Thyatira

Thyatira was a city on the borders of Lydia and Mysia in Asia Minor, known today as Ak-hissar ("white castle"). It was home to a significant guild-based economy, particularly purple dyeing and bronze-working, and was known for its trade guilds. Lydia, the seller of purple cloth converted by Paul at Philippi, was from Thyatira (Acts 16:14), and her conversion inaugurated the gospel's entry into Europe.

Thyatira is one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation (Rev. 2:18-29), receiving a letter that commends the congregation for love, faith, service, and patient endurance while rebuking it for tolerating a prophetess called Jezebel who led members into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. The letter's reference to trade guilds and their associated religious practices suggests the particular temptations faced by Christians in a guild-economy city. Its name may mean a perfume or sacrifice of labor.