Patmos
Patmos is a body of water mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Asia Minor in modern-day Turkey. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Patmos is a small, rocky island in the Aegean Sea, part of the Dodecanese archipelago, and holds immense significance in Christian history as the place where the apostle John received the Revelation. In Revelation 1:9, John writes, "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." This indicates that John was on Patmos as a result of persecution, likely exiled there during the reign of Emperor Domitian (ca. 95 AD). It was in this place of forced isolation that John received the extraordinary series of visions recorded in the book of Revelation, encompassing messages to the seven churches of Asia, visions of heavenly worship, apocalyptic judgments, the defeat of evil, and the new creation. Patmos thus became the setting for Scripture's climactic prophetic work, transforming a place of Roman punishment into hallowed ground where God revealed the ultimate triumph of his kingdom.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Patmos is a small Greek island of approximately thirty-four square kilometers in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, founded in 1088 by Christodoulos, dominates the island's hilltop and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Cave of the Apocalypse, traditionally identified as the grotto where John received his visions. The cave contains a silver marking on the rock ceiling said to represent the crack through which the divine voice spoke. Archaeological investigation of the monastery complex has revealed medieval frescoes, manuscripts, and icons of exceptional quality. The island has yielded limited pre-Christian archaeological remains, including traces of a temple to Artemis. Today Patmos has a permanent population of roughly three thousand and draws Christian pilgrims and tourists from around the world.
Verse Appearances (1)
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Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →