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“Philadelphia was the only Pergamenian foundation among
the Seven Cities. It derived its name from Attalus II,
159-138 BC, whose truth and loyalty to his brother
Eumenes won him the epithet Philadelphus. The district
where it was situated, the valley of the Cogamis, a
tributary of the Hermus, came into the possession of the
Pergamenian King Eumenes at the treaty of 189. From that
time onward the district was in the heart of the
Pergamenian realm; and therefore the new city could not
have been founded as a military colony to guard a
frontier, like Thyatira. Military strength was, of
course, never entirely neglected in those foundations of
the Greek kings; and especially a city founded, like
Philadelphia, on an important road, was charged with the
duty of guarding the road. But military strength and
defence against invasion were required chiefly near the
eastern frontier, far away on the other side of Phrygia,
where an enemy should be prevented from entering the
realm. Philadelphia was founded more for consolidating
and regulating and educating the central regions subject
to the Pergamenian kings. The intention of its founder
was to make it a centre of the Graeco-Asiatic
civilisation and a means of spreading the Greek language
and manners in the eastern parts of Lydia and in
Phrygia. It was a missionary city from the beginning,
founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs,
and loyalty within the realm, the apostle of Hellenism
in an Oriental land. It was a successful teacher. Before
AD 19 the Lydian tongue had ceased to be spoken in
Lydia, and Greek was the only language of the country”
(Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia,
Chapter 27).
On our Holy Days 2000
Page, by following the Pentecost 2000 links,
you may access both
audio
and transcripts
relating the significance of
Philadelphia
to church history. This series by Fred R. Coulter is
entitled The Seven Church Harvest.
Ephesus: The City of
Change
Smyrna: The City of Life
Pergamum: The Royal City: The City of Authority
Thyatira: Weakness Made Strong
Sardis: The City of Death
Laodicea: The City of Compromise
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