The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (296 page)

2:5 remove your lampstand:
The price of impenitence is divine judgment. The threat of removal may recall the historical plight of Ephesus, a city that was twice forced to relocate because of the silting of its river and harbor. 
Back to text.

2:6 the Nicolaitans:
Early tradition links these heretics with Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons ordained in Acts 6:5. Whatever their background and origin, the Nicolaitans are said to have had a dangerously casual attitude toward idolatry and sexual immorality. Their corruptive influence was already at work among believers in Pergamum (Rev 2:15). 
Back to text.

2:7 him who conquers:
The one whose commitment to Jesus triumphs over every temptation to compromise or lose faith. The seven letters reveal the eternal rewards that await the saints who persevere (2:11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). tree of life: Signifies everlasting life and communion with Christ (22:14). Perhaps the promise is a strike at the Greek fertility goddess, Artemis, whose temple was located in Ephesus and who was sometimes depicted as a fruitful tree. • Humanity was barred from the tree of life after the rebellion in Eden (Gen 3:22), but access has been regained through Christ, who gives a foretaste of its blessings in the Eucharist.
See note on Jn 6:58
. 
Back to text.

2:8 Smyrna:
Thirty miles north of Ephesus. Smyrna was fiercely loyal to Rome, a supporter of emperor worship, and home to a large Jewish community openly hostile to Christianity. Destroyed in 600
B.C.
and refounded in 300
B.C.
, the city is addressed by him who truly
died
and
came to life
again. 
Back to text.

2:9 synagogue of Satan:
The perpetrators of Christian persecution in Smyrna are Jewish. Because Jews were the only ones in the Roman Empire legally exempt from worshiping the emperor and participation in the imperial cult, they could easily betray Christians to the Roman authorities for confessing Jesus as Lord (instead of Caesar) and practicing what was still an unauthorized religion in the eyes of Rome (Acts 14:2; 17:5-8). For Paul's estimate of what constitutes a true Jew, see Rom 2:17-29. 
Back to text.

2:10 ten days:
Possibly an allusion to the pagan rites of Niobe, practiced in Smyrna, whose devotees underwent ten days of mourning. • Daniel and his friends were also tested for ten days lest they compromise their faith by eating foods contaminated by idolatry (Dan 1:8-14).
the crown of life:
Means the crown that is (eternal) life.
See note on Jas 1:12
. 
Back to text.

2:11 the second death:
The eternal death of hell, described as a "lake of fire" (20:14; 21:8). 
Back to text.

2:12 Pergamum:
Forty-five miles northeast of Smyrna. Pergamum distinguished itself as the earliest and most enthusiastic center of emperor worship in the region. This and other forms of pagan religion made it the seat of "Satan's throne" (2:13). 
Back to text.

2:13 Antipas:
An early Christian martyr of whom nothing else is known. 
Back to text.

2:14 teaching of Balaam:
Certain troublemakers were permitting what the Jerusalem Council had prohibited: the consumption of idol food and the practice of sexual immorality (Acts 15:29). On the relation between this prohibition and Paul's teaching in 1 Cor 8-10, see essay:
Paul, Idol Food, and the Jerusalem Council
at 1 Cor 9. • Balaam appears in Num 22-24 as a Mesopotamian magician who counseled Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel into sexual and idolatrous sin (Num 25:1-3; 31:16). The warning that perpetrators of sin will face Christ's word of judgment, symbolized as a sword (Rev 2:16), recalls how Balaam was eventually slain with the sword (Num 31:8). 
Back to text.

2:15 the Nicolaitans:
See note on Rev 2:6
. 
Back to text.

2:17 the hidden manna:
Refers to Christ himself, whose glory is concealed in heaven but whose coming in history (Incarnation) and liturgy (Eucharist) was foreshadowed in the gift of the manna given to Israel.
See note on Jn 6:32
. • Manna was the bread that Yahweh gave to the pilgrims of the Exodus, a sample of which was hidden away in the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 16:31-34; Heb 9:4).
a white stone:
Used in the ancient world to cast a vote of acquittal or carried as a pass to gain entrance into invitation-only assemblies. The believer is thus shown to be righteous or innocent, as well as invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb (19:7-9).
a new name:
A new identity in Christ (19:12) that admits believers into the heavenly presence of the Lord and the Lamb (22:3-4; Is 62:2) (CCC 2159). 
Back to text.

2:18 Thyatira:
Forty miles southeast of Pergamum. Thyatira was originally a military outpost that evolved into a commercial city famous for its trade guilds (Acts 16:14). These guilds had patron deities that its members were expected to honor in idolatrous ways. Failure to do so could mean both social disgrace and financial disaster for the conscientious Christian objector. 
Back to text.

2:20 Jezebel:
A false prophetess leading believers astray into religious idolatry and sexual impurity. These sins are direct violations of the pastoral decree issued by the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:29). • The "Jezebel" of Revelation harkens back to Jezebel, the Sidonian wife of Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31), and the chief adversary of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2). Jezebel ruthlessly slaughtered the innocent (1 Kings 21:1-16) and was infamous for her harlotries and sorcery (2 Kings 9:22). 
Back to text.

2:23 as your works deserve:
Christ will judge the churches for their deeds, rewarding the righteous with eternal life and repaying the wicked with everlasting death (20:12). The doctrine of judgment according to works is also taught by Paul (Rom 2:6-8) and the OT (Ps 62:12) (CCC 679). 
Back to text.

2:24 the deep things of Satan:
May suggest that the followers of Jezebel dabbled in sorcery and astrology, i.e., occult arts that lead practitioners to spiritual ruin (21:8). 
Back to text.

2:27 rod of iron:
Conquerors will possess in full what they already possess in part: a share in Christ's reign over the world (5:10; 22:5). • The iron rod calls to mind Ps 2:8-9, where David's royal heir is offered dominion over all nations. Solomon's empire, though the largest of any Davidic king in the OT, was only a faint approximation of the worldwide kingdom ruled by Christ (Mt 28:18-19; Rom 1:3-5). A rod or scepter figures in other messianic prophesies, as well (Gen 49:10; Num 24:17). 
Back to text.

2:28 morning star:
A name for the planet Venus, visible just before daybreak. It was a symbol of victory in pagan antiquity that later became a symbol of Christ's Resurrection and victory over death (22:16; 2 Pet 1:19). The promise here is a bodily resurrection and may also allude to the believer's triumph over the dark forces at work in pagan astrological practices. 
Back to text.

3:1 Sardis:
Thirty miles southeast of Thyatira. Sardis was once a wealthy and powerful city struggling to recover its former glory. Though a fortified city, it was twice conquered by surprise nighttime attacks. Christ may allude to this history when he warns readers to stay "awake" lest he come like a "thief" and the Church fare as badly as the unprepared city (3:3). 
Back to text.