Revelation 2:12

And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword:

PERGAMUM

Angel of the church ... See references above on this.

The name Pergamum means citadel,[58] but the word parchment, meaning paper of Pergamum, also derives from it.[59] When political jealousy interrupted the supply of papyrus from Egypt, Pergamum invented the method of making paper from the skins of animals; and a great library was built there, which was later moved to Alexandria and consolidated with the library there. The founding of the city lay beyond the mists of long pre-Christian history, but coins were minted there as late as 452 B.C., and possibly much earlier. The principal importance of the place dates from the times of Lysimachus (355 to 281 B.C.), after whom Pergamum continued as a kingdom until Attalus III, upon whose death (133 B.C.) the kingdom was bequeathed to Rome. By Christian times, Pergamum had become the chief center of the Roman emperor-worship, no less than three temples being erected there to Roman emperors,[60] but with many other temples also, to Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and Asklepios (the serpent-god of healing). Of these, the temple of Zeus (Soter Theos), the "saviour god," had a huge altar 40 feet high carved like a great throne into the face of the mountain dominating the city, perhaps suggesting the words, "where Satan's throne is" (Revelation 2:13). A school of medicine was there, connected with the worship of Asklepios; and the city was also the principal seat of Roman authority in the area. All of these gave the city something of the character of a great imperial cathedral metropolis. It was the Roman sword which constituted the ultimate authority in the times and place of Pergamum, and thus it was most appropriate for John to speak of Christ to them as, "He that hath the sharp two-edged sword," an authority infinitely greater than that of Rome. The sword, of course, is the word of the Son of God.

The climate of Pergamum, religiously, was especially threatening to Christians. "Pergamum had mingled and synthesized the deities of three races, and of three successive periods of their history."[61] With these, they had also combined the worship of the Caesars, temples to both Augustus and Tiberius having already been constructed there when Revelation was written. In this atmosphere, there were some Christians, no doubt, who favored the incorporation of Christianity into the religious life of the community without a collision with the pagan world. As Billy Graham stated it, "The message to the church at Pergamum speaks of the danger of theological compromise ... Their sin was tolerating theological error in their midst."[62]

[58] F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 638.

[59] Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1958), in loco.

[60] E. J. Banks, op. cit., p. 2322.

[61] E. M. Blaiklock, op. cit., p. 106.

[62] Billy Graham, The Seven Churches of Asia in Christianity Today (Dover, New Jersey: Christianity Today, 1978), Vol. XXIII, No. 4, November 17,1978, p. 20.