The sun dried up the land and brought life to it. "Tourists forget that this is a living monastery and that we must fulfill our obligations.". As a proof of devotion, the inhabitants of the island named it Litois. [citation needed] Artemis frequently paid visits to Caria, the mainland across the shore from Patmos, where she had a shrine on Mount Latmos. Another highlight is the lovely fishing village of Grikos, facing the small island of Tragonissi, a natural windbreaker to a safe, sandy beach. After the death of John of Patmos, possibly around 100, a number of Early Christian basilicas were erected on Patmos. 6. the act of distressing or the state of being distressed. John had the visions described in Revelation about AD95. Courtyard of St. John’s Monastery, Patmos. The administration refused them permission to land. In New Testament times, Patmos was a destination for criminals and political prisoners. Area: 34 square kilometres (13 square miles)” (Collins). var addy_text50fa0cd8775bc3ffb1b36f1616deccba = 'gfm' + '@' + 'gospel' + '.' + 'org' + '.' + 'nz';document.getElementById('cloak50fa0cd8775bc3ffb1b36f1616deccba').innerHTML += ''+addy_text50fa0cd8775bc3ffb1b36f1616deccba+'<\/a>'; “A small, rocky island belonging to the group called “Sporades,” in that part of the Aegean known as the Icarian Sea. At 34.6 square kilometres and 15 km long, Patmos is among the smallest of the islands forming the Dodecanese, the easternmost group of islands in the Aegean Sea. History knows that John the Divine, or John the Theologian as Revelation’s author is now known, lived in Ephesus, the seaport and cultural center where the great temple of Artimis, rising with shining pillars above the harbor, was one of the seven wonders of the world. On account of its rocky, barren and desolate nature the Roman government used the island as a place of banishment (“banish” means “to expel from a place, especially by an official decree as a punishment. The visitors hoist the makeshift garments onto themselves before entering. Josef Zisyadis, a Swiss politician, has more ambitious plans -- he's cultivating vines in 20 acres of land near Petra beach with Dorian Amar, a French winemaker. In one of the damp caves on Patmos, with water dripping upon him and the taste of seasalt on his lips, John had a series of visions of the world’s immanent end. This was where he was said to have written the fiery tract called the Apocalypse, or the Book of Revelation, later to become the final book of the Bible. I can imagine John going through a time of questioning like the following. . You need JavaScript enabled to view it. PO Box 57, Paraparaumu 5254, New Zealand. Patmos is now a retreat for wealthy Europeans and Americans who have built villas with 180-degree views of the sea, but the simplicity and piety of the people of the island help to maintain the quiet and reserve one associates with places of pilgrimage. . "It's all balanced and harmonious; we all know where we stand.". He is living within us and He is far greater than any obstacle man or the devil can bring against us! Let’s look now at some Bible translations: The following is a list of several Bible Translations to help us see how these verses are presented to us. According to a legend in Greek mythology, the island's original name was "Letois", after the goddess and huntress of deer, Artemis, daughter of Leto. . I was on the island of Patmos(used by the Romans as a penal colony) for having preached God’s word and witnessed for Jesus; it was the Lord’s day and the Spirit possessed me, and I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet, “Write down all that you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches . The Book of Revelation was revealed to the Apostle John on an island called Patmos.He was banished there for his testimony of Jesus. addyb9d3a561fe69d4a83f57ff3b1fb858e3 = addyb9d3a561fe69d4a83f57ff3b1fb858e3 + 'gospel' + '.' + 'org' + '.' + 'nz'; "There's a general feeling, especially among the regulars and those who own houses on Patmos, that the island must be 'protected' from mass tourism. Here on this island he received his revelation, later recorded as the Book of Revelation. While the monastery is one of the main draws here, it doesn't dominate life on the island. I, too, have shared the patience Jesus gives, and we shall share His kingdom! Send it to the seven churches . At first the movement was simply called “the Way” and later became known as Christianity as it spread north from Palestine into Asia Minor and south into Egypt. It was the Lord’s Day and I was worshipping, when suddenly I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast, saying, ‘I am A and Z, the First and Last!’ And then I heard him say, ‘Write down everything you see, and send your letter to the seven churches in Turkey . 3. From Skala, the road winds up to Chora, the other main town on the island, beyond which is Christodoulos’s Monastery of St. John the Theologian. Here and there clusters of square-topped houses, gleaming in whitewashed starkness, cling together. Why did he put me here? Patmos was a convenient place to exile and isolate John from the churches of Asia Minor.