Lydia
Summary
A prosperous businesswoman from Thyatira who became Paul's first European convert at Philippi and hosted the apostles in her home.
☩Background and Occupation
Lydia was a native of Thyatira in the Roman province of Asia, a city famous for its dyeing works and guild of dyers. She was a 'seller of purple,' dealing either in purple dye or in purple-dyed garments, which were among the most expensive articles of ancient commerce. This occupation indicates she was a woman of considerable wealth. She was residing in Philippi when Paul arrived there, likely conducting her trade in that important Macedonian city. Her position at the head of a wealthy establishment demonstrates the comparative freedom enjoyed by women in both Asia Minor and Macedonia.
☩Conversion and Baptism
Lydia was not a Jew by birth but a 'worshipper of God'—a proselyte attached to Jewish religion. Paul found her at a Jewish Sabbath gathering by the riverside outside Philippi, where prayer was customarily made (Acts 16:13). As she listened to Paul's preaching, 'the Lord opened her heart to attend unto the things which were spoken' (Acts 16:14). She was immediately baptized along with her household, becoming the first recorded European convert to Christianity. Her household, whether including children or not, certainly comprised servants or slaves, indicating her substantial means.
☩Hospitality to the Apostles
Following her baptism, Lydia pressed her hospitality upon Paul and his companions so earnestly that they were constrained to accept, saying, 'If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there' (Acts 16:15). Her generous disposition is seen in this pressing offer, which may be reflected in the frequency and liberality with which the Philippian church later contributed to Paul's needs (Philippians 4:15-16). Even after Paul and Silas were imprisoned and released, they returned to Lydia's house to comfort the brethren before departing (Acts 16:40). She was not ashamed of the Lord's prisoners but rather shared in the afflictions of the gospel.
☩Her Name
There is scholarly discussion whether 'Lydia' was her personal name or simply a designation of her origin as 'the Lydian woman,' since Thyatira was located in the ancient region of Lydia. Some suggest her actual name might have been Euodia or Syntyche, women mentioned in Philippians 4:2. However, the phrase 'a certain woman named Lydia' (Acts 16:14) strongly suggests it was her proper name, and the name Lydia appears frequently in classical literature as a woman's personal name. Through her, the gospel may have reached Thyatira itself, the very region where Paul had earlier been forbidden to preach directly (Acts 16:6; Revelation 2:18).
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Lydia," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Lydia," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Lydia," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Lydia," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).