Sardis Greek gymnasium survey

One of the seven churches of Revelation, Sardis was an important community along the trade route connecting Pergamon and Laodicea. Other young churches along this route included Thyatira and Philadelphia. This video features the most visible ruins at the site, a Greek gymnasium that would have been in its prime during the New Testament era. The gymnasium was also next door to a very large synagogue, the largest and most elaborately decorated synagogue in the Roman empire. The teachings of Torah and the practices of a Greek or Roman gymnasium were often in direct conflict. The close proximity of these two institutions may be indicative of moral compromise on the part of Jewish residents in Sardis. As the church came out of the synagogue, the struggle with compromise may have continued. The letter to this community (Revelation 3:1-6) is a harsh message of rebuke.