루디아

Lydia was a Gentile businesswoman from Thyatira in Asia Minor, described as 'a dealer in purple cloth' and 'a worshiper of God,' meaning a Gentile sympathizer with Judaism (Acts 16:14). She became the first recorded convert in Europe when Paul preached to a group of women gathered for prayer by the riverside in Philippi, and 'the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul' (Acts 16:14). She was baptized with her household and immediately offered her home as a base for Paul, Silas, and their companions. Her house church became the nucleus of the Philippian church, to which Paul later wrote his warmest letter. As an independent businesswoman with a household, she represents the social profile of urban women who played key roles in founding early Christian communities.