A. Sutherland – AncientPages.com – The seventh and final letter to the churches of ancient Asia Minor is to the church in the city of Laodicea, a major hub of Christianity. The Laodicean Church was one of the Seven Churches of Asia mentioned in the Bible. The biblical Laodicea was designated “Laodicea on the Lycus” (Laodicea ad Lycum).
It was founded by the Seleucid king Antiochus II, a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom who reigned 261 BC–246 BC) and named for his wife Laodice about 260 BC. The city had a beautiful location in the middle of the Lycus Valley and between Colossae (nine miles to the southeast) and Hierapolis (six miles to the north) – both cities mentioned in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.