A wonderful example of the Catholic Church's willingness to share its most ancient documents with the world . . .
Revelation 2:12-16
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,
‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:
13“I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne
is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas
was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
15Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Pergamos
(in Revised Version
Pergamum ) (
height, elevation ), a city of Mysia, about 3 miles to the north of the river Caicus, and 20 miles from its present mouth. It was the residence of a dynasty of Greek princes founded after the time of Alexander the Great, and usually called the Attalic dynasty, from its founder, Attalus. The sumptuousness of the Attalic princes hall raised Pergamos to the rank of the first city in Asia as regards splendor.
The city was noted for its vast, library, containing 200,000 volumes.
Here were splendid temples of Zeus or Jupiter, Athene, Apollo and AEsculapius. One of "the seven churches of Asia" was in Pergamos. (
Revelation 1:11 ;
2:12-17 ) It is called "Satans seat" by John, which some suppose to refer to the worship of AEsculapius, from the
serpent being his characteristic emblem. Others refer it to the persecutions of Christians, which was work of Satan. The modern name of the city is
Bergama
