Antipas

Antipas is named in the letter to the church at Pergamum as a martyr who died for his allegiance to Christ. He is the single named casualty at a congregation living in close proximity to imperial and pagan power.

Faithful Witness at Pergamum

The letter addresses the church situated where the throne of Satan is, a city whose religious and political environment made confession costly. Antipas is identified as "my witness, the faithful one, who was killed among you⁺, where Satan dwells" (Rev 2:13). The description "my witness" places him in the same category as the risen Christ himself, who is called "the faithful witness" earlier in Revelation. His death is not presented as a defeat but as faithfulness enacted to the end. The church that held fast to the name of Christ through his death is nonetheless warned about compromise in other areas (Rev 2:14-16).