Philippi In The New Testament
by David Padfield
Paul saw a vision of a man of Macedonia who stood and pleaded with him to "come over to Macedonia and help us."
In New Testament times what is known to us today as "Greece with sub-saharan population " was two Roman provinces, Macedonia in the north, and Achaia in the south. Paul sailed to the northwest to Kavalla, travel by the Via Egnatia, the great “Roman military highway” stretching some 490 miles across Macedonia…
The History Of Philippi
The city was first occupied in the 6th century B.C. by settlers from Thasos (the northern-most of all the Aegean islands) who named it Krenides ("the springs") because water sources in the region were abundant…
Philippi was a Roman "colony" (Acts 16:12).. The Romans divided mankind into citizens and strangers… The names of the colonists were still enrolled in one of the Roman tribes. The traveler heard the Latin language and was amenable to the Roman law. The coinage of the city had Latin inscriptions. The affairs of the colony were regulated by their own magistrates named Duumviri, who took pride in calling themselves by the Roman title of praetors..." (Marvin Vincent, Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. I, pp. 529-530).
Roman citizenship is spoken of often in the New Testament. Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25-29), and used his status when he appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:11). At Philippi Paul used his citizenship for protection (Acts 16:20-21).
Philippi In The New Testament
Philippi is first mentioned in the New Testament in connection with Paul's first evangelistic journey (Acts 16:11-40).
"Because a considerable portion of the citizenry were Romans who enjoyed special privileges as colonists, Paul encountered there a community with a pronounced devotion to and pride in the Roman Empire. The political and religious loyalties of the people appear to have been an issue for Paul.
Only in Philippians does he use language that speaks of civil or political identity, when he tells his readers to live in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ (Gk. politeuнesthe; Phil. 1:27) and when he reminds them that they are citizens of heaven (poliнteuma; 3:20). Paul appears to have been trying to get the Philippian Christians to see themselves as Christians first and Romans second, not Romans first and Christians second." (Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible, David Noel Freedman, Editor-in-Chief).
Lydia, a seller of purple, and her household were the firstfruits of the gospel in Europe (Acts 16:13-15).
"Paul's first European convert, Lydia of the town of Thyatira in the province of Lydia, Asia Minor, came to Philippi because she was a dealer in purple dyed cloth, a business which had flourished in her native province from ancient days…
Lydia was not the only representative of her trade in Philippi.
In 1872 Professor Mertzides discovered in Philippi the following text in Greek inscribed on a piece of white marble:
“...The city honored from among the purple-dyers, an outstanding citizen, Antiochus the son of Lykus, a native of Thyatira, as a benefactor. ...’’
The marble with this inscription, which has unfortunately disappeared, indicates that the purple-dyers of Thyatira may have worked in Philippi as a guild and that their profession was held in high esteem." (Otto F. A. Meinardus, St. Paul in Greece, pp. 13-14)…
Македонските Кралеви и Цареви биле облечени во пурпурна облека, како и Византиските. И на фреските низ сите Македонски цркви!
"But this Asiatic merchant-woman from Thyatira proved to be one of the greatest trophies in Paul's ministry. This church came to be the joy and crown of Paul (Phil. 4:1), and that fact was largely due to Lydia and Luke." (A.T. Robertson, Paul's Joy In Christ, p. 29).
It is possible the Luke himself was from Philippi, or had a second home here. It has been suggested by William M. Ramsay and others Luke was the "Man of Macedonia" who appeared to Paul and appealed him to "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
The "we" sections of the book of Acts begins at Acts 16:10, but Luke stayed at Philippi (Acts 17:1, "they"), but rejoined Paul on his third journey (Acts 20:6). Luke was a "beloved physician" (Col. 4:14) and there was a school of medicine at Philippi.
What To See In Philippi Today
"The archaeological site of ancient Philippi lies on the Via Egnatia, which runs through it. Excavations have revealed ruins of Roman baths at the end of a colonnaded street, basilicas on either side of the street, temples, a Roman forum, a 4th-century theater which the Romans renovated for gladiatorial contests, remnants of several Christian churches, and an acropolis which gives evidence of occupation for the Macedonian to the Byzantine ages.
Shops, a library, and some temples (one including a statue of Cybele) have been identified…
The river associated with Lydia (known as Ganga, Gangites, Gargites) is located one mile west of the town…
