Heilige Lydia (I Jahrhundert)
Polski: Święta Lidia - pierwsza ochrzczona
Europejka z I wieku opisana w Dziejach Apostolskich; rosyjska ikona
Sainte Lydie
Commerçante en pourpre convertie par Saint Paul (Ier
siècle)
Elle venait de la Grèce d’Asie et s’était installée à
Philippes, port de la mer Egée pour son commerce de tissu et de pourpre. C’est
là qu’elle rencontra saint Paul et
saint Luc (Actes
des Apôtres 16. 11). Ils vinrent habiter chez elle « Si vous voulez bien
me considérer comme une servante de Dieu, descendez chez moi. »
Sainte Lydie
Commerçante en pourpre convertie par Saint
Paul (Ier siècle)
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1614/Sainte-Lydie.html
Also known as
Lydia of Thyatira
Lydia of Philippi
Lydia Philippisia
20 May (Roman
Martyrology; Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America;
Eastern Orthodox)
27 March (Russian
Orthodox Church)
25 June (Russian
Orthodox Church)
27 January (Evangelical
Lutheran)
25 October (Episcopal
Church; Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
3 August on
some calendars
Profile
Lay business woman in
Thyatira, dealing in purple cloth, the most expensive type in the 1st
century Middle East. Paul‘s
first known convert.
Born
Additional Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
webseiten auf deutsch
sitios en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites en français
fonti in italiano
strony w jezyku polskim
Konferencja
Episkopatu Polski i Wydawnictwo Pallottinum
sites em português
Readings
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the
river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with
the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in
purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the
Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and
her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider
me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on
us. -Acts 16:13-15
MLA Citation
“Saint Lydia Purpuraria“. CatholicSaints.Info. 29
January 2019. Web. 3 August 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-lydia-purpuraria/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-lydia-purpuraria/
Saint Lydia
The first recorder convert from Europe was a wealthy woman; her resources helped to grow and support the Early Church
Eri-Fragiadaki / CC
Disciple of Saint Paul (First Century)
Her life
According to the Acts of the Apostles (16:13ff), Lydia
was merchant of purple cloth in Philippi. When Saint Paul visited that city
sometime around the year 55, he baptized Lydia and her household.
+ The baptism is celebrated as the first recorded
conversion to Christianity in Europe.
+ A woman of wealth and influence, Lydia is remembered
for the hospitality she offered to Paul, Luke and Silas.
+ Saint Lydia was added to the Church’s official list
of saints, The Roman Martyrology, at the time of the Council of Trent.
Quote
“In this vast domain of service, the Church’s
two-thousand-year history, for all its historical conditioning, has truly
experienced the ‘genius of woman’; from the heart of the Church there have
emerged women of the highest caliber who have left an impressive and beneficial
mark in history.”—Pope Saint John Paul II, Letter to Women
Prayer
O God, who gladden us each year with the feast day of
blessed Lydia, grant, we pray, that we, who are called to honor her, may also
follow her example of holy living. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who
lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Holy Men and
Women—For a Holy Woman)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson,
S.D.S.
SOURCE : https://aleteia.org/daily-prayer/thursday-august-3/
Lydia Purpuraria
St. Lydia was the first Christian to be baptized in
Europe, at Philippi by the Apostle Paul; the Greek landscape is visible at
beneath her feet while the Apostle Paul hovers in the distance. In one hand is
the murex shell, the source of her livelihood, purple dye, and by extension a
symbol of royalty and Christ the King, and also, through its marine origins,
baptism and regeneration. The waves in the upper left-hand corner also recall
baptism, and the strip of half-dyed cloth in her right hand recall the imagery
of white robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. St. Paul's book and sword
decorate the hem of her robe, while Christ the Man of Sorrows, clad in His
purple robe, decorates the clasps at her shoulder. The client (who has also
commissioned work from me in the past), a New England lawyer, ND law grad and
new mother, commissioned this to celebrate the birth of her first child, also
named Lydia. She says she wants it to be hanging in the girl's dorm room 18
years from now when she matriculates at Notre Dame.
SOURCE : http://holywhapping.blogspot.com/2010/10/lydia-purpuraria.html
Posted onAugust 3,
2016 7:30 pm byPaul
Zalonski
Lydia was born at Thyatira (Ak-Hissar), a
town in Asia Minor. She met Paul on his second missionary journey in ca.
AD50. Lydia became Paul’s first convert at Philippi and he baptized her
with her household in the Gaggitis River –called the Angst River. Paul
with his companions stayed at her home in Philippi. Thus, it is her home that
becomes the first church in Europe.
The Orthodox recall her memory liturgically on May 20.
For most Catholics praying to Saint Lydia for her
intercession would be very novel. But what she models for us is not new. In his
1995 Letter to Women, Saint John Paul II wrote “In this vast domain of
service, the Church’s two-thousand-year history, for all its historical
conditioning, has truly experienced the ‘genius of woman’; from the heart of
the Church there have emerged women of the highest calibre who have left
an impressive and beneficial mark in history.” Right, Lydia’s genius
is instructive and worthy of our consideration for knowing the desires of her
heart: she was a business woman, she lived the virtue of hospitality, a leader
of people, and a follower of Jesus Christ.
Let us ask Lydia to guide all women, indeed, all
Christians, in their responding sacrificially to the holy desires of the heart.
SOURCE : https://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2016/08/st-lydia/
Saint Lydia Purpuraria
SOURCE : https://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2016/08/saint-lydia-purpuraria.html
Let us remember that the word “deacon” comes from the
Greek word “deaconia” which means “to serve”. The first seven deacons were men
of God “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” who were set aside to “serve
tables”, that is to care for orphans, widows, the poor, the sick, those in
prison, and other social works of the Church (Acts 6:1-7). This was done to
allow the twelve Apostles to spend their time spreading the Gospel of Christ.
Lydia, who bore the name of a Roman province in
western Asia Minor, hailed from the wealthy town of Thyatira (present day
Al-Hissar, Turkey) which was noted for its well-organized trade guilds. The
guilds for coppersmiths and dyers were two of the more powerful guilds which
were greatly steeped in the pagan religion of their day and whose members were
required to worship the patron god/goddess of their trade. As a seller of
purple, Lydia and her husband were probably members thereof. It is not known
whether they traded in purple dyes or purple fabric or both.
The purple dyes used in the Thyatira area were thought
to have been made from the madder-root (genus Rubia) and from a sea snail
(Murex brandaris). Each of these sources of dye could be used to produce various
shades of purple-red (porphyra) or purple-blue (yakinthos) depending on the
process and the raw fiber used. The purple-red was used by emperors, statesmen,
and other high government officials, while the purple-blue was used for
religious purposes such as priests’ robes or curtains for one of the many
temples. This dye was the most expensive of its day and was said to be worth
its weight in silver.
At some point, Lydia and her household moved to
Philippi, a principal city of Macedonia which is about ten miles north of the
harbor city Neapolis (present day Kavalla). This was an excellent business
move, as Philippi was a Roman colony whose populace spoke Latin and enjoyed all
the privileges and rights of Roman citizens. Philippi was also on the Egnation
Highway, a major east-west trade route that connected Rome and Asia. Another
possible reason for her move to Philippi could be that Lydia converted to
Judaism and would no longer worship in the manner of the Thyatirans. Whatever
the reason, suffice it to say that Lydia was a successful business woman who
probably spoke several languages and had a great love for the one, true God.
While on his second missionary journey (c. 50 A.D.),
Paul (the Apostle to the Gentiles) with Luke (writer of the third Gospel), Silas,
and Timothy were traveling through and establishing churches in what is
currently western Turkey, they came to Troas, a coastal town on the Aegean Sea.
There Paul had a vision in which he beheld a man in Macedonian garb, standing
and asking him to “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Taking this vision as
direction from God, this band of four boarded a ship for Neapolis, where they
disembarked and walked the ten miles to Philippi.
It was Paul’s custom to find
the local synagogue and preach to the Jews first. Apparently,
Philippi did not have ten Jewish men to hold Sabbath Services and, therefore,
had no synagogue either in the city or outside it. When Paul, Luke, Silas, and
Timothy did not find a synagogue, they went outside the city and followed the
Gangites River (now Angista River) until they came upon a group of women who
were praying in the manner of the Jews. (It is the customary practice among the
Jews to have living (flowing) water for washing their hands before praying.)
Not expecting four men to attend their prayer service, Paul and the others
probably greeted them with “The peace of God be with you” (a traditional Jewish
greeting) and introduced themselves. Then they sat down and spoke to the women
there, sharing the good news of Christ’s salvation and gift of eternal life.
Their presence must have been an answer to the many prayers of these women.
It was there that Lydia listened to the words of Paul
with great attentiveness, heard the Gospel of Christ, recognized the
truthfulness thereof, and received Christ with her whole heart. She and her
whole household were baptized in the Gangites River. Thus, Lydia attained the
honored place of being the first Christian in Europe.
Although no mention is made of her husband, one may
easily presume by her actions that she was widowed and head of her household.
By humbly saying to Paul and those with him “If you have judged me to be
faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay”, Lydia compelled them to
reside at her house while they preached the Gospel in the city. In this way
Lydia could learn more about Jesus and His teachings and ask many questions.
Her home became the first Christian Church in Europe and a place of Christian
hospitality.
Not long afterwards, Paul and Silas were going to
prayer when a damsel who was possessed with a spirit of divination met them and
began following them saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God,
who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” This she did for many days, until
Paul could no longer stand it and in the name of Jesus Christ commanded the
spirit to come out of her, which it did. Upon hearing that she could no longer
foretell peoples’ fortunes, her masters saw their livelihood gone, seized Paul
and Silas in the marketplace, stirred up the multitude therein, dragged them
before the magistrates, and accused them of teaching customs unlawful to Romans
(i.e., doing anything that might damage the state religion). The magistrates
had them stripped, beaten with rods many times, and cast into the inner prison
where their feet were fastened in stocks.
At midnight, while Paul and Silas were singing hymns,
a great earthquake shook the prison and all the doors were open and their
chains were loosened. Awaking from sleep and supposing that the prisoners had
escaped, the keeper of the prison drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
when Paul yelled, “Do yourself no harm for we are all here.” Trembling, the jailer
fell down before Paul and Silas and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” To
which they responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,
you and your household.” The jailer took them home, tended to their wounds, and
he and his family were baptized that same night.
In the morning, the magistrates sent word to release
Paul and Silas; however, they would not leave, as they were Roman citizens and
had been beaten openly. (Roman citizens were exempt from public beatings.) When
the magistrates heard this, they fearfully came to lead them out of the prison
and pleaded with them to depart from Philippi.
Surely, Lydia and those gathered in her house spent
the night in prayer for the release of Paul and Silas. There must have been
great joy when they saw them enter her house, but also great sadness on
learning of their immediate departure.
Paul left Luke behind to preach the Gospel and
establish the Church in Philippi and other towns round about. Through Paul and
Luke, Lydia, the jailor, their households, and many others were taught the
Gospel and, in turn taught others.
In addition to her many business connections, Lydia’s
ardent faith, sincere prayer, humbleness of heart, willingness to serve
(diaconia), generosity, and following God’s will for her life was instrumental
in establishing the Christian Faith in Philippi. Only Christ knows what it cost
Lydia to follow Him. Lydia did much to set the tone for the Church at Philippi
whose members Paul called “my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and
crown” (Philippians 4:1) and whom he thanked for their assistance.
Paul’s letter to the Church at Philippi, called
Philippians, holds much spiritual advice for all of us. Being only four
chapters long, it is well worth the time to read and take to heart what is said
therein.
SOURCE : http://www.saintsmaryandmarthaorthodoxmonastery.org/newsletter_apr2008.html
Saint Lydia of Philippi
Commemorated on May 20
While Saint Paul
was at Troas, he beheld a certain Macedonian in a dream (Acts 16:9), who
entreated him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” He
heeded this voice as if it were the voice of God, and he decided to journey to
Macedonia without delay, accompanied by Saints Timothy, Silas, and Luke.
They disembarked at Neapolis and made their way to
Philippi. On the outskirts of Philippi, on the banks of a river, there was a
Jewish place of prayer. It was the Sabbath and, to the women who had gathered
there, the Apostle of the Gentiles preached the Word of God in Europe for the
first time.
The God-fearing women listened to the words of this
unknown Jew carefully and with reverence. The one who was most enthusiastic was
Saint Lydia, a proselyte and a seller of purple from Thyatira. As she listened,
the Lord opened her heart to heed the words that were being spoken by Saint
Paul. When she heard him talk about the Messiah, she accepted the truth of what
he said and she believed in Christ.
Saint Lydia and her entire household were baptized in
the waters of the river. Thus, she became the first woman of Macedonia to be
enrolled as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Her heart was filled with
gratitude toward those who had opened the eyes of her soul, and so she asked
them to accept the hospitality of her house. “If you have judged me to be a
believer in the Lord, come to my house and remain there.” And she insisted that
they should come (Acts 16:15).
The Orthodox Church honors Saint Lydia as an Equal of
the Apostles, and at the holy place of her baptism on the banks of the Zygaktos
River, a baptistery has been built, which is similar to the early Christian
basilicas of Philippi.
Saint Lydia is commemorated on March 23 (Slavic usage)
and on May 20 (Greek usage). She was glorified by the Church of Constantinople
on May 23, 1972.
SOURCE : https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/05/20/205364-saint-lydia-of-philippi
Santa Lidia di Tiatira
sec. I
Vissuta nel primo secolo , non si ha la certezza se
Lidia fosse il suo nome o indicasse piuttosto le sue origini. Nacque infatti a
Tiatira, città della Lidia, regione dell'Asia minore. Abitò a Filippi, in
Macedonia, e non si sa se fosse nubile o maritata. Commerciava la costosa
porpora e aveva quindi una posizione sociale ed economica importante. Gli
affari terreni non le avevano impedito di dedicarsi anche allo spirito.
Apparteneva ai «timorati di Dio», quei pagani che si erano convertiti alla fede
dei Giudei. Fino a quando incontrò Paolo di Tarso, nella sua prima missione in
Europa. L'episodio è narrato negli Atti degli Apostoli: san Paolo giunse a
Filippi con Timoteo, Sila e Luca. Fu allora che Lidia si convertì e sul suo
esempio tutti i familiari chiesero di essere battezzati. Prima discepola di
Paolo, Lidia ospitò a casa sua il santo e i suoi compagni per tutto il tempo
della missione. In quei giorni di predicazione ci furono conversioni, e si
formò una comunità di cristiani. Nella casa di Lidia nacque così la prima
Chiesa fondata in Europa da Paolo di Tarso. (Avvenire)
Etimologia: Lidia = nativa della Lidia (regione
dell'Asia Minore)
Martirologio Romano: Commemorazione di santa
Lidia di Tiátira, che, commerciante di porpora, a Filippi in Macedonia, oggi in
Grecia, ascoltando la predicazione di san Paolo Apostolo prima fra tutti
credette al Vangelo.
Imprenditrice’: oggi andrebbe ai convegni,
qualificandosi così. E’ un personaggio che negli Atti degli apostoli occupa un
breve spazio (al capitolo 16), ma che vive da protagonista un momento
dell’evangelizzazione. Siamo a Filippi di Macedonia, la prima tappa
dell’apostolo Paolo in terra europea. Vi è giunto dall’Asia Minore (oggi
Turchia) con Timoteo, Luca e Sila. Cerca la sinagoga per annunciare il Vangelo
prima di tutto agli ebrei, come sempre. Ma questi sono pochi, nella cittadina
già molto romanizzata; non hanno la sinagoga e al sabato pregano in riva a un
fiumicello. Anche Paolo va al fiume, ma vi trova soltanto donne.
E alle donne si rivolge tranquillo, come racconta Luca
negli Atti: "Sedutici, rivolgemmo la parola alle donne là riunite".
Ed ecco venire in primo piano lei. Lei sola: "Una donna di nome
Lidia". Non sappiamo se questo sia il nome suo, oppure se indichi la sua
origine. Lei infatti proviene dalla città di Tiatira nella Lidia, che è una
regione dell’Asia Minore. E ha una posizione speciale, quale proprietaria di
un’azienda non certo da poco, perché ciò che lei commercia è la costosissima
porpora. Roba da gente che se lo può permettere.
Paolo e i suoi amici finiscono di parlare, e solo
Lidia si fa avanti a parlare, a fare domande. Lei non è ebrea di nascita. Viene
dal paganesimo e poi l’ha attratta la fede di Israele; ora è una "credente
in Dio" (così gli ebrei chiamano i nuovi proseliti). Ora è avvenuta in
Lidia una trasformazione che gli Atti descrivono sobriamente così: "Il
Signore le aprì il cuore per aderire alle parole di Paolo". Lidia si fa
cristiana, insomma. Nella sostanza e nella forma, perché chiede e riceve il
battesimo; insieme alla sua famiglia, nella quale è evidente che comanda lei.
Poi invita Paolo, Timoteo, Luca e Sila a essere ospiti in casa sua. E ci
dev’essere un po’ d’imbarazzo in loro: mah, abitare in casa di una donna... E
allora la cristiana Lidia li batte in logica e in franchezza con un
ragionamento inattaccabile: "Se avete giudicato che io sia fedele al
Signore, venite ad abitare nella mia casa". Confessa Luca: "Ci
costrinse ad accettare". Nei giorni seguenti, Paolo e Sila finiscono in
prigione a causa di un’indovina e dei suoi sfruttatori, poi vengono liberati
miracolosamente, e ricevono le scuse dell’autorità, perché Paolo è cittadino
romano.
Prima di partire, i due tornano nella casa di Lidia. "E qui, incontrati i fratelli, li esortarono e poi partirono". Poche e illuminanti parole: in quei giorni di predicazione e di avventura ci sono state conversioni, si è formata una comunità di cristiani. E, prima di andarsene, l’apostolo Paolo la riunisce e l’ammaestra. Proprio lì, nella casa della lucida ed energica Lidia, ha preso dunque vita la prima Chiesa fondata in Europa da Paolo di Tarso.
