Lydia (Bible)

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Chapel in Philippi at the place where Lydia was probably baptized by Paul

The purple dealer Lydia of Philippi took the apostle Paul of Tarsus and his companion Silas into her house and had herself and the members of her house baptized . Lydia is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles . She came from Thyatira (today: Akhisar ) in Asia Minor and probably belonged to the so-called God-fearing Greeks who went to the synagogues as non-Jews and listened to worship there.

Biblical testimony

  • Acts 16:14:
A woman named Lydia, a purple merchant from Thyatira City, was listening; she was a God-fearing one, and the Lord opened her heart so that she listened carefully to Paul's words.
  • Acts 16:40:
From the prison the two went to Lydia. There they found the brothers, encouraged them, and then moved on.
The Baptism of Lydia , painting by Marie Ellenrieder (1861), Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin

Lydia was therefore the first person on European soil (in the city of Philippi , Greece) to accept the Christian faith. Not only did she urge Paul and Silas to live with her, but according to verse 40, the Christian community seems to have gathered in her house from now on. In Philippians' letter, Paul mentions the special financial help from this church, which is also credited to Lydia. Thus, in general, she is assigned an outstanding position between patroness and community leader.

Adoration

Lydia is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches . Her feast day is August 3rd and she is considered the patron saint of dyers .

She is also considered a memorable witness of faith in Protestant churches. So her memorial in which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America of January 27 and in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod of the 25. October . In Germany, too, several Protestant communities are named after her, for example in Berlin , Dortmund , Bielefeld , Bünde and Frankfurt am Main .

See also

literature

  • Jean-Pierre Sterck-Degueldre: A woman named Lydia. On the story and composition in Acts 16.11–15.40 . Scientific research on the New Testament 2/176. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2004, ISBN 3-16-147993-9 .
  • Josef F. Spiegel: Lydia, purple dealer in Philippi. A biblical novel for women. St. Benno, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 978-3-7462-2227-1 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Lydia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lydia of Philippi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION biblical figure
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century
DATE OF DEATH 1st century