Lydia was assertive and courageous Her assertiveness was seen also when she insisted that Paul and his friends board at her home. She almost forced them into taking up her offer of hospitality. Then there is the matter of her choice to become a Christian. In those days, it wasn't popular or cute to be a Christian.
Lydia's name appears in Scripture only twice. She was seemingly the first Gentile convert in Europe and the first believer to open her home as a worship center for European Christians. This benefited not only Paul and the early church but also the lives of future generations of believers.
Luke calls her “a dealer in purple cloth” and a God fearer or worshipper of God. Lydia was a successful businesswoman who sold luxury textiles dyed purple. It was only the wealthy who wore garments dyed purple or had purple furnishings in their homes.
While there are countless Biblical stories about giving, money and wealth; Lydia challenges us to reflect on our role of being prepared for the moment, seeking something bigger than ourselves, and being willing to invite others to experience what we have experienced.
“Lydia's generosity of spirit suggests the genuineness of her faith” (Witherington, 1998: 493), a generosity seen not only in what Lydia does with her financial means, but also in who she is as she receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Lydia is the first recorded person in Europe to become a follower of Jesus Christ. She was Saint Paul's first baptized convert at Philippi.
This is where Lydia lived. She was a business woman and a dealer of purple cloth. This meant she sold garments dyed with tyrian purple, a dye that is created by boiling marine snails that would create the dark reddish-purple hue.
It was by the river at Philippi that Paul is said to have baptised Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, between 49 and 50 AD – an iconic baptism because it is believed to be the first baptism on the continent of Europe; by performing it, Paul supposedly laid the foundations for a Judeo-Christian European civilisation ( ...
Lydia also means “beautiful one” or “noble one.” In the Bible, Lydia is described as a woman of hospitality and generosity, which aligns with the meaning of her name. Read More: Unique Girl Names That Start With K with Meaning.
Lydia, who traded in purple cloth, was a God fearing woman, which could mean either a righteous Gentile or one of the “God-fearers,” Gentiles who were attracted to the Jewish religion. She heard Paul's message and was soon baptized, along with the rest of her household.
Lydia, the Successful Businesswoman
Lydia must have been well connected for her to be successful in this trade. She is the first documented convert to Christianity in Europe. The Bible records that Lydia led her entire household to Christianity.
The name Phoebe means "pure", "radiant", or "bright"; and was the name of a Titan in Greek mythology. Some scholars believe Phoebe was responsible for delivering Paul's epistle to the Roman Christian church. Phoebe is the only woman named as deacon in the Bible.
Lydia, a gentile convert, is the first female in the Bible that receives specific mention as being baptized. A merchant of fine purple cloth, she is an example of an upwardly mobile woman who converted and provided leadership in the early Christian communities. Women played an integral role in the early church.
Askeladd is the son of Lydia, a Welsh noblewoman who was captured and enslaved by his danish Viking father, Olaf.
Located 15 km from the city of Kavala and next to the archaeological site of Philippi. There, in the river Zygakti is the point where the Apostle Paul baptized the first Christians of Europe, Lydia.
It was there that Paul and Silas met her and talked with her about Jesus, and there she became the first convert to Christianity in Greece. Convinced of the truth of the Christian gospel and believing that it was for everyone, she bore witness to her entire household and with her, they were all baptized.
Purple also represents wisdom and spirituality. 6 Its rare and mysterious nature perhaps causes it to seem connected to the unknown, supernatural, and divine.
“In antiquity, purple attire was associated with the nobility, with priests, and of course with royalty,” says lead author Naama Sukenik, a curator of organic materials at the IAA, in the statement.
Lydian religion was polytheistic, with a pantheon in the seventh and sixth centuries BC that was partly Anatolian and partly Greek (like much else in Lydian culture). Some gods and goddesses worshipped by Lydians were fundamentally Anatolian, others were partly or wholly Greek.
The Kingdom of Lydia existed from about 1200 BC to 546 BC. At its greatest extent, during the 7th century BC, it covered all of western Anatolia. In 546 BC, it became a province of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, known as the satrapy of Lydia or Sparda in Old Persian.
The holy and glorious Martyr Lydia the Martyr was the wife of Philetus, a Roman official at the court of Emperor Hadrian. Early in the second century, she accepted martyrdom with her family during the persecution under Hadrian after having openly confessed their faith in Christ the savior.
The only female judge, the only one to be called a prophet, and the only one described as performing a judicial function, Deborah is a decisive figure in the defeat of the Canaanites. This is a victory told in two accounts, a prose narrative in Judges 4 and a poem, known as the Song of Deborah, in Judges 5.
Acts 16:14 In-Context
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.