Ancient Philadelphia is in the modern day city of Alasehir, Turkey. I want to share with you where it is, what it looks like today, and three amazing things we found that you should not miss if you go there.
Where is Philadelphia, Turkey today?
Philadelphia is located in western Turkey on a hilly plateau just south of the Cogamis River in the modern day city of Alasehir. The exact location of it’s ruins are here though they consist of only a portion of a city block. The remainder of the ancient city is underneath the modern city of Alasehir, Turkey.
What Do the Ruins of Philadelphia, Turkey Look Like?
You can see the whole site in about 20 minutes. The reason is that it is quite small. Philadelphia has had a long habitation and there is a mish-mash of buildings over centuries of time, including the modern city of Alasehir, Turkey. We saw ancient Greek writing, Armenian script and Latin on the stones. Unfortunately, there are no signs or explanations as to their meaning.
Now here are four things you should not miss if you visit.
1. A Pagan Christian Symbol Linked to Babylon
Take note of the two stars beside the cross in the upper picture on the right. It is a star with 8 points.
Through the centuries, some churches adopted this symbol with origins in Babylon. The Babylonian goddess Ishtar had a star with 8 points*. This goddess became the Greek god Aphrodite*.
The Christians adopted this pagan symbol by connecting it with the 8th day of Jesus’ baptism. For this and other reasons* many churches began to build baptismal pools in the shape of an 8-pointed star. Notice the 8 points on the baptismal font below.
2. Connections to Revelation
Next we found amazing connections to the letter written to the Philadephians in the Bible book of Revelation. Here is the citation. I highlight in bold the things that I will discuss.
Revelation 3:7,12
7 “To the angel of the congregation in Philadelphia write: These are the things he says who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens so that no one will shut and shuts so that no one opens:
12 “‘The one who conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out from it anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from my God, and my own new name.
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)
“A pillar in the temple of my God“
This is a noteworthy statement at Revelation 3:12 considering that the city was devastated by an earthquake in 17 AD. The temples were destroyed. The damage was so bad that the Annals of Tacitus report that Tiberius Caesar relieved it from paying taxes to help it recover.
Do you see how the Philadelphians could relate to the statement made in verse 12 saying “a pillar in the temple of my God.” The temples crumbled in this earthquake. A stable, unwavering foundation and pillar is something the congregation in Philadelphia could relate to. This is no doubt what Jesus alluded to. There is no proof of these connections. However Jesus spoke of things that each congregation could relate to when addressing them.
But more than this, Jesus says “He will by no means go out from it anymore.” In fact this zone was often ravaged by earthquakes*. So much so that residents would “go out” out of the city to reside in huts on the hillsides, far from the enormous temples. These temples were not safe places to live around. Could the Philadelphians relate to a stable pillar for a temple and having to go out of the city? Of course.
“Who is holy, who is true.”
Philadelphia had a special distinction. It was recognized as a temple warden. This meant that it was given special recognition by the Roman emperor or the senate as a city that had a temple for Emperor worship. Cities with this distinction (such as Ephesus or Pergamum) even minted coins stating this fact*. On these coins they put the word Neokoron. This designated the city as having this temple for worship.
A chief teaching of Roman emperor worship was the title given to the emperor himself. He was designated as “The Son of the Holy One.” Christians would need to make a clear distinction as to who really is God’s son. Hence the saying would ring true to the Philadelphians when Jesus said, “The one who is true.” Yes, the true son of the Holy One, Jehovah.
3. Wine country
It is noteworthy that when driving into Philadelphia that we see rich, red topsoil everywhere. These crops produce olives and vineyards. The fault lines have left extinct volcanoes in eastern Turkey which have made the soil rich.
To this day grapes are grown everywhere in this district.*
Is it any wonder that the chief god of Philadelphia was Dionysus, the god of wine? The rich and fertile soil make for perfect wine country. Even the mountains and cliff sides have a rich red hue.
The history of Philadelphia, Turkey
189 BC – King Eumenes II of Pergamon (197-160 BC) names the city in honor of Attalus II (159-138 BC) who displayed loyal love for him*. The bond between them inspires the city to bear the name Philadelphia (meaning “one who loves his brother”*).
133 BC – The city is bequeathed to Roman allies and Rome includes it as a city belonging to Asia Minor.
17 CE – Philadelphia suffers a devastating earthquake. Roman emperor Tiberius gives tax free status to the city to help it recover.*
96 CE – The Apostle John pens his letter to the group of Christians in the city.*
Conclusion
In conclusion it’s worth noting something else we saw on this trip to the seven congregations of Revelation and that is this: those cities that had a favorable report are still thriving cities. For example, this city of Philadelphia is a thriving city in Turkey today, albeit with a different name. A coincidence? Probably. But an interesting observation. Would you agree?
We finished our short tour in Turkey of Philadelphia, and now we are off to Sardis. Not far away.
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