By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
Sunday, July 26th 2026
Sunday, July 26th 2026
Today we will look at the Letter that God sent, through the Evangelist John the Theologian, to the Bishop of Smyrna, concerning his personal situation and the situation of the entire Church of Smyrna. The Letter reads:
“And to the angel of the Church in Smyrna write: These things says the First and the Last, who became dead and yet lived. I know your works, and your tribulation, and your poverty—and yet you are spiritually rich. I know that you are slandered by people who claim that they are Jews, and yet they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of the things that you are about to suffer. The devil will cast some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and the tribulation will last ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. The victor has nothing to fear from the second death” (Rev. 2:8–11).
The Smyrna to which this Letter was sent is located approximately eight kilometers north of Ephesus and competed for preeminence among the cities of Asia Minor, after Pergamum and Ephesus. In this city, as in other cities, a Jewish community flourished. The Bishop of this city receives many commendations from Christ. From history we know that the first Bishop of Smyrna was Boukolos, and his successor was Saint Polycarp, who was martyred in A.D. 155. Many interpreters write that the Bishop to whom this Letter refers is Saint Polycarp. Indeed, the first surviving martyrdom account that records his martyrdom has also been preserved, and it indicates the existence of a Jewish community in Smyrna, as the Letter states.
In this Letter, the fundamental issues that concerned the Bishop and the Church of Smyrna become apparent, and this Letter is above all consolatory. First of all, the characteristics of Christ are given. Christ Himself calls Himself the First and the Last: “These things says the First and the Last, who became dead and lived.” These expressions refer to Christ the God-man, who is the “First” and the “Last,” who “died” and “lived,” that is, was resurrected. According to the interpreters, these characteristic expressions refer to Christ the God-man: the “First” refers to God, while the “Last” refers to man. Christ is true God, and in the latter days He became man in order to save man. Thus, as man, He died upon the Cross, but as God He raised up human nature and lives eternally, and through His Resurrection He opened for all of us the way of resurrection and life.
Christ, as the God-man, is all-knowing and knows everything. He sees the Church that He established and watches over the Bishop of the Church, how he acts and what disposition he has; He also watches over the whole Church. The Church belongs to Christ; the Bishops are the stewards of His Grace and give an account to Him who is the head of the Church. Because He watches over and sees everything in the Church, He therefore knows the works of the Bishop, his tribulation, and all that he endures from unbelievers. For this reason, although he is poor in material goods, at the same time he is rich in spiritual goods, because he has the treasure of faith hidden within his heart.
Here Christ refers to attacks that the Bishop receives from people who slandered him, who claimed that they belonged to the people of God, but were a “synagogue of Satan.” This concerns the warfare waged by the Jews against the Bishop and the Church of Christ. We see this warfare described in detail in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: they were unable to interpret the Old Testament correctly, and for this reason they rejected the incarnation of the Son and Word of God.
Thus, the Church of Christ, which has Christ as its head and is the Church of the Resurrection, continually receives warfare from the “synagogue of Satan.” The contrast between the “Church of Christ” and the “synagogue of Satan” is characteristic. The saddest thing is when, within the “assembly of the Church,” the “synagogue of Satan” also becomes involved through the various heresies, different theological opinions, and different interpretations of Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church. This is the saddest thing of all. Therefore, the Bishop, like the Bishop of Smyrna here, must have an inner spiritual wealth: on the one hand, to discern the boundaries between the “Church of Christ” and the “synagogue of Satan,” and on the other hand, to endure the tribulation that he will receive from the powers of darkness.
However, Christ foretells to the Bishop that persecutions and imprisonments will take place at the hands of the devil and, naturally, his collaborators. The devil’s warfare against the Church and the Bishop, who is the “eye” of the Church, is not merely theoretical, but also practical; it consists of persecution and imprisonment. This concerns the devil’s great hatred against the Church of Christ. Furthermore, He consoles him with the assurance that this persecution and these imprisonments will be temporary; they will last only ten days. He nevertheless commands him not to fear at all, because he will have a great reward: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” The persecution will be temporary, the tribulation will be fleeting, but for a person to be “steadfast,” to defy death, carries a great reward, which is the crown of life.
This image of the crown comes from the athletic contests of that period, in which the victors were crowned with an olive branch. There is a difference, however, because here the crown is not a created object, but is the Light of God, the Light of life; it is the halo that we see upon the heads of all the saints. Through their struggles, through their warfare against Satan, through their participation in the Grace of God, the saints partake of the divine Light and they too become radiant.
Furthermore, in this Letter there is also a confirmation that the one who conquers in this struggle against the devil and his synagogue will not be harmed by the second death: “The one who conquers shall by no means be harmed by the second death.” And this can be understood by anyone who has a spiritual ear to hear what the Holy Spirit says to the Churches of Christ.
When there is mention of the second death, it is contrasted with the first death. What are the first and the second deaths? According to the ancient interpreters of the Holy Apocalypse, the first death is physical death, when the soul departs from the body, which we will all undergo, both the righteous and sinners, and, indeed, those who also suffer martyrdom at the hands of the enemies of God and the Church. Such a person will undergo only the first, physical death, but will not be harmed by the second death, the spiritual death, which is the complete separation of man from God after His Second Coming. Then the righteous will be separated from the sinners, at which point the righteous will enjoy true life, the Light of Christ, while the sinners will be in the fire. Therefore, what should concern us is to avoid the second, eternal death.
Today we also celebrate the feast of Saint Paraskevi. She too is included in this word of Christ. She endured persecution, kept the faith in Christ, remained faithful unto death, received the crown of life, and, naturally, at the resurrection of the bodies, she will eternally possess what is already taking place now: her unity with Christ.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
