Antipas

Biblical Record

Antipas appears only once, in Revelation 2:13. The verse is part of the message sent to the church in Pergamum in Asia Minor (present-day western Turkey), one of the seven churches of Asia Minor. In the passage, Christ describes Pergamum as the place "where Satan's seat is." He then commends the believers there for not denying the faith "even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you." Scripture tells us only his name, the fact that he was put to death, and the title "faithful martyr" (literally "faithful witness"). His origin, his office, and the time and manner of his death are not recorded.

Significance Within Scripture

The expression "faithful witness" is the same one applied to Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:5. For this reason, many interpreters understand Christ to be sharing his own title with Antipas. The Greek word martys, translated "witness," later came to mean specifically "martyr." Antipas is frequently cited as an early example of a witness whose testimony led to death.

Interpretations and Issues

• The meaning of "Satan's seat": Interpreters disagree about what the phrase refers to. Proposals include the temple of the Roman imperial cult in Pergamum, the Altar of Zeus, and the cult of the healing god Asclepius. Antipas's death is also commonly linked to a refusal to take part in emperor worship, although the text does not state the reason.
• Later tradition: According to the traditions of the Eastern churches, including the Eastern Orthodox Church, Antipas was the bishop of Pergamum, appointed by the apostle John. He is also said to have been martyred during the reign of the emperor Domitian by being placed inside a heated bronze bull, and he is commemorated as a saint. This account belongs to later tradition and should be distinguished from the biblical text. Protestant commentaries generally treat this tradition as background information only.
• Name: "Antipas" is generally explained as a shortened form of "Antipater" (Greek Antipatros). He is a different person from Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee in the New Testament period, with whom he shares only a name.
• Approaches to the seven churches: Some dispensationalist interpreters read the seven churches as representing seven eras of church history, and in this reading the church in Pergamum is sometimes taken to symbolize a particular era. By contrast, interpreters who read the letters as messages to actual first-century churches regard Antipas as a real member of a local congregation.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Antipas is discussed mainly in sermons on the passage concerning the church in Pergamum in Revelation 2, where he is presented as an example of a believer who kept the faith in the midst of persecution. He is also mentioned in connection with the ruins of Pergamum (modern Bergama) during pilgrimages to the sites of the seven churches of Asia Minor.