Woman living at the time of the New Testament
Lydia, a seller of purple goods from Thyatira, was converted by Paul in Philippi and hosted the church in her home.
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Lydia was a businesswoman from the city of Thyatira who sold purple goods (Act.16.14). She was living in Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia, when she encountered the apostle Paul and his companions. Lydia is described as a worshiper of God, suggesting that she was a Gentile who followed the Jewish faith. When Paul preached the gospel, the Lord opened her heart to respond to his message (Act.16.14). Lydia and her household were baptized, becoming the first recorded converts in Europe (Act.16.15). She then invited Paul and his companions to stay at her home, demonstrating her hospitality and eagerness to support the spreading of the gospel (Act.16.15). After Paul and Silas were released from prison, they visited Lydia's house and met with the believers before departing from Philippi (Act.16.40). Lydia's conversion and her role in hosting the early church in Philippi highlight the importance of women in the early Christian movement and the gospel's appeal to people from various backgrounds.
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(1.) Ezek. 30:5 (Heb. Lud), a province in the west of Asia Minor, which derived its name from the fourth son of Shem (Gen. 10:22). It was bounded on the east by the greater Phrygia, and on the west by Ionia and the AEgean Sea. (2.) A woman of Thyatira, a “seller of purple,” who dwelt in Philippi (Acts 16:14, 15). She was not a Jewess but a proselyte. The Lord opened her heart as she heard the gospel from the lips of Paul (16:13). She thus became the first in Europe who embraced Christianity. She was a person apparently of considerable wealth, for she could afford to give a home to Paul and his companions. (See THYATIRA.)
the first European convert of St. Paul, and afterward his hostess during his first stay at Philippi. (Acts 18:14,15) also Acts 18:40 (A.D. 47.) She was a Jewish proselyte at the time of the apostle’s coming; and it was at the Jewish Sabbath-worship by the side of a stream ver 13, that the preaching of the gospel reached her heart. Her native place was Thyatira, in the province of Asia. ver. 14; (Revelation 2:18) Thyatira was famous for its dyeing works; and Lydia wars connected with this trade, as a seller either of dye or of dyed goods. We infer that she was a person of considerable wealth. (land of Lydus), a maritime province in the west of Asia Minor bounded by Mysia on the north, Phrygia on the east, and Caria on the south. It is enumerated among the districts which the Romans took away from Antiochos the Great after the battle of Magnesia in B.C. 190, and transferred to Eumenus II. king of Pergamus. Lydia is included in the “Asia” of the New Testament.
LYD'IA, a Jewish proselyte from the city of Thyatira, in Lydia, engaged in the purple trade, possessed of wealth, and temporarily residing at Philippi, where she heard Paul preach. Acts 16:14. She accepted the Gospel, was baptized together with her household, and tendered hospitality to the apostle.
LYD'IA, a coast-region of Asia Minor, extending along the Mediterranean from the promontory of Mycale to the mouth of the Hermas. It formed in olden times the centre of a great empire under Croesus; afterward it belonged successively to Syria, Pergamus, and the Romans. Its principal cities were Sardis, Thyatira, and Philadelphia. It is mentioned in 1 Mace. 8:8 among the provinces which the Romans transferred from Syria to Pergamus.
LYD'IA, a coast-region of Asia Minor, extending along the Mediterranean from the promontory of Mycale to the mouth of the Hermas. It formed in olden times the centre of a great empire under Croesus; afterward it belonged successively to Syria, Pergamus, and the Romans. Its principal cities were Sardis, Thyatira, and Philadelphia. It is mentioned in 1 Mace. 8:8 among the provinces which the Romans transferred from Syria to Pergamus.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G3070
Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paulʼs message.
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydiaʼs house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.