The "hidden manna"seems to be a reference to the manna that sustained the lives of the Israelites in the wilderness that lay "hidden"in the holy of holies. The Christians in Pergamum did not need the food of pagan festivals since they already had much better food. Christians feed spiritually on Jesus Christ, the bread of life (John 6:48-51), who is the real manna hidden from sight now.120
The "white stone"seems to allude to the tesseron.121
A tesseronwas, ". . . given to those who were invited to partake, within the precincts of the temple [at Pergamum], of the sacred feast, which naturally consisted only of meats offered to the idol. That stone bore the secret name of the deity represented by the idol and the name was known only to the recipient."122
Victors in contests or battles also received a white stone.123Perhaps God will elevate the overcomer to the position of ruler over the earth and will give him or her a new name, as He did Joseph (cf. Gen. 41:39-45). The name on that stone is new (Gr. kainon) in the sense of being different, not new in contrast to what is old. However the name is probably that of Christ (cf. Phil. 2:9).124It is unknown to others in the sense that others who are not overcomers do not possess it.
The historical parallel to the church in Pergamum is the period following Constantine's legalization of Christianity in A.D. 313 that lasted for about 300 years. When Christianity became the official religion of the empire, paganism overwhelmed it. It became hard to distinguish true Christians because people claiming to be Christians were everywhere. Many of them were practicing pagans who indulged in immoral festivals and all kinds of behavior inconsistent with the teachings of Christianity. Many writers have noted that "Pergamum"comes from the Greek word gamosthat means marriage. This letter pictures a church married to the world rather than to Christ.
