Bible Dictionaries
Thyatira

Holman Bible Dictionary

(thee uh ti' ruh) A city in the Lycus River valley. Although never a magnificent city, Thyatira was the center of a number of trade guilds which used the natural resources of the area to make it a very profitable site. Thyatira had a Jewish contingent out of which grew a New Testament church. One of Paul's first converts from the European continent, Lydia, was a native of Thyatira (Acts 16:14 ). She probably was a member of a guild there which dealt in purple dye. The church at Thyatira was praised for its works of charity, service, and faith (Revelation 2:19 ), but criticized for allowing the followers of Jezebel to prosper in its midst (Revelation 2:20 ). See Asia Minor; Revelation, Book of.