Pergamum was one of the most important cities of Roman Asia Minor, built upon an acropolis that overlooked the surrounding plain.
The city had a great altar dedicated to Zeus, a temple for the cult of the Roman emperor, and a famous healing sanctuary linked to the god Asclepius, whose symbol was a serpent.
The city was also home to one of the largest libraries of the ancient world, a rival to the library of Alexandria. It was in Pergamum that a technique for preparing animal skins for writing was perfected, giving rise to the word parchment.
In the Bible, Pergamum appears only in the book of Revelation, as one of the seven churches to which Christ sent letters through the apostle John. No other biblical episode is directly linked to this city.
Christ acknowledges that his church lived in a place of strong spiritual opposition, described as the place where Satan has his throne. Even so, he praises the believers’ faithfulness, even after one of them, Antipas, was put to death for his faith.
The letter also carries a rebuke: part of the church tolerated false teachings, compared to those of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. The message to Pergamum shows that Christ sees and sustains his church even in the most hostile environments to the gospel, while at the same time not tolerating inner compromises with the truth.
