The man and his wife who brought me water were both smiling. Although we couldn’t talk to each other, I felt that we shared something special—Christian love. There are remains of a Byzantine church in Philadelphia, but the pillar mentioned in verse 12 is not one of them, even though many people believe it is. Tour guides often take visitors to that spot.
The Hidden Pillar and the Amphitheater
Before my first trip to Philadelphia, I had seen a picture of a big amphitheater in a book called Adam’s Biblical Backgrounds. So, I told my guide I wanted to go to the side of the hill where the amphitheater used to be. The amphitheater was no longer there, but there was a Turkish coffee shop where my guide spoke to a man. The man said that the amphitheater had been destroyed, except for one pillar. I took a picture of that pillar, which was hidden under the trees Istanbul Daily Tour.
Why the Amphitheater Was Destroyed
Why did the Turkish government destroy the amphitheater? The reason is that the Seljuk Turks had killed many Christians in Philadelphia, and they wanted to erase the traces of the old Christian civilization. Today, the government would rather people forget about that history. Philadelphia was the place where Christians and Saracens fought during the Crusades. In 1922, there was also fighting between Turkey and Greece in Philadelphia Philadelphia’s Fertile Land and Beautiful Scenery.
Christians in Philadelphia Today
Today, there are still a few Christians in Philadelphia, but they are living undercover because they would face severe persecution if their faith was discovered. The church in Philadelphia continued to exist until the thirteenth century. It was in a strategic location to be a missionary church, and it was known for teaching the Word of God. I call it the revived church because it returned to preaching the Bible.
