Revelation 3:7-13
The Letter of St John to the Church at Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was an important city on the trade route to the east but more importantly it had previously been seen as an outpost of Greek civilisation, language and learning: it was to be a door into the barbaric world beyond. The symbolism of doors and keys is taken up throughout Christian history and theology. It even appears in Christian art as late as the 20th. century in Holman Hunt’s “The Light of the World”, with Jesus depicted standing at a door. Jesus is the means of entry through that door, entry to the Church and to the faith community. The Philadelphians had been faithful and through their faith they will be pillars in the new temple (the Christian Community).
The Letter of St John to the Church at Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was an important city on the trade route to the east but more importantly it had previously been seen as an outpost of Greek civilisation, language and learning: it was to be a door into the barbaric world beyond. The symbolism of doors and keys is taken up throughout Christian history and theology. It even appears in Christian art as late as the 20th. century in Holman Hunt’s “The Light of the World”, with Jesus depicted standing at a door. Jesus is the means of entry through that door, entry to the Church and to the faith community. The Philadelphians had been faithful and through their faith they will be pillars in the new temple (the Christian Community).