Where was Stephen buried?

According to tradition, this church is built over the place where Stephen, the 1st martyr who followed Jesus, was buried.

I've been to a lot of churches in Israel, and I didn't expect this one to be so breathtakingly beautiful.

The light! 

The colors!

Take a look for yourself at what is now one of my favorite churches in Israel:

Meaning “the House of the Camel”, but it’s also suggested to have something to do with Rabbi Gamaliel the Elder.

Nowadays, there’s a monastery here and some caves. In one of these is where tradition says that Nicodemus and Gamaliel buried the body of Stephen, the first Christian martyr in from Acts 7.

The murals tell the story. Can you see the man in blue holding garments at the stoning? That would be the man responsible for writing most of the New Testament: Saul of Tarsis, before he met Jesus.

Caesarea: Where Paul appealed to Caesar

The first time I went to Caesarea (in 2017), we walked thru the theater and then on the remains of Herod’s Palace.

This time, I got to explore the whole city- the Roman and Crusader parts, and everything in between. From the ancient synagogue to the hippodrome, Pilot’s basement, and the theater once again, it was a day to remember!

It took Herod the Great 9 years to construct Caesarea on the remains of the ancient Phoenician town of Strato's Tower. The town had Roman-style buildings, a large aqueduct stretching 16 miles, an artificial harbor of concrete blocks, a large theater that could seat 4,000, and a hippodrome for 30,000.

the lower section of Herod's summer home- indoor pool!

Herod had a palace here (this Caesarea was better known as 'Caesarea Maritime') and Pilot had a residence as well. After Jesus' ascension back into heaven, the Early Church thrived here after the conversation of Cornelius and his family. Paul was actually imprisoned here for 2 years and testified before Agrippa, Felix, and Festus, before being sent to Rome. Caesarea fell in 66AD to the Romans, and was also a significant during the Bar Kochba Revolt of 132-135 AD. Rabbi Akiba and 9 others were martyred here, something that is observed by the Jews on Yom Kippur.

Then, Caesarea became the capital of Syrio-Palestina, the name given to Israel when its name was taken by the Emperior Hadrian after the revolt in 135 (Palestine means "Philistine", who were a sea-faring people from somewhere else). Britannica says the city declined under the Byzantine and Arab rule, then was built back up by the Crusaders, then was razed to the ground by the Mamluks in 1265.

Wow!!!

And, this is one of those places where it is IMPOSSIBLE to see it all in 1 trip. I'll definitely need to go back and explore more! But here are some of the sites that made me gasp:

1. Ancient Roman Roads- with ORIGINAL FLOORS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T EVEN!!!!!

2. The lowest level of Pilot's Palace (his cellar), as well as some storage facilities:

3. The view from the Byzantine-era synagogue and more of the harbor: 

What an incredible place! There's so much more to learn and explore. Next time I'll have to go with a guide (for the whole day)!

Akko: Exploring the world of the Knights Templars

This is part 2 of a series about Akko. Honestly, we didn't have enough time while we were there to see everything, so I can't wait to go back. That's the great thing about studying here—I can really take my time and savor everything about this incredible country!

As I said last week, Akko is one of the most continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to 3,000 BC. And, as with many ancient cities, whenever a civilization came through and conquered one, they built right on top of the old. So there are layers upon layers of archeological treasure there, likely still to be explored!

One of the coolest things we did was walk through the underground tunnels and the world of the Knights Templars. We were literally walking the streets, looking at homes, seeing the hospital, church, and the great hall—all underground! 

And there was one place where they dug past the foundation and found the remains of a building of the civilization before the Crusaders! 

The tour itself was very interactive. There was translation available in many different languages, as well as signs written in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. It was everything from looking at artifacts to walking the tunnels and rooms, watching video reels projected onto stone walls, even playing games just like the ones people of the time would have played. 

It was SO COOL and made this history nerd SO HAPPY!

If you are ever in Northern Israel, I highly recommend a day at Akko. Or more than one. I know I will need to go back!

Empire's End by Jerry B. Jenkins

In November, I covered a book called I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins, and said that I felt like it was possibly a part 1 of a 2-part series, only I couldn't find the second book, I, Paul (published in 2014). That's because it appears the series got a re-vamp and book 2 (I say this loosely, as it could be a stand alone) is actually Empire's End. 

Written in 1st person, as if from the perspective of Paul, this fictional memoir follows Saul of Tarsus from childhood, through his education under Gamaliel in Jerusalem, his persecution of the early church, his conversion, his 3 years in Arabia, and the beginning of his early ministry. It's an interesting read, as long as the reader keeps in mind that it is fiction (as is good practice with all Biblical fiction). And it could easily lead into a part 3, although I can't find evidence of one's existence yet.

I enjoyed this book, as it explored something I'd never seen depicted before, so I definitely wanted to share it with you. If you like Biblical fiction, I recommend this book. Click here to find it on Amazon!

The Scribe by Francine Rivers

The final book of Francine Rivers' Sons of Encouragement series, The Scribe, is probably my favorite.

The Scribe follows a person we really don't know that much about: Silas. The book itself follows his view of Paul's ministry from mid-end of Acts, and to me, it is fascinating. 

I loved the storytelling of this novella, as short as it is. My favorite part is her suggestion of Silas' possible other appearances in the Bible: as the rich young ruler who challenged Jesus, one of the two men walking the road to Emmaus after Jesus' crucifixion... maybe even the writer of Hebrews. Who knows? We don't... but God does. It'll be fun to figure out one day. As it is, it was fun to consider that possibility through this Biblical fiction.

If you love Francine Rivers, or anything having to do with the early church, this is a great read! Click here to find it on Amazon!

I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins

 The premise behind I, Saul, by Jerry B. Jenkins, is fascinating. 

Through a series of inter-related storylines, the reader travels through the Apostle Paul's early memories, his experience as a prisoner in ancient Rome's Mamertine prison to be executed, and a modern-day storyline of a university professor who stumbles upon a previously-hidden (and completely unexpected discovery) of Paul's memoir. 

What a fascinating concept! 

That is what kept me reading, as I felt like the novel had a slow start, and I found it difficult to connect to the modern-day characters. When I finally realized what 'incredible discovery' had been found, that's when I found myself invested in the story. I wanted to know more! And the way it ends makes it seem like it's part of a 2-part series. Unfortunately, when I looked on Amazon and saw a title for one called I, Paul, it didn't look like a readily available book even though it was supposed to be published in 2014. I'm unsure if it was ever released—but I'm going to keep looking for it. I want to know what else is in that fictional memoir!

The premise of this novel reminded me a lot of Paul L. Maier's The Constantine Codex and because I just read that novel a few weeks ago, I couldn't help comparing the two. For me, I, Saul fell short, simply because it felt... smaller... than Codex, which felt more global and high-stakes in scope. That being said, it's definitely worth the read!

Click here to find it on Amazon!

The Flames of Rome by Paul L. Maier

The Flames of Rome is the final novel by Paul L. Maier that I'm going to review (because he doesn't have any more right now, haha). First published in 1981, this story takes us through the Roman world during the time of the early church (and some well known emperors). For anyone who loves ancient Rome (me!), this book definitely interested me.

From Claudius to Nero and Vespasian, Maier takes us through the turbulent times of AD 41-69 in the center of the Roman Empire. Full of intrigue and adventure, the reader sees the rise and fall of each emperor, runs from the flames of the great fire, and finally, sees the first Christians martyred for sport in front of a Roman crowd. The depth of Maier's research is evident, as well as his skill with a pen.

This novel also reminded me of Robert Whitlow's The Advocate, which also was set during that time period (but published much more recently). Their similarities, though written so many decades apart, is proof to me of the verifiable sources available on this time period. It was fun to see how the different authors crafted their own story while staying true to what happened. After all, this is, as Maier says in his preface, a "documentary novel, resorting to fiction for such connective material as well as dramatization, dialogue, and subplot to flesh out the story and bring its characters to life" (p. 9). In addition, he also includes a section of notes at the back of the book, listed chapter by chapter. 

Despite its 'older' style, The Flames of Rome is a great read for anyone looking to understand this fascinating time and culture. You can find it here on Amazon!

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar

I am so excited by this blog post, because I read the most amazing book this week that gave me so much to think about: Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar. This is the 3rd book of hers I've reviewed on this blog, and it won't be the last. In fact, so far, this one is my favorite.

Daughter of Rome is Biblical fiction, featuring the stories of Priscilla and Aquila of the New Testament. Since not much is known about this couple apart from Paul's mentions of them in Acts 18: 1-28, 1 Cor. 16:19, Romans 16:3-5, and 2 Timothy 4:19, it's obvious Afshar put a lot of research into this story. In addition, Afshar herself has valuable insight that I wouldn't have. Born and raised in Iran until age 14, she understands the Middle Eastern world in a way that I'm sure has greatly impacted her novels. And as I talked about last week, it's so important to have the perspectives of the whole Body of Christ as we study the Bible and as we live and engage in the world. 

So, on to the book- what struck me immediately was something that should have been obvious (except that as a Western reader in the 21st century, I didn't catch this!): Priscilla and Aquila were an interracial couple in the Early Church. Priscilla was Roman and Aquila (which, since I don't speak Hebrew, I didn't catch this was a Hebrew name) was a Jew. In "A Note from the Author" on pages 381-384, Afshar describes what she found in her research to reach this conclusion, and it is fascinating. But when I realized this a few chapters into the story, I almost sat straight up at the implications (I was reading laying down on the couch, weighted down by my poodle). WOW! The implications of this, considering how strict Judaism is about intermarrying with Gentiles, is incredible!

With a lack of a documented backstory, Afshar was able to creatively explore how they came to be married and part of the early church. That was fun to see. But for me, the story really picked up when they moved to Corinth and met Paul. There were also other well-known Biblical characters in this story, like Rufus, believed to be the son of Simon of Cyrene (modern day Libya), who carried the cross for Jesus when He couldn't anymore. Again, this really hit home the perspective of this being a multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-racial world—not only in real life, but in the Early Church as well!

I am so thankful to Tessa Afshar for writing this book, because what I knew of this couple really was just that they were dear friends of Paul, part of the Early Church, and that it was important that they served together (that it wasn't just that Aquila was serving and Priscilla was just there. She had an important role!). Afshar points out in her author's note, though, that there are many mentions of Priscilla's name before Aquila's, which suggests "that, indeed, on certain occasions, she might have been considered the more knowledgeable teacher and a respected leader in her own right". And while this book is definitely fiction and should not be taken as Scripture, just the fact of what Afshar shows can be proven—that this is an interracial couple, a Gentile and a Jew, in the Early Church—is pretty much blowing my mind.

You can find this book here on Amazon—I highly recommend it!

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Get This Book!

That's it for our series on Kenneth E. Bailey's Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes! I hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse of the depth of these cultural studies available to us from the time of the Early Church.

As always, I only am featuring just part of it because I so strongly believe that if someone went to the trouble to write a book, then it should be purchased and enjoyed by each reader. So, please, check it out!

I wish there were a book by Bailey for each book of the New Testament, but unfortunately (for us!) he passed away in 2016. He did write some other books, however, and they are definitely on my list to check out!

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: 1 Corinthians 13

In the first 2 posts of this series of Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes, I mentioned that Corinth was a town known for its brass works, dating back to 4th century B.C. In fact, earlier in the book, author Kenneth E. Bailey says that many of the craftsmen likely escaped Corinth during its destruction in 146 B.C. and returned to restart the guilds when the city was reborn.

Bailey cites a source that says the bronze work was performed in the center of the city and then tells a personal story of visitor's brass-maker's market in Aleppo, Syria, in the 1980s. Bailey says that at first, he asked for directions, but soon he didn't need them anymore—the hammering and clanging of more than 200 craftsman led him there. "Even though all of this craftsmanship was taking place in open air, the noise was deafening," Bailey remembers, "To talk to any of the skilled workmen, I was obliged to bend down, place my lips within 2 inches of the artisan's ear, and show at the top of my voice. The noise levels were ear-splitting."

In the next paragraph, Bailey points out that "as tentmakers, Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla would have needed to be present in the marketplace in order to pursue their trade and contact customers. Enduring the high-pitched racket of banging brass would have been a common experience for all Corinthians every time they entered the market" (pages 360-361).

After reading this and imaging the clanging, hammering, and shouting going on, how does the imagery in this verse ring even louder? 

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am banging brass or a clanging cymbal" 1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

WOW! I can hear it now, the difference, the cacophony of noise, in a way I couldn't before!

Paul continues the brass metaphor in verse 7, with the list that begins with love covers all things (the NIV says "always protects", but the verb used here is stego, which has to do with the connection of keeping water in (or out). In fact, the noun form of this verb means "roof", because of its meaning of being waterproof. "As brass manufacturers, the Corinthian metal workers would have been careful to make pitchers, bowls, and drinking cups that did not leak (page 376).

Finally, in verse 12, there's another brass-work metaphor, this time having to do with mirrors—which, in the ancient world, were made of brass. They had an interesting practice in that when someone ordered a mirror, the artist would offer to etch the face (or back) of the mirror along the lines of the customer's interests. Discovering that the buy worshipped Poseidon (for instance), the brass worker would obligingly lightly etch the face of Poseidon (and perhaps other gods) on the mirror. Then, upon rising in the morning and looking into the mirror, you would have the pleasure of 'seeing yourself among the gods.... But alas, the mirror soon tarnished and the mind games quickly grew old. The person was not really among the gods, and they did not talk to him or her" (page 381).

So, how does knowing the above custom, shed new light on the setting of this verse?

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)

I love how Paul used contextual examples in each of his letters that his readers would have immediately picked up on and recognized. It would have shown his intimate knowledge of their world (and struggles) as well as made it so understandable in a time when it all seemed like uncharted waters.

I don't know about you, but now I can't stop hearing the clanging brass when I think of this chapter. What a powerful image of how not to live!

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Feet

In Chapter 4.3 of Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes, Kenneth E. Bailey talks about "Gifts and the Nature of the Body" as portrayed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:1-30.

In verse 15, Paul starts talking about feet in His picture of the body of Christ, saying, "If the foot should say, 'because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body...."

Bailey points out here in Middle Eastern traditional culture, feet and all shows were considered to be unspeakably unclean. This is why God commands Moses to remove his shoes when at the burning bush, and why the Psalmist insulted Edom by saying "upon Edom I will cast my shoe" (Psalm 60:8; 108:9). This continues in the Gospels as well, when John the Baptist says he is unworthy to untie Jesus' sandals in Mark 1:7. In fact, it was considered rude to show the sole of a shoe at home or in public. "Across the Arabic-speaking Middle East, the very words foot and shoes are four-letter words. A speaker must apologize to an audience before pronouncing them" (page 341)!

So, it's not an accident that Paul opens with the foot as an image of lowliness. What's interesting to me here is just how shocking the word foot is here in this culture. I knew it was considered dirty and unclean, because with walking everywhere, feet were always dirty. But it's easy to forget that when reading the text as a Westerner. I didn't know, however, the shocking nature of it, that a speaker would apologize for saying the word in public!

How does this affect how we read this passage about the body of Christ (and other mentions of feet in the Bible)? 

Right now I'm thinking of "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them who bring good news" (Isaiah 52:7) and how Satan will be crushed under Jesus' feet (Genesis 3:15). Or what about when Boaz' relative gave the responsibility of redeeming the land (and Ruth as a wife) to Boaz by handing over his shoe? How does that fit in? Commentaries say it's an ancient custom symbolizing the casting off of responsibility, but I don't get where the uncleanliness might fit in.

Any thoughts?

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Jesus as the Cornerstone of the Third Temple

This is the second post in a series on Kenneth E. Bailey's Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes.

In chapter 1.4, Bailey talks about Paul's focus of Christian unity in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4:16. The Church in Corinth was beginning to split into factions as to followers of Paul Peter (Cephas), or Apollos. Paul uses the picture of farming imagery (being planted and watered) to show that they were equal servants of God who He chose to use to give growth to the Church through the ministry He gave each of them.

The climax of this picture is where Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:9b: "You are God's field, God's building." We, as Christians are both God's field and God's Temple. But then he says in 3:11: "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already, laid, which is Jesus Christ."

This is where Bailey's commentary lent me some great insight. He says, "when the Jewish authorities cleared the rubble on the temple mount to rebuild the sanctuary of the second temple, they found an elevated stone in the middle of the old holy of holies". It was given the name "Shetiyah", which means "foundation". The text Bailey is citing in the Mishnah says that on the Day of Atonement, the most sacred day of the year, "the high priest would take a fire pan (full of charcoal and incense), enter the Holy of Holies, and place the pan on a raised stone in the center of the room.... Paul must have known of this stone and that it's name was 'the foundation'... Paul sees Jesus as the center of the holy of holies of the new temple he describes in [1 Corinthians 3]" (page 129).

Then, he talks about how important it is that Jesus is the foundation, and that if anyone builds on this foundation using straw, wood, hay, or even expensive stones (jewels), they will all burn up. The Corinthians knew this imagery well, because when the Romans destroyed the city in 146 B.C., they did it with fire—and left it in ruin until it was rebuilt in 44 B.C. The precious metals and gems didn't burn, obviously. But because Corinth was known for both its its bronze work and work with precious metals, this was used in its reconstruction. In fact, Bailey states in page 134 that expensive building materials were associated with the city of Corinth, so Paul's picture here of the temple being built with all of these different materials spoke directly to the context and understanding of the Corinthians in a way that we might not understand instinctively.

Finally, it is important to note that while Paul wrote this chapter, the Second Temple hadn't been destroyed yet. There were still twice-daily sacrifices offered for the sin of the people. So while all this is going on, and his readers are very aware of it, "Paul announced dramatically to his Jewish and Gentile readers that 'you (plural!*) are God's holy temple' and God's Spirit dwells in you (plural)' (page 132). The "you plural" here is for all Christian readers, not just Corinthians, as he points out in Chapter 1:2.

Basically, he is declaring Christians the "Third Temple"—before the Second Temple has been destroyed! 

I'd literally never thought about that before, but it's so true that God's Word isn't written in a vacuum, and to me, is another example of why it's so important to know the historical and cultural contexts of the Bible.

What do you think? Is there anything in this post that is new to you and adds to your understanding of this section of 1 Corinthians?



*see this post for the significance of "you plural" (or, y'all) being used in the Bible

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Corinth

This week, we're going to be a series on another book by Kenneth E. Bailey: Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes. This book focuses specifically on the book of 1 Corinthians, and how the Early Church would have viewed His words to them through their cultural lenses.

First, like with Ephesus, Philippi, and Laodicea, it's important to know the setting of Corinth itself. A Roman colony, "Corinth was the largest international commercial city in the Eastern Mediterranean. The faith could move out across the region from Corinth in ways that could not have been possible from Athens" (page 105), even though Athens was technically the intellectual center of the Mediterranean world. 

Destroyed in 146 B.C. by the Romans for having opposed them, Corinth became a Roman colony in 44 B.C. to facilitate the movement of goods across the isthmus of Corinth and as a center of trade. As a commercial town composed of various ethnic communities, it was thriving in the first century, and the 3 groups that would have naturally dominated the young Christian community would have been the Romans, the Greeks, and the Jews" (page 69). 

photo of Corinth today by viator.com

Bailey points out that Paul uses language language of a tent-maker, or a brass-maker, which is interesting because Corinth was famous for its brass work. In Chapter 1, verse 2, the word 'agree' literally means 'fit together'. Bailey points out, "Pieces of canvas must 'fit together' or the tent will leak. If the canvas 'splits', the tent is worthless.... and no one will buy a brass pot with a handle that does not fit tightly to the pot" (pages 68-69). 

This letter is 1 of 3, the first one being lost (mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9), and was written between AD 53-55. Paul was towards the end of his 3rd missionary journey, based in Ephesus, which was also a major port city.

We'll take more about this in a future post (hello, 1 Corinthians 13!) but for now, how does knowing the setting of Corinth help place you in the mindset of the Corinthians and other Early Church readers?

The Church of Laodicea: Why Both Hot and Cold Water are Okay

Since we've been talking about the Early Church in the last few posts, I wanted to return to a book I talked about last year, Misreading Scripture through Western Eyes, by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien, because in the first chapter they use an example of the church at Laodicea that gave me a deeper understanding of the context.

(y'all know I love this book!)

Laodicea, the location for the Church of Laodicea as mentioned in Colossians 4:13 is the church famously known for the verses: 

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" Revelation 3:15-16.

Wow, that's some pretty vivid imagery.

So, when the authors opened this book with this example, I paid attention.

O'Brien describes standing in the ruins of Laodicea and looking to the northwest, seeing Hierapolis, a city with a natural hot springs all around the city. These mineral baths still exist today, and are a claim to fame for the city.

photo from modern-day Hierapolis from here

Over the centuries, these subterranean springs created calcium deposits on the springs that look like ice. The word for it is Pamukkale (page 10). They are still visible to this day from Laodicea.

the hot springs, photo from here

Then, in the other direction, about the same distance as Hierapolis, lie the ruins of Colossae. O'Brien says that while the city hadn't been excavated before his trip, it was very likely that in the time of Paul, you could have seen Colossae from Laodicea. And in Colossae, they had a cold, freshwater spring. Can you picture how refreshing that would be on a hot day?

photo of modern-day Colossae from here.

Laodicea, however, had neither of these things. You could go one direction and relax in the hot, mineral springs of Hierapolis, or go to Colossae and drink the coldest, freshwater, but they didn't have a water source. In fact, they needed to import it to their city so their citizens could drink. The problem was, that no matter the direction they brought the water, it would be lukewarm by the time it arrived. It was neither cold nor hot; it was just the temperature of the world. "The Laodiceans were left with all the lukewarm water they could drink. Surely they wish their water was one or the other—either hot or cold. There isn't much use for lukewarm water.

"I suspect that the meaning of the Lord's warning was clear to the Laodiceans. He wish his people were hot (like the salubrious water of Hierapolis) or cold (like the refreshing waters of Colossae). Instead, their discipleship was unremarkable" (pages 9-10).

photo of modern-day Laodicea by Carol E. Mage.

I always read the above verses with a perspective of: 

• cold= bad because it means you don't know Jesus
• lukewarm = bad because you're a fake, and 
• hot = good because you love Jesus with all of you... but it was better to be either cold or hot because at least you were all one way and not weren't half-faking your faith. 

But O'Brien points out that "from the streets of Laodicea, hot and cold were equally acceptable" (page 11).

It's not a huge, mind-bending thing, but knowing more about the geography and setting of this church helped give me a better understanding of possibly what the 1st century Church would have heard and understood for themselves.

What do you think? Did you know this about the settings of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae? 

Exalting Christ in Philippians: The Church at Philippi

Last week, we started talking about the context behind Paul's letter to the Philippian church in AD 62, better known as "Philippians" to us. This week, we're going to look at the actual church, based on information given in Exalting Christ in Philippians by Tony Merida and Francis Chan.

Philippi, a Roman colony since 1st century B.C., has the distinction of being the 1st church on European soil, founded in Acts 16.

The story of how this church was founded is fascinating to me, actually. Paul was on his 2nd missionary journey and saw in a vision, a man saying, "Come to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9). Now, that's pretty cool! Paul had no plans of going to Philippi at first. He wanted to go to Asia and Bithynia (verses 6-7), but those doors closed. So he chose to be obedient to the Lord and went to Macedonia. When Paul, Timothy, and Luke got there, they found no believers, so they began to share the Gospel.

So, it's AD 51, and Paul, Timothy, and Luke are in Philippi, which looks exactly like Rome. They goes looking for a synagogue and finds none, and ends up by the river where they sees a women's prayer meeting and approached them humbly (verses 24-25). "Here, in this quiet, non-spectacular event, the first church on European soil came together! The kingdom of God breaks in like this—small, quiet, lowly—but then expands" (page 8).

Lydia was one of these women. The authors note that she was a businesswoman who sold purple cloth, and likely a God-fearer. "But when Paul began teaching, God opened her heart and mind to believe the gospel. She and her household (who apparently also believed) were baptized. After this, she showed hospitality by inviting Paul's team to stay with her. God opened her heart; she opened her home" (page 8).

Then, Paul cast a spirit out from a tormented girl "and she was presumably converted". Her masters were not happy with this (she made them a profit through fortune-telling), so they took Paul and Silas before the magistrates, where they were flogged and imprisoned (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). 

In that prison, Paul and Silas began praying and singing, when God sent an earthquake and the bonds of everyone in the jail broken open. The jailer was terrified he'd be killed if the prisoners escaped. He drew his own sword to kill himself, before Paul said, "Don't do it! We're all still here!" To which, the jailer said, "What must I do to be saved?" And this guy and his family believed and were baptized. Paul and Silas were officially released and asked to leave the city, and the jailer decided to take Paul and Silas to his house to eat and have their wounds cleaned. But on the way, they stopped at Lydia's house to encourage the church meeting there—then they went to the jailer's house.

So, the church at Philippi was made up of Lydia and her friends (who were upper class), a jailer and his family, and a formerly demon-possessed slave girl. Talk about a difference in station! Yet it didn't matter, because at the foot of the cross, all are equal in their sin, and the depth of God's love for them.

This is the context of the church at Philippi that Paul writes to. How cool! How does knowing this add to our understanding of this letter?



That's it for our study on the culture and context of Philippians! I hope you enjoyed it. See you next week!

Caesarea

Caesarea and others like it (like Caesarea Philippi where Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah in Matthew 16) was built by Herod for retired Roman soldiers as part of his agreement with Rome. The port included a theater (see last post) and a hippodrome.

At the time, it was the biggest port in the Mediterranean Sea. Herod built a summer palace here. Today, you can stroll the foundations of that very palace (pics above and below).

The Roman centurion from Acts 10:24-48, Cornelius, lived here.

Pontius Pilate also stayed here. You can see the 'basement' entrance to what would have been his palace in the big hole on the upper right. 

Caesarea (Paul before Festus and King Agrippa)

This theater is where Paul defended himself before Festus and King Agrippa in Acts 25-26.

It sits in Caesarea, just off the Mediterranean sea. Caesarea was a city built by Herod for retired Roman soldiers (there are others throughout the country, like Caesarea Philippi- where Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah in Matthew 16).

Standing down near the stage, hearing the waves of the sea pounding from behind, you can imagine what it was like for Paul to argue his case in front some of the most powerful rulers of his day. It is here Paul said to Festus, "I have not done any wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.... I appeal to Caesar!"

And then later, to King Agrippa, "Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?"