History of the Seven Churches in Asia Quiz

Answer: All of these

Ephesus at that time was a leading political and intellectual center, and the most important trading city in the region. The other 6 churches were dependent upon it, and it is where John lived. It was famous for its cult of the goddess Artemis, and John had a run-in with the same group that Paul did in Acts chapter 19. John toppled the statue of Artemis by his preaching, and that is why he was exiled to Patmos, where he wrote Revelation and also his Gospel. He also died in Ephesus.

Ephesus' candlestick was indeed removed from the lampstand, as they were warned in Revelation 2:5. In 269 AD it was devastated by the Goths. The temple of Artemis was still used at that time but was closed in 381 AD by the emperor Theodosius. It recovered enough to hold the 3rd Ecumenical Council in 431, but afterward it declined rapidly. Its churches were destroyed in the years 700 and 716 by Arab raids. Thereafter the city was abandoned when its harbor completely filled up with river silt. It was rebuilt by the Turks after 1090, then it declined again, and was totally abandoned by the year 1500.

Answer: Writing

Pergamos was famous for architecture and especially for its library. Parchment paper was invented there, and in fact, our word "parchment" ultimately derives from "Pergamos", which in turn derives from "perga", the Greek word for tower or citadel. Marc Antony gave the Pergamos library to Cleopatra as a gift, and it was combined with the Alexandrian library, making it the largest and most famous of the ancient world.

Answer: All of these

Nicholas of Antioch was one of the original seven deacons of Jerusalem mentioned in Acts 6:5. Unfortunately, he fell away from the Church, and his followers were known for their immorality.

Answer: St. Polycarp

Polycarp was a disciple of John. The account of his martyrdom is recorded in The Martyrdom of Polycarp, a letter from the church of Smyrna. It is a story of the great courage and faith in Christ held by an octogenarian (St. Polycarp) who refused to recant Christ and chose death by being burned at the stake instead. It is a story all Christians should read.
Prochorus was John's scribe and fellow traveller-in-exile. It was to him that John dictated his Gospel and Revelation to be set down in writing.
St. Antipas was the bishop of Pergamos.
John, of course, was not martyred, but was the only one of the 12 Apostles to die a natural death--probably aged between 95 and 100!

Answer: Lydia

She is mentioned in Acts chapter 16.

Answer: Tent making

We know about its purple dyed clothing from Acts 16 and other sources. The pottery and bronze are mentioned in Revelation, another case of Christ (through John) ingeniously using something metaphorically in the judgments and admonitions toward the cities that each city in particular was known for. Thyatira was also known for its large Jewish colony.

This church and city perished, and today, only ruins of a temple to Apollo and an ancient church remain.

Answer: It reverted to idol worship

Sardis was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia. King Croesus, whose father, Gyges (687-652 BC) invented coinage, panned gold from a nearby river and minted pure gold and silver coins--hence the phrase, "to be as rich as Croesus". Sardis was also home to the cult of Cybele, a goddess of nature.

Its followers were notorious for loose living, pleasure, luxury, and decadence. Celebrations went beyond orgies--frenzied male worshippers often castrated themselves. Under the Byzantine emperor Julian the Apostate (ruled 361-363 AD), the church returned to idol worship; in 716 it was conquered by the Arabs and utterly destroyed.

Answer: Shoemaking

Jesus, through John, tells the church in Philadelphia that the "synagogue of Satan" will "...come and worship before thy feet..." (Revelation 3:9).

Answer: The city and church were destroyed completely because the church fell into idolatry

Christianity in Philadelphia is in a better condition today than all the other cities of Turkey. It is now called Allakh-Sher, or "City of God", by the Turks, reminding us of Christ's promise in Revelation 3:12, "...I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God..." There are 25 churches plus a Greek Orthodox bishop still in this city.

Very early in the 14th Century, the Byzantine emperor Andronicus II hired Catalan mercernaries under the command of Roger de Flor (aka Rutger von Blum) to free Philadelphia from a Turkish siege. He succeeded, but soon afterward de Flor was double-crossed and slain in Thrace by Andronicus II's son and co-emperor Michael IX. The Catalans took revenge and ravaged Thrace and Macedonia, including the monasteries of Mt. Athos, and then took most of what is now modern Greece. Athens was thereafter controlled by Spaniards for some 80 years.

Answer: The treatment of eye diseases

Laodicea was well known in church history for several things, but in the ancient world, they were most famous for treating eye diseases and producing a healing eye salve. We also know from history and Scripture (Colossians 6:16) that St. Paul wrote an epistle to them, but it was not included in the New Testament canon.

It likely was not included due to its brevity (it only has 19 verses). There was also a Council held there in 364, and perhaps not unexpectedly, the canon of accepted Scripture at that time did not include Revelation. Maybe they either felt embarrassment or guilt?