Sardis

In the Bible

Sardis is mentioned twice in the Book of Revelation. In Revelation 1:11, John on Patmos is commanded to write what he sees and send it to seven churches; Sardis is the fifth city on that list. The letter to the church in Sardis appears in Revelation 3:1-6.

The speaker of the letter identifies himself as the one "that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars." He then says of the church, "thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (3:1), and commands it to be watchful and to strengthen the things that remain (3:2). He warns that if the church does not watch, he will come "as a thief" (3:3). Yet he also says that there are "a few names" who have not defiled their garments, and that they shall walk with him in white (3:4). Finally, he promises that the one who overcomes will be clothed in white raiment, that he will not blot out that person's name from the Book of Life, and that he will confess that name before his Father and before his angels (3:5).

Background

Sardis was the capital of the Lydian kingdom in the seventh and sixth centuries BC. The Pactolus River, known for its gold-bearing sands, flowed through the city, and a citadel stood atop a steep hill. Lydia is known as one of the earliest states to use coinage. After the Persian king Cyrus captured the city in the mid-sixth century BC, Sardis became a western stronghold of Persia. Herodotus reports that the citadel, considered impregnable, fell to a surprise assault from a poorly guarded cliff face.

In AD 17, during the Roman period, a great earthquake largely destroyed the city. Tacitus records that Emperor Tiberius assisted in its reconstruction. The ruins lie today at the village of Sart near Salihli in Manisa Province, Turkey. Excavations have uncovered a temple of Artemis and the remains of a large Jewish synagogue. Melito, bishop of Sardis, is reported to have been active there in the second century.

Some scholars identify "Sepharad" in Obadiah 1:20 with Sardis, but this view is not settled.

Significance in the Whole Bible

The themes of the letter to Sardis connect with other New Testament passages.

• White garments: These signify purity and victory and are linked to the great multitude clothed in white robes in Revelation 7 (Revelation 7:9-17).
• Coming as a thief: This image also appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and in the Gospels' teaching on watchfulness.
• Book of Life: The image of a book in which names are recorded reappears in the judgment scenes of the latter part of Revelation.

Interpretation and Issues

• The promise not to blot out names from the Book of Life (3:5): The Calvinist and Reformed traditions read this statement as an expression of assurance that the salvation of true believers cannot be revoked. They regard it as a strong negative construction that emphasizes the promise, and they connect it with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions often read it as a warning that presupposes the possibility of a name being blotted out, and they therefore place weight on the exhortation to keep the faith to the end.
• The nature of the seven churches: Many interpreters read the seven churches as actual first-century congregations. Some dispensationalist interpretations view the seven churches as representing periods of church history; in this reading, Sardis is commonly associated with the post-Reformation era.
• Distinguishing the text from background explanations: Commentaries and sermons frequently suggest that the citadel's fall to a surprise attack lies behind expressions such as "be watchful" and "as a thief." This, however, is an inference by interpreters, not something the text itself states.

In the Korean Church

The phrase "thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" is often used as a sermon text warning against a faith, or a church, that retains only outward form. The ruins of Sardis are commonly included in pilgrimage itineraries to the sites of the seven churches of Asia Minor in Turkey, where Sardis is visited together with nearby Thyatira and Philadelphia.