additionally, the symbol of the Greek god of medicine, referred to as the “god of Pergamum,” was a serpent, which is also a symbol of Satan (Revelation 12:9; 20:2). Given that Christ’s “faithful witness, Antipas,” was recently killed in this city, it was truly and accurately “where Satan has his throne” and “where Satan dwells.” Despite this persecution, the church did not grow discouraged or turn back. For this reason, the Lord Jesus commended them, saying, “You did not deny my name, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”