Day 01 - Smyrna, Pergamum

Eric:

One of my favorite sites to visit was Pergamum. In Revelation 2, the church was praised for holding fast to the name of Jesus. When you visit the site, you see just how many temples to other gods there were- temples to Zeus, Dionysus, Asclepios, and even a temple to Emperor Trajan. There would have been not only temptation, but also pressure from the Roman Empire to worship the pantheon of gods.

Asclepios especially was one of the main competitors of Jesus in the second century, and visiting the temple to Asclepios really displayed the parallels between Jesus and Asclepios. There were streams of water (also known as "living water") flowing through the temple that were thought to have healing properties. Water channels were even built into the floor of the temple to create a peaceful sound as people came to worship, and the dormitories were incredibly dark so as to ‘foster visions’ that were believed to lead to healing.

A first- or second-century Christian who lived in Pergamum would have faced an incredibly difficult decision if they or a loved one needed healing - Hold fast to the name of Jesus or reject Him by seeking healing at the temple. In spite of all these temptations, some of the Christians at Pergamum held fast to the name of Jesus. Others were giving in to temptation and committing immoral acts inside any one of the 8+ temples.

The temples themselves were awe-inspiring, and helped to put me in the shoes of a first-century Christian. The temples were meant to be incredible displays of power and had tons of wealth poured into them. They had intricate designs, imported stonework from as far as 150 miles away, and roads that connected their many cities. Pergamum also had the second largest library of the ancient world, holding over 200,000 scrolls. All of this would have made it incredibly tempting to forsake the name of Jesus for the Roman Empire.