Although Lydia only appears in one chapter in Acts 16, we do learn a few really interesting details about her. Lydia - a worshipper of God and a tradeswoman - is often cited as the first European convert to Christianity. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. "If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my home." Scriptures to Show How Important Grandparents Are. [2] It is not known if the rule found in the Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 23bthat a synagogue needed to have a quorum of at least ten adult male members, known as aminyanwas universally observed in the mid-first century CE. So, Im thinking that Lydia was certainly a Jew by that alone, and the opening of the heart is the regeneration, because we are told in Deuteronomy. [22] For example, a second-century CE inscription from Smyrna mentions a woman named Rufina who was a synagogue ruler. Either that happened to Lydia and her family, or she married someone from Philippi or decided to take her trade there for an unknown reason. Thank you for writing. After Paul was released from prison, he went to her house to say goodbye and to encourage the brethren there (Ac 16:15, 40). It was located on a major commercial and military highway, the second most important one in the Roman Empire. Paul and his party may have spent several weeks staying with Lydia (cf. This article looks at Lydia who is mentioned in just a few verses in the New Testament. True. Exploring the biblical theology of Christian egalitarianism, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Three Scholars with Two Views on Eves Role as Helper, Lydia of Thyatira: The founding member of the Philippian Church. When they arrived, Paul and his fellow missionaries passed through the port of Neapolis and headed straight for Philippi, a city of Macedonias first district and a Roman colony (Acts 16:14 CEB). There is Lydia, the seller of purple, whom Paul met at Philippi. [23] For information on the vital role of patrons in Greco-Roman society and in the church, see the section on Phoebe here: https://margmowczko.com/wealthy-women-roman-world-and-church/, [24] Some believe Luke stayed behind to care for the new church at Philippi. If she were well off, she may have given him money or supplies for his further journey on the Egnatian Way, an important Roman highway. [4], Paul and his companions may have been surprised to see a group made up of only, or mainly, women at the prayer-house. However, I never want to hold a theological position simply because it is held by the camp that I come from. Verse 11 says,"We came with a straight course to Samothracia." [26] Thank you for your glowing commendation of my work. heresy. Also, whenever Luke is mentioned by name in the New Testament, he is with Paul (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. As Paul and his company were speaking with these women, Lydia was listening ( Acts 16:14 ). 4:11; Phlm. Id say we probably, at least, know some of the same people. First, she sells purple cloth. 2 and 3:14). See also Ascough, Lydia, 47. Only members of the royalty and other wealthy people could afford this cloth, because the dye was so expensive to make, and so it was a prosperous trade. The first person to hear and respond to the Good News. Now here is a place that generations of women know intimately. These may appear like minor details, but we should note that even important people in the early Church maybe got a verse or two of dedication from Paul. All rights reserved. She was prepared to hear what Paul had to say. Thank you, Marg! The Bible says that the meat of shellfish must not be eaten (Lev. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. I think we may have studied with similar tutors. Lydia was originally from Thyatira, a city famous for making purple dye. a very wicked or unprincipled person. I said, I AM the pastor. I wish he were going to be in church on Sunday. They were not silent in the churches or ineffective in evangelism. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 1 John 5:1 Well dive more into the importance of this later, but readers should take note that not every regular Gentile or Jew got a chance to wear this special color two millennia ago. [15] A relatively less expensive and more reddish dye, known today as Turkey red, was extracted from the root of the madder plant (Rubia tinctorum). Your research is much appreciated. Thyatira was addressed by Jesus Christ in the Seven Churches of Revelation. The story of Cornelius was before Lydia. This is a well written, scholarly article. She was a "worshiper of God," probably a proselyte, or convert to Judaism. I slipped up once and thought the husband was the accountant and the wife was the assistant, but it was the other way round. Like Jesus told Peter, flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my Father in heaven. This is the work of a genius. This was a unique achievement for a woman during the male-dominated Roman empire. Acts 16:19-22). The narrator may be Luke himself, or Luke using a first-person source. After all, even a woman's testimony in court would not be seen as valid. One of those people was a woman named Lydia. When she took Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke into her house, she created one of the first home churches in Europe. And, as Lydia heard the gospel, God opened her heart so that she received the life-giving message. This proviso of being born again applies to everyone. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. (Academia.edu), Lydia and the Place of Prayer in Philippi God rerouted Paul and friends and also ensured that Lydia would be in the right place at the right time to encounter Paul and hear the good news of Jesus. The Greek verb used here, parabiazomai, reflects the Middle-Eastern custom of initially refusing an offer only to have it repeated and accepted on a second or third occasion. Greg Forbes and Scott Harrower, Raised from Obscurity: A Narratival and Theological Study of the Characterization of Women in Luke-Acts (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2015) 187. This album contains scenes from the funeral service from St. David's Anglican Church to the Cemetery in Plymouth, Tobago which was attended by relatives, friends and members of the People's National Movement. TheSamaritan woman and, indeed, her whole village of Sychar are presented as people ready to accept Jesus as the Messiah (John 4:4-42). Lydia may have been a patron of the Jewish community at Philippi. Only royals and the rich could afford purple outfits. This may have been the first church planted on European soil, and its pastor was a woman. In the New Testament, Tabitha is the only woman to be called a disciple. Jesus and Paul had no difficulty in teaching theology to women, and they allowed women to minister according to their abilities and their situations without artificial restrictions. Paul's collection for the church in Jerusalem is also called diakonia (Acts 11:29; 12:25) and Paul often refers to himself as a diakonos (e.g., 1 Cor 3:5; 2 Cor 6:4). 31:22; Est. Many synagogues and prayer-houses were built near water sources, such as rivers, to facilitate ritual washings. By clicking on this Category or this Tag, under the title above, youll see many other articles about Bible Women and Brave Bible Women. She was a successful businesswoman who came to Philippi to carry on her trade. Fairchild, Mary. Her example of stewardship shows we cannot pay God back for our salvation, but we do have an obligation to support the church and its missionary efforts. Paul and his party may have spent several weeks staying with Lydia (cf. When Paul and Silas were thrown into a Philippian prison, Lydia visited them and attended to their needs. Aristotle believed men had far superior building blocks than that of women. But no one of Pauls team is mentioned as staying behind in Philippi at the end of Acts 16. "Lydia: Seller of Purple in the Book of Acts." The statement that God had to open her heart was the clue for me regarding regeneration. "The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul," (Acts 16:14b). Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, supposedly named for legendary king Lydos. Prints of this portrait can be purchasedhere. Lydia was one of the women there who "listened" (Acts 16:14) to what Paul was saying. A healthy church needs every member and the gifts they bring. The singing of the early church was scriptural. And they ministered in an empowering way. [13], Even though her name tells us nothing concrete, the fact that Lydia is named at all is significant. Teacher, community activist, social worker and PNM affiliate, Lydia Paul, was buried on December 14, 2009. It seems that Philippi did not have a recognised synagogueperhaps they did not have enough Jewish men to form a quorum necessary for a synagogue[2]but they did have a proseuch, a prayer-house. We're talking monikers like the Vanderbilt's, the Astor's, the Kennedy's, and so on. [14] In Pauls letter to the Philippians and in Acts chapter 16 there are more names given of women who belonged to the Philippian church (Lydia, Euodia, Syntyche) than names of men (Epaphroditus, Clement). If Lydia didnt lead the fledgeling church in Philippi, who did? It is likely Lydia had no surviving adult male relatives. [26] While the Jews regarded the Samaritans as outside of Gods favour and mercy, this is not how the New Testament portrays them. The footnotes are informative too. She was already a person open to the word of God, a worshiper of God. Large sections of it can still be seen in Philippi today. Her house became the meeting place of the first European church. Chapter 2 records the beginning of the Church. Purple was again used in the Temple that Solomon built (2 Chron. First, Lydia most likely accrued a great deal of wealth from selling purple cloth. In just the act of taking the time to talk with her, Christ began breaking down the barriers to her heart. [13] For a brief discussion on the likelihood of Lydia being another name of either Euodia or Syntyche, see Davorlin Peterlin, Pauls Letter to the Philippians in the Light of Disunity in the Church (Leiden: Brill, 1995), 128-130. We know the Lord opened Lydias heart (Acts 16:14b NIV), and so it is probable the Spirit gave her spiritual gifts and abilities to help her in ministry (cf. Furthermore, Lydia uses her own initiative and doesnt consult a male relative, when she offers the missionaries hospitality, which they accept. Second, after she and her entire family accepts Jesus Christ and are baptized, they invite Paul and Silas (a ministry companion of Pauls) into their home. Everyone includes Jews and Gentiles. It was only the wealthy elite who wore garments dyed purple or trimmed with purple, or had soft furnishings in their homes, such as couch covers, that were purple. It is well documented that some Gentiles were attracted to the monotheism and the morality of Judaism. a Jewish ritual performed when a boy is eight days old. How Should Christians Respond to Feeling Stuck in Life? The usual word for a purple dyer was porphyrobaphos. Lydia had a home large enough to accommodate not only Paul and his companions, but the gatherings of the new church established in Philippi. We have just begun a small storyline. After all, she sells purple dye, her whole family gets baptized, and she provides a means for Paul to have a temporary home. However, there are arguments that some of these writings are post-Pauline interpolations. Furthermore, she seems to have been a spiritually receptive person. Her story is told in the book of Acts. It was neither common nor rare for a woman, usually a widowed or divorced woman, to have control of her own wealth and be a homeowner in New Testament times. disgusting, hateful, revolting, disagreeable. Her household may have included family members, servants, and hired laborers. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995), 74. Luke 10:5-7). A Reexamination of the Purpurarii in Thyatira and Philippi, Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin 62 (2017): 3-29. Lydia must have been wealthy, because she insisted Paul and his companions stay at her home. Thank you, Aida. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. 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