Philadelphia still exists as a Turkish town, under the name of Allah-shehr, "city of God," i. e. High- town. The region around is highly volcanic, and, geo- logically speaking, belongs to the district of Phrygia Catacecaumene, on the western edge of which it lies. The situation of Philadelphia is highly picturesque, es- pecially when viewed from the north-east, for it is prin- cipally built on four or live hills, extremely regular in figure, and having the appearance of truncated pyra- mids. At the back of these, which are all of nearly the same height, rise the lofty ridges of Tmolus; and though the country around is barren and desolate, the city itself is wanting neither in wood nor verdure. The climate of Philadelphia is pleasant and healthy. It is elevated 952 feet above the level of the sea, and is open to the salutary breezes from the Catacecaumene — a wild desert tract of highly volcanic country extending as far to the east as Pelta?. This district is even yet fa- mous for the growth of the vine, which delights in a light sandy soil ; and. though incapable of extensive cultivation, has a few fertile oases. Close to Philadel- phia the soil is rich, and fruits as well as cotn are abun- dant. The Cogamos abounds in fresh- water turtle, which are considered delicacies, and highly prized ac- cordingly. The revenues of the city depend on its corn, cotton, and tobacco. The cotton grows in small pods about the size of a medlar, and not unlike it in form. The town itself, although spacious, is miserably built and kept, the dwellings being remarkably mean, and the streets exceedinglv filthy. Across the summits
PHILADELPHIANS
80
PHILANTHROPY
1
Philadelphia.
of the bill behind tbc town and the small valleys be- tween them runs the town-wall, strengthened by circu- lar and square towers, and forming also an extensive and long quadrangle in the plain below. The ancient walls arc partly Standing and partly in ruins; lint il i- easy to trace the circuit which they oner enclosed, and within which arc to be found innumerable fragments of pillars and other remains of antiquity. The missiona- ries Fisk and Parsons, in 1822, were informed by the Greek bishop thai the town contained 3000 houses, of which he assigned 250 to the Greeks, and the rest to the Turks. On the same authority it is stated that there are five churches in the town, besides twenty
others which were t >ld or too small for use. Six
minarets, indicating as many mosques, are seen in the town; and one 61 these mosques is believed by the na- tive Christian- to have been the church in which as- sembled the primitive Christians addn ssed in the Apoc- alypse. There are few ruins; but in one part tin re arc still found four strong marble pillars, which supported the dome of a church. The done it-. If has fallen down. but its remains may be observed, and it is seen that the arch was of brick. On the sides of the pillars are in- scriptions, and some architectural ornaments in the form of the figures ol saint-. One solitary pillar of high an- tiquity has often been noticed as reminding beholders ol the remarkable words in the Apocalyptic message to the Philadelphia Church : "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall
go no i v out" i Rev. iii, 12 I. It is believed that the
Christian inhabitants of Philadelphia are on the in- crease, 'flic city i- th<' seat of a Creek bishop, and the last incumbi nl of the see did much to spread among his clergy a desire lor theological learning; but education is in a very low state, and Mr. Arundel] -tale- that the
children had been allowed to tear up s e ancient cop-
iesoi the Gospels. See Smith, Sept. Ecc/esiarum Asia, es; Richter, Wahlfahr- ten, p. 513; Schubert, Morgenland, i. 353 357; Mis- sionary Herald, 1821, p. J.".;;; 1839, p. 210 212; < hand- ler, Travels, p. .".1".
It fa- been supposed by some that Philadelphia oc- cupied the Bite of another town named Callatebus, of which Herodotus -peak-, in his account of Xerxes's march; Imi the position and fertility of that -pot do pond. At the -an..' Hue i ho Persian king, in hi- two days' march from Cydrara to Sardis, must have passed very mar the site of the future Philadelphia (Strabo, \ii. c. 8; Herod, vii, 31). See Asm Minou.
Philadelphians, or ■■//« Pkiladelphian Society," i- the name ofa Beet which was founded in 1695, and claimed to have for its object "the advancement ol pi-
ety and divine philosophy." It originated with Jane Leade (q.v.) and John Pord- age (q. v. i. Another of the Philadelphians was the learn- ed physician Francis Lie. who edited the "Theosophical Transactions" of the socie- ty. Another eminent mem- ber wa- I ir. Lot Fisher, who caused all the works of .lane Leade and lo r associate - to ho tran-lali d into Dutch. A fourth principal coadjutor was '1 homas Bromley, author of Th Sabbath of Rest, and of some work- on Biblical sub- jects. The Philadelphian So- ciety contributed largely to the spread of that mystical piety w hili i- so cons] icuous
in the Works of the good and loaned William Law. and which affected in no small degree the early stages of Methodism. Mrs. Leade herself, however, combined much fanaticism with her pietism, professing dike Swc- denborg in a later generation) to hold intercourse with spirits. This fanaticism imparted itself to many mem- bers of the Philadelphian Society, and imaginary appa- ritions of good ami evil angels became for a time a prominent feature of their religious life. In other re- spects i heir mysticism was that of the ordinary charac- ter, making the contemplative life the basis of religious knowledge and practice. A small work entitled The Principles of the Philadelphians, published in 1697, gives a curious exposition of their mysticism. See Eb- rard. Kirch n- n. Dogmengesch. iv, 163 : Moshi in Hist. vol. iii: Meth. Rev. April. 1865, p. 305; Illgen, Zeitsch. fur hist. Tkeol. 1865, ii. 171 : Amer. 7 '/.A ff< v. Jan. 1866, p. 191. (J. II. W.)