Patmos

Patmos is one of the islands in the Aegean Sea, located west of modern-day Turkey. Although it is geographically close to Turkey, it is the northernmost island of the Dodecanese Islands, which belong to the Republic of Greece. The island is about 12 kilometers long from north to south and 10 kilometers wide at its widest point, with an area of 35 square kilometers. It has a coastline of 37 kilometers and is dotted with small bays, capes, ports, and a winding shoreline. The most famous bay is Skala, the island’s busiest commercial port, which connects it to the outside world.

Patmos is a volcanic island with low, flat plateaus and bare, low-lying mountains, giving it a “rocky” and “treeless” appearance. The highest peak on the island is Mt. Profitis Elias (Mount of Prophet Elijah), with an altitude of about 270 meters. Key tourist attractions include the capital, Chora, the commercial port of Skala, the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, and the Cave of the Apocalypse.

The book of Revelation clearly states that it was written by the Apostle John while he was exiled on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:1-2, 9-11a). It is the only book in the New Testament that explicitly identifies its place of writing. According to traditional sources preserved by the church fathers Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Jerome, the Apostle John was exiled to Patmos in 95 AD during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian. He was freed only after Nerva became emperor in 96 AD and was the only one of the twelve apostles to die a natural death.。

The above information is used with permission from the Holy Light Bible Geography Network.