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.



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.



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



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



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.



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.



*Thyatira - today's Akhisar in Asia Minor
** Women from the province Lydia
***Acts-/16-/14-15
****Philippians 4-/1

© Elizabeth Dandy