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Antipas (2)

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

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Antipas (3)

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(shorter form of Antipater [Jos. Ant. xiv. i. 3: ‘this Antipatros was at first called Antipas’] as Hermas is of Hermodorus, Lucas of Lucanus, and Silvas of Silvanus)

Antipas, otherwise unknown, is mentioned in Revelation 2:13. Later Greek tradition made him bishop of Pergamum, martyred under Domitian by being thrown into a brazen bull which stood at the temple of Diana, and so roasted alive.* ^{[Note: Neumann (Der Röm. Staat u. die allgemeine Kirche, 1890, i. 15) suggests that Antipas was the only martyr who suffered in Pergamum, but Ramsay (Letters to the Seven Churches, 288) maintains that he was the first of a long series.]} The name has been allegorized as anti-pas (=‘against all’) or anti-papa. The character of the Apocalypse, again, admits the hypothesis that the name refers to the God Pan. Pan was worshipped at Ephesus and in many cities in Asia Minor-no record of his worship at Pergamum is extant-under the strong influences of Arcadian and Peloponnesian cults. It is not impossible, therefore, that the Christian Church at Pergamum is praised for its opposition to the heathen Pan. Cf. Balaam, Nicolaitans.

Literature.-AS ^{[Note: S Acta Sanctorum (Bollandus).]} , April, ii. [1866] 3ff., 961; Roscher ^{[Note: oscher Roscher’s Ausführliches Lexikon der griech. und röm. Mythologie.]} , iii. 1369; H. B. Swete, Apocalypse, ad loc.; H. Alford, Gr. Test., ad loc.; W. M. Ramsay, Church in the Roman Empire⁵, 1897, Letters to the Seven Churches, 1904; C. v. Weizsäcker, Apostolic Age, Eng. translation 1894; A. C. McGiffert, Hist. of Christianity in the Apost. Age, 1897.

W. F. Cobb.