From Revelation 3:1-4 (KJV)
1. And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write ; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest , and art dead.
2. Be watchful , and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die : for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard , and hold fast , and repent . If therefore thou shalt not watch , I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
From the Wikipedia
Sardis
Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Persian Empire, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times.
As one of the Seven churches of Asia, it was addressed by the author of the Book of Revelation in terms which seem to imply that its population was notoriously soft and fainthearted. Its importance was due, first to its military strength, secondly to its situation on an important highway leading from the interior to the Aegean coast, and thirdly to its commanding the wide and fertile plain of the He
Since 1958, both Harvard and Cornell Universities have sponsored annual archeological expeditions to Sardis. These excavations unearthed perhaps the most impressive synagogue in the western diaspora yet discovered from antiquity, yielding over eighty Greek and seven Hebrew inscriptions as well as numerous mosaic floors. (For evidence in the east, see Dura Europos in Syria.) The discovery of the Sardis synagogue has reversed previous assumptions about Judaism in the later Roman empire.
Along with the discovery of the godfearers/theosebeis inscription from the Aphrodisias, it provides indisputable evidence for the continued vitality of Jewish communities in Asia Minor, their integration into general Roman imperial civic life, and their size and importance at a time when many scholars previously assumed that Christianity had eclipsed Judaism.
From the
Merckle Family Web Site
Sardis was founded in 1843 comprised of 64 lots of land owned by James Patton. The town became part of Lee Township, the first and only township organized by action taken by the Ohio Legislature. Lee Township is bounded by Jackson and Green Townships to the west, by Green and Ohio Townships on the north and by the Ohio River to the east.
At the time of its founding, Sardis consisted of four buildings, Patton's house, Johnson and Algeo store, the Wilson Martin Home and the Amos Heaton home and shoe shop. The first post office was established May 15, 1844. Even though Sardis bordered on the Ohio River, the first mail was brought to the town overland from Marietta.