Smyrna (İzmir)
Where is Smyrna today? Modern İzmir; one of Revelation's seven churches, called poor yet rich and given no rebuke, with the chapters where it appears.
- Today
- Central İzmir (Konak)
- Country
- Türkiye
- Status
- Major city; Agora of ancient Smyrna archaeological site
- Identification
- Certain
İzmir, known in antiquity as Smyrna, is one of the seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation; the Kadıköy Kilise translation simply uses the city's modern name, İzmir (Revelation 1:11). The letter to this church opens with the words of Christ, the first and the last, who died and came to life again (Revelation 2:8). The community is afflicted and poor, yet rich in his eyes. It is told not to fear the persecution about to come and to be faithful even to death, and it is promised the crown of life (Revelation 2:10). It is one of only two of the seven letters that contain no rebuke.
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- What Is a Church (Kilise)?
What is a church, what does the word mean and what does it refer to in the Bible? A short, neutral guide to community vs. building, its origin and its different traditions.
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Where is Smyrna today, and in which country?
Smyrna is in Türkiye today: it is the city of İzmir. Remains of the Roman city can be seen at the Agora of Smyrna archaeological site in Konak and around Kadifekale. In Revelation, the church here is addressed as afflicted yet called to be faithful even to death (Revelation 2:8-10). At the Agora visitors can walk through colonnades and the vaulted basement of the basilica. The city still has churches today; the Church of St Polycarp in Konak bears the name of the bishop who, according to tradition, was martyred in Smyrna.
Is İzmir mentioned in the Bible?
Yes. İzmir, known in antiquity as Smyrna, appears twice in the book of Revelation: in the list of the seven churches (Revelation 1:11) and at the opening of the letter to its church (Revelation 2:8). The Kadıköy Kilise translation uses the modern name. The letter contains no rebuke; the church is encouraged to stay faithful in the face of hardship.
Who was Polycarp, and how is he linked to Smyrna?
Polycarp was bishop of the church in Smyrna in the 2nd century. According to Irenaeus of Lyon, he had known the apostle John in his youth. One of the earliest Christian martyrdom accounts tells how he was put to death in Smyrna in the mid-2nd century for refusing to deny his faith. That is why the call to be faithful even to death in Revelation 2:10 is often remembered alongside Polycarp.