The origin of Pergamon (Pergamum) is unknown, but such an easily defended hill would have been inhabited at a very early date. The main weakness of its defense was a lack of water. We ourselves can begin to sympathize with the plight of besieged soldiers as we walk around the hill on a summer day. We can also understand the reason for the inscription above many of the springs and fountains in Turkey: “From water comes all life.”
Pergamum was first mentioned in Xenephon’s Anabasis as the meeting place in 399 B.C. of Xenephon and the commander of the Spartans who had just defeated the Athenians in one of the Peloponnesian Wars. Nothing more is heard of Pergamum until after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. Then Lysimachus, one of his generals, took control of western Asia Minor. Later there was a series of kings named alternately Eumenes and Attalus who extended and strengthened their kingdom and spent some of their booty decorating the towering citadel of Pergamum with beautiful white marble structures. What is left of their contributions continues to attract people even now to their city.
In 133 B.C. Attalus III bequeathed the kingdom of Pergamum to the Roman government and it became known as the Province of Asia. The city of Pergamum remained one of the capitals for two and a half centuries, and was still the principal city of the province when the Book of Revelation was written.
One of the great events In the reign of the Attalid kings (263-133 B.C.) was the defeat of the Gauls in 230 B.C. The Gauls (related to those who settled in France) were invited by the king of Bithynia In 279 B.C. to come to Asia Minor as mercenaries in his private wars. After serving the king they settled In the area around Ankara, but they did not give up their warlike activities among their neighbors. They were so bloodthirsty that native soldiers were afraid to fight them, so instead many cities paid tribute to them.
However, King Attalus I of Pergamum determined to rid Asia Minor of these barbarians. Before his attack he prepared a sacrifice to the gods in order that the oracle might speak a word of encouragement to his frightened soldiers. The priest of the oracle announced the miracle that “Victory for the King” had appeared on the liver of the sacrificial animal. Attalus chose not to reveal to his inspired soldiers that he had written the words backwards on his hand and while helping examine the victim he had pressed his hand on the liver! Although outnumbered, the Pergamenes were victorious with no little thanks to their king’s knowledge of human nature. This battle is commemorated in the famous statue of the Dying Gaul which is now in the Vatican Museum.
The most impressive structure in Pergamum today is the large theater built into the hillside and extending upwards for seventy-eight rows of seats. The site is fortunate in having almost perfect acoustics: actors in the orchestra can talk quietly and still be heard in the top rows. North of the theater is the Temple of Athena and between them is what is left of the famous library. To the south is the agora and the Altar of Zeus. Much of the marble of that was in the museum in Berlin. A number of other temples can be seen as can the large gymnasium, various parts of the city wall, and the aqueduct which brought water from springs in the hills to the north to the cistern on the citadel.
The lower part of Pergamum is today known as Bergama. Its largest building of the Roman period is the Red Court (Kızıl Avlu), sometimes called the Red Basilica. It was probably built in the second century A.D. and has a central hall three stories high with red brick walls some two meters thick. The Selinus (Bergama Çayı) River flows diagonally under the court. There is no question that the building was originally a center of worship, but just which god or gods were worshipped there is uncertain. It may first have been a temple to several Egyptian gods, among them Serapis. Later a raised floor was put in and it was used as a church dedicated to St. John the Apostle.
Also below the citadel and southwest of the city is the Asclepieum, the medical center of Pergamum. In addition to the incubation rooms where patients slept and hoped to wake up cured, there can still be seen a theater, a library, a temple to Asclepius, and, under the central square, a long tunnel. Apparently patients were ushered through this tunnel while priests above whispered words of encouragement and healing. A cool, refreshing breeze still blows through it offering relief from the sweltering sun. The famous doctor and anatomist, Galen, was born in Pergamum and practiced medicine in the Asclepieum.
The letter in Revelation “to the angel of the church at Pergamum” was from “the One who has the sharp, two-edged sword” (Rev. 2:12). He spoke of “the place where Satan has his throne” (Rev. 2:13). This might be the Altar of Zeus on the citadel; it is more likely that it refers to the fact that the city was the center of Roman authority for the area and therefore the place of persecution for those who refused to worship Caesar.
In addition to this danger from the State there was the subtler temptation within the church itself from those people holding to the teaching of Balaam and to the doctrine of the Nicolations (Rev. 2:14, 15). John told the church that the vision he saw threatened to “make war upon them with the sword that comes out of my mouth” (Rev. 2:16). But to those who repented and were victorious, “I will give some of the hidden manna; I will give him also a white stone, and on the stone will be written a new name, known to none but him that receives it” (Rev. 2:17). This last sounds like the promise of an amulet or talisman for protection here and immortality to come.
Pergamon, Turkey,
We visited three different Pergamum archaeological sites: The Acropolis, the Aesclepion, and the Bergama Archaeological Museum. In addition we found a Roman bridge and stopped briefly at the Serapis Temple (Red Courtyard).
I have posted separate reviews for the Acropolis, the Aesclepion, and the Bergama Archaeological Museum which I will not repeat here. Instead I focus on the combination of…
Travelling up by cable car was wonderfull.I was amazed who they built it.The spectacular theatre on the hillside is a must to sit in. The renowned healing centre was very interesting. Our tour guide again had so much information to give us.See the famous libary and the alter of Zeus.
Letter to Pergamon (which means “elevation” or “exalted”)
Pergamon (also called Pergamos or Pergamum) was situated 60 kilometres past Smyrna along the ancient Roman postal road. The name means “elevation” or “exalted.” Appropriately, the religious and cultural center of the city was on top of a conspicuous mount.
Pergamon inherited the ancient system of sun worship from Babylon. According to Revelation 2:13, Pergamon was Satan’s seat. It was a center of ancient sun worship, and the place where the famous altar of Zeus stood on a terrace on the slopes of the mount.
The leader of Pergamon used the same ancient title and vestments as Babylonian priests. The last pontiff king of Pergamon was Attalus III, who bequeathed his title to Rome in 133 BC, which “ended the history of Pergamum as an independent political entity.”
Today, the city of Bergama lies at the base of the mountain on which Pergamon once sat. Excavations nearby have uncovered a vast complex which included two temples, a theater, and a medical library. Some of the most famous physicians practiced here. The medical symbol was a serpent wrapped around a pole very similar to the symbol representing medicine today. Nearby stood the world’s second largest library (after Alexandria), with a collection of some 200,000 volumes.
Historical Application
When persecution could not rid the earth of Christianity, the great adversary turned to deception and compromise to rid the world of its influence.
The letter rebuked the church of Pergamos for fraternizing with those who held the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. It was Balaam who led Israel to moral corruption, just before they were due to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. The Nicolaitans, a heretical sect who compromised with the pagan cults, had been rejected by the Ephesian church but were courted by the church of Pergamos.
Prophetic Application
The Pergamos period began in 313 AD and continued until 538 AD.
This was a period of deteriorating moral standards and doctrinal corruption. Satan had failed to destroy the Church through persecution so instead he endeavoured to destroy her through compromise. Christian standards were lowered, and a union was formed between Christianity and paganism.
It was during the Pergamos period that the Church adopted many pagan practices. The seeds of paganism had already been sown into Rome when King Attalus III had bequeathed his title Pontifex Maximus to the pagan Roman emperors in 133 BC.
In 322 Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, but kept the pagan title Pontifex Maximus. In his efforts to unite his empire in the early 300s, Emperor Constantine blended the interests of pagans and Christians. Concerning Constantine’s aims, Church historian F.J. Foakes-Jackson declares, “In dealing with the Church, his object was gradually to transfer from heathenism to Christianity all that had hitherto made it attractive in the eyes of the people.”
However, in 378 AD, Emperor Gratian refused the title Pontifex Maximusas unbefitting for a Christian. The Roman Catholic bishop then took the title upon himself, as the Catholic Church has done with many pagan sun worship symbols. The church in Pergamos represents this historical period of compromise. In exchange for religious tolerance and acceptance, the true principles of Christianity were sacrificed to accommodate pagan beliefs.
By the end of the period, in 538 AD, Emperor Justinian decreed Christianity the official religion of the empire, joining church and state.
In spite of this drift from the true faith of the early apostles, there were those who sought to maintain the true faith. Foremost among them was Patrick, who, in the early years of the fifth century, established scores of churches out of which grew the Celtic Church. This church held onto much of the true faith through the centuries of spiritual darkness that followed.
The promise to the faithful of the Pergamos period was, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it” (Revelation 2:17).
The hidden manna is a reference to a new life in Christ. The white stone is probably a symbol of freedom from the slavery of sin, and the new name represents the character transformed through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.
Even with the altar in berlin this site is worth a visit. Stay over in Bergama. It's a nice town and don;t miss the museum or the Asklepion.
The ruins of Pergamon ("Bergama" in Turkish), the center of medicine in Ancient Roman times, is definitely worth adding to your itinerary if you have time after Ephesus. Both cities are mentioned in the Bible and give you an idea and feeling for how advanced a civilization existed in Ancient Rome, complete with running hot and cold water, luxurious baths,…
After seeing the pyramids of Giza a couple of days before I was relieved to see how clean the site was in comparison, obviously the local population takes great pride in these sites. To start off the visit you need to take a quick (5 minutes or less) gondola ride to the top of the hill from the parking lot…
Much like other Turkish ruins, this being a medical center of ancient times built around an alleged miracle inducing spring, in the hills of the Bergama region on the west coast of Turkey. Not the best of preserved sites by any means, but one with an interesting history, and intact enough to make the trip worth your time. It lies…
After seeing the Temple reconstructed in Berlin I had to see its original site; exceeded my expectations.
The city of bergama is dirty and seedy. We found a GREAT hostel, but the town is not very nice. If you are going to Pamukale or Efeses, you can skip this one.
The view from the site is absolutely fantastic. It explains by itself the reason for selecting this mountain as a worship site. There is no official trail to go around, but that is not really a problem. The descriptive signs are very technical and they do not provided any information on the ongoing life that went on.