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Choices
Contributed by Elizabeth_Dandy
on Wednesday, 6th July 2005 @ 01:46:01 PM AEST
Topic:
religious
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![](http://www.poeticwings.com/sparepics/Lydia.jpg)
She was a business woman with success,
Esteemed, with influence and prosperous,
Philippi was the perfect town to sell
Her lovely textiles she had dyed so well.
Her fabrics were so beautifully made,
In purple, but of many a hue and shade,
Secretions from mollusks and murex were
Hard to obtain, but needed everywhere.
![](http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/stender/marine/mollusks/gastropods/murex.jpg)
Her products were in very high demand
In many provinces of many a land,
To dress fat idols up in Babylon,
And other lands, but first of all in Rome.
Purple, the tint of high authority
And royalty were asked for constantly;
Secretions of the murex shells would yield
The precious juice - to thrill a dyers guild.
The juice, extracted white, soon turned to red,
Or reddish blue and afterwards was fed
Into the dyeing vats that stood around
Out in her dye-house by her mansion's ground
Her province - Lydia*, - from whence she came,
From which she borrowed -Lydia**- her name
Controlled by wealthy Croesus formerly
The richest man on earth - now history.
Thyatira, were she was born and raised,
And learned her useful trade, but realized
That Macedonian markets were the best
And exporting her skills, she moved on West.
![](http://www.dornaslighthouse.com/images/philippi.jpg)
Thus, relocated to Philippi she now plied
Her profitable trade with skill and pride,
An influential generous socialite
With charm, that was her customers' delight
![](http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/egnatia/images/6s_PH1.jpg)
On the Egnatian highway, long and broad*
Were Roman Legions on their exploits trot,
And from her home she heard their infantry,
Their tramping feet behind the cavallery
![](http://www.flagshipgames.com/hp2.jpg)
The neighing, prancing horses on their route
To northern provinces and round about,
All had to pass the along the rocky sweep
Of Pangian hills with precipices steep
But on one day it happened,-- Lydia was
Just dying fabrics, when it came to pass
That suddenly, - none ever knew from where
Two foreigners it seemed, accosted her
One was named Silas, and the other Paul,
They said that both of them had heard a call
To seek and find her after they had prayed,
And thus they came,- they had the call obeyed.
![](http://www.prophecyupdate.com/paul-silas.jpg)
They spoke about a man she knew not of,
And of his life, and his tremendous love.
And Lydia heard and drank in every word,
And soon was counted as their first convert
Lo! first convert on European ground,
from whence St. Paul his teaching did expound
For Christendom, whose numbers ever grew
In Lydia's house hold church,*** -Gentile or Jew,
Her generosity - without compare
As hostess to Apostles in her care,
The creed was cradled in this lady's home,
She nursed with love the faith called "Christendomâ".
Her memory is sacred and St. Paul
Called the Philippian church "His joy and crown"****
Hail to the purple seller that became
Europe's first Christian- LYDIA is her name.
![](http://htmadmin.phpwebhosting.com/images/a-233.jpg)
*Thyatira - today's Akhisar in Asia Minor
** Women from the province Lydia
***Acts-/16-/14-15
****Philippians 4-/1
© Elizabeth Dandy
Copyright © Elizabeth_Dandy
... [2005-07-0601:46:01] (Date/Time posted on site)
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Re: Lydia the Purple Seller
(User Rating: 1) by lovingcritters on Saturday, 9th July 2005 @ 11:29:32 AM AEST (User
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Dear ED, What a fabulous story you tell of dear Lydia. I've always known her as a woman of hospitality. The Bible says she was so generous that when Paul hesitated to stay with her she just INSISTED that he come!
Paul was a tent maker, and when he and Silas stayed with her, she was so generous she even helped him with his tent making. She also shows Christians today that having much money should not stop them from concentrating on what is the most important, and that is the spiritual side of their lives first.
I will never forget also how amazed I was when I studied about her trade and the millions of those tiny tiny insects that she had to crush to make her beautiful dye. I observed them in a museum(dried) and was in awe at the beautiful colors she could make, no one today with all our high technology can match their most distintive hue.
Thank you ED for generosity sharing this with us. Lydia was a wonderful lady that I will always admire.
Warm love
consue |
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