Gordon Franz<\/b><\/p>\n
Second in a series on the Book of Revelation, this article examines the physical and historical evidence for the Aegean island of Patmos. The author draws from both ancient sources and his own exploration of the island to provide a greater understanding of the Book of Revelation<\/i>.<\/p>\n
A Misconception<\/b><\/p>\n
A common misconception in commentaries and popular prophetic writings is that the island of Patmos, where John was exiled, was a sort of Alcatraz (Swindoll 1986: 3) or St. Helene where Napoleon was exiled (Saffrey 1975:392). This is partly due to 19th-century travelers who described the island as \u201ca barren, rocky, desolate-looking place\u201d (Newton 1865: 223) or as \u201ca wild and barren island\u201d (Geil 1896: 70). Unfortunately, these 19th-century perceptions are not accurate in describing the island in John\u2019s day.<\/p>\n
The harbor of Skela with the ancient acropolis (Kastelli) of Patmos to the right. Located on the sea lane between Rome and Ephesus, the harbor of Patmos was a regular and important stop along the line of communication and commerce between these two cities. Church tradition suggests John was exiled here from the city of Ephesus, where he had been serving as elder.<\/b><\/p>\n
The island of Patmos (Rv 1:9). This small volcanic island sits in the Aegean Sea, 60 km (37 mi) from the Turkish coastal city of Miletus. Here the Apostle John was exiled and received his visions recorded in the Book of Revelation (sometimes called The Revelation of St. John the Divine). This view of the island is from the village of Chora to the northeast. In the center is the ancient and modern harbor, where the modern town of Skela is located. The ancient acropolis, known as Kastelli, is to the left.<\/b><\/p>\n
First-century Patmos, with its natural protective harbor, was a strategic island on the sea lane from Ephesus to Rome. A large administrative center, outlying villages, a hippodrome (for horse racing), and at least three pagan temples made Patmos hardly an isolated and desolate place!<\/p>\n
The 11 km (7 mi) long crescent-shaped island has a jagged 65 km (40 mi) coastline. Pliny the Elder (AD 23\u201379) knew the island, and in his Natural History<\/i> said it was 48 km (30 mi) in circumference (Rackham 1989: 169). Central in the island and at its narrowest point is the Kastelli, the ancient administrative center. Called Skela today, it was located behind the harbor, and remains of its 1.2 m (4 ft) wide acropolis wall and three towers can still be seen (Tozar 1889: 194\u201395; Simpson and Lazenby 1970: 47-<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 12:4 (Fall 1999) p. 117<\/p>\n
Five courses of stone from the ancient wall surrounding the acropolis at Patmos. From this administrative center, Roman officials had a commanding view of the harbor and sea lanes.<\/b><\/p>\n
Remains of the northeast gate of the acropolis. John probably did not live in this area, which was reserved for military and governmental officials. Apparently free to move about the island, John probably resided in one of the outlying villages.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 12:4 (Fall 1999) p. 119<\/p>\n
Kalikatsou Rock is the probable site of a temple to Aphrodite. Note nearby Aegean islands in the distance. John makes reference to these islands (Rv 6:14, 16:20).<\/b><\/p>\n
The Monastery of St. John above the modern town of Chora. A cave below the monastery is the traditional site of John\u2019s visions.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 12:4 (Fall 1999) p. 121<\/p>\n
Also recorded in Travels of St. John in Patmos<\/i> is a spiritual confrontation between John and Kynops, a famous magician on the island. John was victorious and Kynops drowned in the harbor. The event is commemorated by a church today (Meinardus 1979: 9). Consequently, the people of the island turned to the Lord. Before leaving Patmos, John was asked by the believers to write an account of the life of the Lord Jesus. This was the Gospel of John according to one tradition. While the historicity of these accounts is in doubt, such freedom of movement on the island is hinted at in the book of Revelation.<\/p>\n
What did John see?<\/b><\/p>\n
The book of Revelation seems to reflect life on the island. Weather phenomena like white clouds (14:14), thunder and lightning (11:19; 14:2), great hail (8:7; 11:19; 16:21) and rainbows (4:3; 10:1) are common. From the peak of Mt. Elias, 269 m (883 ft) above sea level, one has a spectacular view of the Aegean Sea islands to the west and the mountains of Asia Minor (Turkey) to the east. There are at least 22 references to the \u201csea\u201d in Revelation (4:6; 5:13; 7:1, 2, 3; 8:8, 9; 10:2, 5, 8; 12:12; 13:1; 14:2, 7; 15:2; 16:3; 18:17, 19, 21; 19:6; 20:13; 21:1). J.C. Fitzpatrick, visiting the island in the 1880\u2019s, observed:<\/p>\n
The islands to the west stand out darkly against the brightness of the horizon; and the others are lighted up with the glory of the setting sun, whilst the track of its last rays is a \u201csea of glass, mingled with fire\u201d (Rv. 15:2; 1887: 16).<\/p>\n
In Revelation 6:14 and 16:20 John describes the islands of the Aegean and the mountains of western Turkey disappearing. As of the summer of 1998, I can personally attest they are still there\u2014awaiting future fulfillment.<\/p>\n
Only one spring exists on the island, at Sykamia on the road from Chora to Groikos. Tradition has it John baptized some of his converts nearby. What a contrast this small spring was to the \u201cpure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb\u201d (22:1, NKJV) in the New Heaven and New Earth (21:1). John recognized that he was to worship the One who made heaven and earth and the sea and springs of water (Rv 14:7).<\/p>\n
In Revelation 13:1, John wrote that he stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name (NKJV).<\/p>\n
A while back, a friend asked me who the beast was in this verse. I responded, \u201cI haven\u2019t the foggiest idea, but I can tell you on exactly which beach John stood when he saw that vision. It was the Psili Ammos beach.\u201d The Greek text reads \u201cfine sand\u201d and indeed this is the only beach on the island with light, fine, golden sand and no stones or pebbles (Stone 1981: 83, 84). All the other beaches have rocks, including the Lambi beach, whose colored pebbles always impresses visitors.<\/p>\n
I believe John had freedom of movement on the island. He probably visited the isolated Psili Ammos beach, less than an hour\u2019s walk from Skela harbor. Maybe he went there to get away from the noise and crowds at the harbor, or to meditate on the Word of God and pray.<\/p>\n
The Psili Ammos beach, unique on the island for its fine sand with no rocks. The author believes John probably stood here when he saw the vision of Revelation 13; \u201cI stood on the sand of the sea\u201d (Rv 13:1, KJV).<\/b><\/p>\n
The Volcano at Thera (Santorini)<\/b><\/p>\n
From this beach one could view a volcanic eruption on the island of Thera, also known as Santorini. In 1888 an interesting, but highly imaginative, article \u201cWhat St. John Saw on Patmos,\u201d by J. Theodore Bent, appeared in the journal The Nineteenth Century<\/i>. He proposed that the Apostle saw a volcanic eruption of Thera (Santorini) in AD 60. This eruption of Thera possibly served as a play on words as the \u201cbeast\u201d (Greek tharion<\/i>) of Revelation 13:1. He suggested,<\/p>\n
St. John made use of [this] phenomena which he saw with his own eyes, to prophetically depict a destruction of another kind (Bent 1888: 813).<\/p>\n
There are several problems with this thesis. First, Bent rejects the AD 95 date for the writing of Revelation and follows the \u201cconsensus of modern opinion\u201d (for 1888) that it was written between AD 60 and 69. Second, he assumes there was an eruption of Thera in AD 60. Unfortunately, this was based on a secondhand and probably unreliable source, George of Syngelos. In fact, it was probably confused with the well-documented AD 46\/47 eruption.<\/p>\n
History records numerous volcanic eruptions of Thera. The catastrophic eruption between 1520 and 1460 BC is suggested by some geologists as the largest eruption in historical times. It destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete and might be the basis for the \u201cAtlantis\u201d legend. Strabo described another eruption of Thera in 197 BC (Jones 1988: 213, 215), while Pliny mentions one in AD 19. Several Roman historians record the AD 46\/47 eruption (Vougioukalakis 1995: 13\u201315).<\/p>\n
Yet, in reference to Bent\u2019s observations, the student of Bible prophecy should not \u201cthrow the baby out with the bath water.\u201d He compares \u201cpassages in Revelation with extracts from medieval and modern accounts given by eye-witnesses of the eruptions of Thera\u201d and notes \u201cmany remarkable<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 12:4 (Fall 1999) p. 123<\/p>\n
They go on to point out:<\/p>\n
A partial explanation may lie in the fact that in the last 20 years, we have definitely had an increase in the number of earthquakes we have been able to locate each year. This is because of the tremendous increase in the number of seismograph stations in the world and the many improvements in global communications (Zirbes 1999).<\/p>\n
This should not surprise the student of Bible prophecy because no verse in the Bible says there will be an increase in the number of earthquakes before the Lord Jesus Christ returns (Austin and Strauss 1999).<\/p>\n
The seal, trumpet and bowl judgments in Revelation need more study. All are natural phenomena on a supernatural scale, with the Lord directly intervening in the affairs of human history. These are not humanly-contrived events, be they MX missiles or black helicopters. Nations can warn and defend against missile attacks, yet natural phenomena like volcanoes, earthquakes and weather patterns can neither be predicted nor prevented by scientists. Having no control over them, they either turn to the Lord or cry out in blasphemy toward God (Rv 16:21).<\/p>\n
Bibliography<\/b><\/p>\n
Austin, S., and Strauss, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1999 Are Earthquakes Signs of the End Times? A Geological and Biblical Response to an Urban Legend. Christian Research Journal<\/i> 21.4: 30\u201339.<\/p>\n
Bent, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1888 What St. John Saw on Patmos. The Nineteenth Century<\/i> 24: 813\u201321.<\/p>\n
Borowski, O.<\/b><\/p>\n
1987 Agriculture in Iron Age Israel<\/i>. Winona Lake IN: Eisenbrauns.<\/p>\n
Burnis, T.<\/b><\/p>\n
1962 The Unhewn Grotto of the Apocalypse<\/i>. Athens: Heraklis.<\/p>\n
Cary, E. (trans.)<\/b><\/p>\n
1995 Dio Cassius: Roman History, Epitome of Book LXI-LXX<\/i> (Loeb). Cambridge MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Clark, F.<\/b><\/p>\n
1914 The Holy Land of Asia Minor<\/i>. New York: Charles Scribner\u2019s Son.<\/p>\n
Fitzpatrick, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1887 A Visit to Patmos. Christ\u2019s College Magazine<\/i> 15\u201320.<\/p>\n
Geil, W.<\/b><\/p>\n
1896 The Isle That is Called Patmos<\/i>. Philadelphia: A. J. Rowland.<\/p>\n
Heath, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
nd Patmos, The Sacred Island Where St. John Wrote the Apocalypse<\/i>. Athens: D. G. Davaris.<\/p>\n
Hemer, C.<\/b><\/p>\n
1986 The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting<\/i>. Sheffield: JSOT.<\/p>\n
Jones, H. (Trans.)<\/b><\/p>\n
1988 The Geography of Strabo<\/i>, vol. 1 (Loeb), Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Kourtara, V.; Xeroutsikou, L.; and Provatakis, T.<\/b><\/p>\n
1996 Patmos: The Holy Island of the Aegean<\/i>. Athens: Toubis.<\/p>\n
Lake, K. (trans.)<\/b><\/p>\n
1980 Eusebius: The Ecclesiastical History<\/i>, vol. 1 (Loeb). Cambridge MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Meinardus, O.<\/b><\/p>\n
1979 St. John of Patmos and the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse<\/i>. Athens: Lycabettus.<\/p>\n
Moore, C., and Jackson, J. (trans.)<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 The Annals of Tacitus<\/i> (Loeb). Cambridge MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Newton, C. T.<\/b><\/p>\n
1865 Travels and Discoveries in the Levant<\/i>. London: Day.<\/p>\n
Pararas-Carayannis, G.<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 The Tsunami Generated from the Eruption of the Volcano of Santorini in the Bronze Age. Natural Hazards<\/i> 5: 115\u201323.<\/p>\n
Rackham, H. (trans.)<\/b><\/p>\n
1979 Pliny\u2019s Natural History,<\/i> vol. 1. (Loeb). Cambridge MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
1989 Pliny\u2019s Natural History,<\/i> vol. 2. (Loeb). Cambridge MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Radice, B. (trans.)<\/b><\/p>\n
1969 Pliny\u2019s Letters, Book VIII-X, Panegyricus<\/i> (Loeb). Cambridge MA: Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Saffrey, H.<\/b><\/p>\n
1975 Relire L\u2019Apocalypse A Patmos. Revue Biblique<\/i> 82:385\u2013417.<\/p>\n
Sanders, J. N.<\/b><\/p>\n
1962\u201363 St John on Patmos. New Testament Studies<\/i> 9: 75\u201385.<\/p>\n
Simpson, R., and Lazenby, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1970 Notes from the Dodecanese II. Annual of the British School at Athens<\/i> 65: 47\u201377.<\/p>\n
Stanley, A. P.<\/b><\/p>\n
1863 Sermons Preached Before His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, During His Tour in the East in the Spring of 1862, With Notices of Some of the Localities Visited<\/i>. London: John Murray.<\/p>\n
Stone, T.<\/b><\/p>\n
1980 Patmos<\/i>. Athens: Lycabettus.<\/p>\n
Strothers, R., and Rampino, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1983 Volcanic Eruptions in the Mediterranean Before A.D. 630 From Written and Archaeological Sources. Journal of Geophysical Research<\/i> 88: 6357\u201371.<\/p>\n
Swindoll, C.<\/b><\/p>\n
1986 Letters to Churches Then and Now<\/i>. Fullerton CA: Insight for Living.<\/p>\n
Tozer, H.<\/b><\/p>\n
1889 The Islands of the Aegean<\/i>. Oxford: Clarendon.<\/p>\n
Vougioukalakis, G.<\/b><\/p>\n
1995 Santorini \u201cThe Volcano.\u201d<\/i> Santorini: Institute for the Study and Monitoring Of the Santorini Volcano.<\/p>\n
Wilson, J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1847 The Land of the Bible Visited and Described<\/i>. Edinburgh: William Whyte.<\/p>\n
Zirbes, M.<\/b><\/p>\n
1999 Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?<\/i> Online: http:\/\/wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov\/neis\/general\/handouts\/increase_in_earthquakes.html.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gordon Franz Second in a series on the Book of Revelation, this article examines the physical and historical evidence for the Aegean island of Patmos. The author draws from both ancient sources and his own exploration of the island to provide a greater understanding of the Book of Revelation. A Misconception A common misconception in … Continue reading “THE
\nKING AND I (PART 2):
\nEXILED TO PATMOS”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15273\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}