And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, so that she attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul.
Read Chapter 16
John Chrysostom
AD 407
observe how the writer of the history is not ashamed of the occupations (of the converts): (c) moreover neither was this city of the Philippians a great one. Having learned these things, let us also be ashamed of no man. Peter abides with a tanner Acts 9:43: (Paul) with a woman who was a seller of purple, and a foreigner. Where is pride? Whose heart the Lord opened. Therefore we need God, to open the heart: but God opens the hearts that are willing: for there are hardened hearts to be seen. So that she attended to the things which were spoken of Paul. The opening, then, was God's work, the attending was hers: so that it was both God's doing and man's. And she was baptized
And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont (Chrys. was thought likely) to be made; and we sat down, and spoke unto the women which resorted there. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
See again Paul judaizing. Where it was thought, it says, both from the time and from the place, that prayer would be.— Out of the city, by a river side: for it is not to be supposed that they prayed only where there was a synagogue; they also prayed out of synagogue, but then for this purpose they set apart, as it were, a certain place, because as Jews they were more corporeal— and, on the sabbath-day, when it was likely that a multitude would come together. And we sat down, and spoke to the women which resorted there. Mark again the freedom from all pride. And a certain woman: a woman and she of low con...
