Sardis: Judaism
The
Jewish community at Sardis had been in the city for generations by the
time that Revelation was written. Some of these Jews were apparently Roman
citizens. Letters from the first century B.C. stipulated that Jews in
Sardis were to have their own association and a place to offer prayers.
Officials were to make sure that food suitable for Jews was available in
the market (Josephus, Antiquities 14.259-260). The Jewish community
was allowed to collect and send money to Jerusalem for the support of the
temple. Some cities experienced friction between the Jewish and Christian
communities, but Revelation does not indicate that this was a problem at
Sardis. The enormous size and central location of the Sardis synagogue
shows that in the centuries after Revelation was composed, the Jewish
community thrived at Sardis.