Thyatira
Where is Thyatira today? Akhisar in Manisa; hometown of Lydia the purple-cloth seller and one of Revelation's seven churches, with its chapters.
- Today
- Akhisar, Manisa
- Country
- Türkiye
- Status
- Small archaeological site in central Akhisar: remains of Thyatira
- Identification
- Certain
Thyatira appears in the New Testament in two different settings. In Acts, Lydia, the seller of purple cloth whose heart the Lord opened when Paul met her by the river at Philippi, comes from this city (Acts 16:14). The city was known for its many trade guilds, including dyers. In Revelation, Thyatira receives the longest of the seven letters: its love, faith, service and endurance are praised, and its latter works are said to exceed the first. Yet it is warned for tolerating the woman Jezebel, who called herself a prophet and led believers astray (Revelation 2:19-20).
Read the chapters
- Acts 16
The chapter where the message first reaches Europe — in Philippi, a home opened by a woman, a household coming to faith, and two prisoners who keep their hope even in jail.
- Revelation 1
- Revelation 2
Related topics
Related people
- Paul
- Peter
- Barnabas
- Stephen
- Lydia
- Matthew
- Timothy
- John the Apostle
- Philip the Apostle
- Judas Iscariot
- Mark
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Salvation
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About New Beginnings
- Bible Verses About Trials and Testing
Reading plans
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- The Early Church Through Acts — 28 Days
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Related guides
- 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.
Books
Places in the Bible
Where is Thyatira today?
Thyatira is in Türkiye today, in the Akhisar district of Manisa province; most of the ancient city lies beneath the modern town. In Revelation the church here is praised for its love, service and endurance but warned for tolerating Jezebel (Revelation 2:18-20); Lydia, whom Paul met at Philippi, also came from here (Acts 16:14). Today a small archaeological site in the centre of Akhisar shows columns and building remains from the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Who was Lydia, and what is her link to Thyatira?
Lydia was a God-fearing woman from the city of Thyatira who traded in purple cloth (Acts 16:14). She listened to Paul at the place of prayer by the river at Philippi, was baptised with her household and welcomed the apostles into her home. She is known as the first person recorded to believe in Christ in Europe.
Who was Jezebel in Thyatira?
Revelation 2:20 speaks of a woman in the church at Thyatira, called Jezebel, who claimed to be a prophet and led believers into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. The name recalls Jezebel, the idol-worshipping wife of King Ahab in the Old Testament. Many interpreters take it less as her real name than as a comparison describing a similar influence.