I. As the islands of the Ægean Sea are often referred to in the Acts, especially in the account of Paul's voyage to Phoenicia, in his third missionary journey, we present a map representing them upon a larger scale, with those portions of Asia and Europe adjoining them. Such of the islands as are mentioned in the history have been already described. One of the smallest is brought to our notice in the book of Revelation, Patmos, to which the apostle John was banished. This lies 20 miles south of the island of Samos, 24 miles west of Asia Minor, and about 70 miles southwest of Ephesus. It is about 20 miles in circumference, and is rocky and barren. Its loneliness and seclusion made it a suitable place for the banishment of criminals; and to it the apostle John was banished by the emperor Domitian, near the close of the first Christian century: though some scholars give an earlier date, under the emperor Nero. A narrow isthmus divides the island into two parts, north and south. On a hill in the southern part is a monastery named after the apostle John, and near it is the cave where it is said by tradition that he received the vision of the Apocalypse. In the Middle Ages the island was called Patmosa, and it is now known as Patmo.

II. The term Asia was used by the ancients in varied extent of meaning. 1. Its earliest use in Homer refers only to a meadow near Troy (Troas), which was called the "Asian meadow." 2. The lands of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, and a part of Phrygia, were known as Proconsular Asia, as they formed the province of Asia under the Roman government. This was originally the dominion of the last king of Pergamos, whose title was "king of Asia"; and was by him bequeathed to the Romans. 3. Asia Minor, as a whole, was sometimes called by the name Asia, though not often. 4. The entire Asiatic continent was known by this name in ancient times; but this use of the word is not found in Scripture.

III. The Seven Churches of Asia were all located in Proconsular Asia, in the immediate neighborhood of Ephesus. There were other churches besides these, as Hierapolis and Colosse, both near Laodicea, and referred to in the Pauline Epistles; but these are named as the most important, and a group of seven is the arrangement most frequently found in the Bible, especially in its symbolical writings. To these Seven Churches were sent the messages in the opening chapters of the Revelation.

1. Ephesus (Rev. 2:1) was the most important city of the district, its church was the largest, and it was the first addressed. (A description and plan of this city may be found on page 125.)

2. Smyrna (Rev. 2:8) is north of Ephesus, about 40 miles in a direct line, though longer by the route of travel. It is on the Ægean Sea, at the head of the HermÆan Gulf, at the foot of Mount Pagus. The earliest city was built B.C. 1500, by the Greeks, and destroyed and rebuilt several times. From the time of Alexander the Great, who was one of its builders, it became an important city. Its earliest mention in Christian history is in the Revelation. Polycarp, a pupil of John, was martyred here A.D. 155. His grave is still shown on a hill near the city. Despite fires, earthquakes and wars, it has retained its importance, and is now the largest city on the Asiatic side of the Ægean Sea, having a population of nearly 200,000 people. The modern city is about two miles from the ancient site.

3. Pergamos (Rev. 2:12), more properly Pergamum, was 60 miles northeast of Smyrna, in the district of Mysia, 3 miles north of the little river Caicus, and 20 miles from the Ægean Sea. It was the capital of a small but wealthy kingdom, which arose in the breaking up of Alexander's empire. It was celebrated for its large library, which at one time contained 200,000 manuscripts, but was by Mark Antony presented to Cleopatra, and removed to Alexandria. The city was devoted to the worship of Æsculapius, the patron divinity of medicine; and was, like most idolatrous places, corrupt in its morals. It is now a city of 25,000 inhabitants, called Pergama.

4. Thyatira (Rev. 2:18) was a city in the province of Lydia, on the road from Pergamos to Sardis. It was founded by Alexander the Great, who planted it with people from Macedonia, which may account for the fact that "Lydia of Thyatira" was found by Paul at Philippi, in Macedonia. It was a prosperous manufacturing town, but never a great city, and its scarlet cloth still has a reputation throughout the Orient. It is now a place with a population of from 17,000 to 20,000, and is called ak Hissar, "white castle."

5. Sardis (Rev. 3:1) lay 30 miles south of Thyatira, between the river Hermus and Mount Tmolus. It was the capital of Croesus, the wealthy king of Lydia, whose empire was overthrown by Cyrus the Great. After the time of Alexander it belonged to the kingdom of Pergamos, until its absorption into the Roman empire. It was a place of extensive commerce, which led to prosperity, and the worldliness of the Christian church, rebuked in the message of the Revelation. It is now a miasmatic region, with scarcely an inhabitant, and bears the name Sert Kalessi.

6. Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7) was about 25 miles southeast of Sardis, on the river Cogamus, a branch of the Hermus. It was built and named by Attalus Philadelphus, king of Pergamos, and was the centre of a rich farming region, which has kept it inhabited through all the vicissitudes of the centuries. It was destroyed by an earthquake A.D. 17, but rebuilt. Its population is now about 10,000, and its modern name is Allah Shehr, "city of God."

7. Laodicea (Rev. 3:14) was the capital of Phrygia, and was 50 or 60 miles from Philadelphia, according to route. It was on the bank of the Lycus, near Hierapolis and Colosse. Its ancient name was Diospolis, but was changed by the Syrian king, Seleucus II., in honor of his wife, Laodice. In A.D. 62 it was destroyed by an earthquake; but its people were sufficiently rich to decline the aid of the Romans in rebuilding their city. Its worldly prosperity was reflected in its church, which received the sharpest rebukes of the Revelator. The Mohammedans destroyed the city, which is now a mass of ruins, surrounding a village called Eski-hissar.

It will be noticed, that, in the order of the Revelation, the Seven Churches are arranged in a circuit, as one would find them, starting from Ephesus, and traveling north to Smyrna and Pergamus, then southeast to Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia, until the southern and eastern limit is reached at Laodicea.

I. Let the teacher draw the outlines of the coast of both Europe and Asia, and call attention to the lands as already noticed under other maps. Then locate and name the principal Islands, especially those referred to in Paul's voyage to Palestine (map on page 122), and Patmos.

II. Explain the four meanings of the name Asia, as used by the ancients.

III. Locate and name the Seven Churches, as given in Revelation. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.