Baptistery of Lydia

Today’s activities brought us to three ancient cities: Amphipolis, Philippi and Kavala but what impressed me the most was the church devoted to Lydia in Philippi. This is where the Apostle Paul established a congregation, to which he famously addressed in a letter known as the Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Philippians. Paul is said to have baptized Lydia between 49 and 50 AD – it is believed to be the first baptism on the continent of Europe.

According to Luke, Paul arrived in Philippi (pronounced Phil – i – PEE) and visited a place where Jews gathered on Saturdays on the banks of the Zigaktis River. Here for the first time his sermons were listened to by women, among whom was Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth.

As soon as I walked through the door, I was drawn to the brilliant mosaic frescoes on the walls and ceilings. Infants are baptized in the font inside the church, but adults are baptized outdoors by the river. When we visited, there was a Korean group of pilgrims by the river, whom we surmised were being anointed with oil.

Also in Philippi was an archaeological site, in which we saw an amphitheatre and ruins of public and private buildings. Just imagine sitting in the amphitheatre and watching gladiators battle lions and bears. What I did not know was that the people also held singing contests in these venues, “Philippi Idol!”

Paul was imprisoned at least three times, once here in Philippi. Here’s what I found on the internet:

Paul’s first recorded arrest took place in Philippi in Macedonia during his second missionary journey, sometime around AD 51. A demon-possessed slave girl kept following Paul and Silas and shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” (Acts 16:17). The girl was disruptive and annoying, and finally Paul turned to her and commanded the demon to leave her. The girl’s owners were furious that their source of income through soothsaying was gone, so they dragged Paul and Silas before the authorities and accused them of causing public riots. The magistrate, going against Roman law, had them beaten and thrown into prison without a trial (Acts 16:23–24).

But during this imprisonment, the Lord caused an earthquake. Paul’s and Silas’s chains came loose, and the prison doors swung open. When the jailer saw the doors open, he assumed the prisoners had escaped and, knowing he would be held responsible, drew out his sword to kill himself. But Paul called out to him, assuring him that all of the prisoners were still there. The jailer was so overcome with gratitude that he took Paul and Silas into his home and tended their wounds. Paul spoke to him about Jesus, and the jailer and his entire household received Jesus as Lord and were baptized (Acts 16:31–34). Paul’s first imprisonment resulted in glory for God and the salvation of many.

It was here that we saw many wild poppies — our tour director, Christina, told us “You know it’s spring when you see poppies!”

Our last stop was in Kavala, the place where St. Paul landed, where he first stepped onto European soil and began this part of his missionary journey. We visited the Church of St. Nicholas, which originally was a mosque.