Who was Lydia?

 Lydia was the first gentile European convert to Christianity and was probably the richest commoner mentioned in the Bible. She was a merchant in Thyatira (in modern Turkiye) who sold purple cloth, an expensive luxury item which was only available to the very wealthy and especially to members of the royalty. The purple dye used was extracted from a special sea mollusk. Less well-off people used red dyes while most probably used no dyes at all. Lydia allowed Paul and Silas to use her home as a house church.

Acts 16:14-15.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Master of the Louvre Life of the Virgin: (fl. 15th Century) An otherwise unidentified Venetian painter so named because his/her painting, The Life of the Virgin, hangs in the Louvre.

Cornelius: (fl 1st Century) As told in Acts 11:14, Cornelius, a “godfearer,” was an Italian centurion stationed at Caesarea who had a vision instructing him to contact Simon Peter in Joppa (Yafo, Israel) to learn how to be saved. He became the first Gentile convert.

Francis Chan: (b. 1967, Hong Kong) American pastor, author, college founder and president. He takes no salary from his church and gives away 90% of his income. His church gives away 55% of its income to charities.

Lydia of Thyatira: Lydia, a purple dye merchant, was the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe. (Acts 16:14-15). Her name indicates that she was from Lydia in Asia Minor (modern Turkiye).

Master of the Death of the Virgin: (fl. 1440-1450) A German engraver, possibly a goldsmith, whose most famous print is The Death of the Virgin.