Philadelphia in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

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What is Philadelphia?
PHILADEL'PHIA
(brotherly love), a city on the borders of Lydia and Phrygia, about 25 miles south-east of Sardis. It was built by Attains Philadelphus, king of Pergamos, who died b.c. 138. It then came into the hands of the Romans; was destroyed by an earthquake a.d. 17; was restored, and continued a place of importance to the Byzantine age; was taken by the Turks in a.d. 1392. Philadelphia is menitioned in the N.T. as the seat of one of the seven churches. Rev 1:11; Rev 3:7-13. The church at this place was highly commended, and it is noticeable that the city has survived all the vicissitudes of earthquakes and wars until the present day. Its bishops were at the councils of Nicaea, Laodicaea, and Constantinople; and when Tamerlane destroyed the seats of the other Christian churches and massacred the Christians, Philadelphia escaped, and was an asylum for some of the Christians of Sardis. Even the sceptical Gibbon speaks of its preservation as remarkable. A solitary pillar is still one of the most conspicuous features of the town, and the modern name is Allah Shehr, or "city of God," seeming to illustrate the promise in Rev 3:12. The modern city, situated upon four or five flat summits at the foot of Mount Tmolus, contains about 3000 houses and 10,000 inhabitants, mostly Turks. The dwellings are mean and badly built, and the streets filthy. The ruins include a wall and about 25 churches. In one place there are four large marble pillars which may have once supported the dome of a church. Tradition points out an old mosque in which the primitive Christians addressed in the Apocalypse are said to have worshipped. Earthquakes have frequently overthrown the city and rendered even its walls unsafe.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'philadelphia' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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