The Message to Laodicea and the Problem of Its Local Context: A Study of the Imagery in Rev 3.14–22

Leading images in the message to Laodicea (Rev 3.14–22) are often thought to allude to the Laodicean water supply, banks, textiles, and medical school. Re-examination of available evidence, however, shows that this is unlikely. Instead, the references to hot, cold, and lukewarm draw on common dining practices. The admonitions concerning poverty and gold, blindness and eye salve, and nakedness and white garments invoke expressions and commodities that were familiar throughout the region. Using such common images enables the message to address local issues while being read and appropriated by a wider audience.