The details of the founding of the Church of Lao- dicea have to be pieced together from allusions in the Acts and Epistles. St. Paul was not directly the founder. His words in Col 2\ ' I strive for
684
LAPIS LAZULI
LASCIVIOUSNESS
. . . them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,' imply tliat he had not personally laboured in the Lycus valley. In his third missionary tour he did not go to Ephesus by the ordinary route of commerce, which would have brought Iiim to the Lycus cities, but passed through ' tlie upper country ' (rd dvurepLKa /J-^pr], Ac 19'), probably by Seiblia and the Cayster valley. His influence in the former region was indirect. During his three years' residence in Ephesus ' all they who dwell in Asia heard the word' (19'"). The truths which he proclaimed in the metropolis were quickly repeated all over the province, and especially in the cities along the great roads. His evangelist of the Lycus glen was Epaphras, whom St. Paul regarded as his deputy (Col F[RV], read- ing vTT^p rifiCov instead of v/j-Qi/), and whose labour on behalf of the three communities evoked a warm encomium (Col 4^-- '^). The close relations subsist- ing between the churches of Laodicea and Colossse are indicated by the injunction that the Epistle to Colossians should be read in the Church of the Laodiceans, and that the Colossians should read 'the Epistle from Laodicea.' The latter was perhaps the canonical ' Epistle to the Ephesians,' which Marcion expressly names the Epistle ' to the saints who are at Laodicea.'
The last of the Epistles to the Seven Clmrches of Asia is addressed to Laodicea (Rev 3^'*'--). The severity of the prophet's rebuke has made ' Laodi- cean ' for ever suggestive of lukewarmness in re- ligion. Once fervent, Laodicea became so tepid that her condition excited a feeling of moral nausea. Each of the Seven Epistles is of course concerned with a Ciiristian church rather than with a city, but the Christians ft'ere citizens, and the spirit of the city could not be kept out of the church. The allusions to the circumstances and character of Laodicea are unmistakable. The famous com- mercial and banking city, too proud to accept an Emijire's aid, is invited to come to the poor man's market and buy from the Sender of the letter (Trap' ifj.ov is emphatic) gold retined by fire (vv."* '^). She who has innumerable flocks on her Phrygian hills, and whose fine black woollen fabrics are prized everywhere, has need of white garments to cover her own moral nakedness (v. '8). Her ^scu- lapian school of medicine has no Phrygian powder for the healing of her spiritual blindness, which requires the eye-salve (collyrium) of another Phy- sician (v.^^). Rich Laodicea, well-clothed and well- fed, self-reliant and self-satisfied, is in danger of being rejected with loathing. Yet her absent Lord loves her, and writes her so incisively only because He hopes to find her chastened and peni- tent when He returns and knocks at her door
(VV."- 20).
Little is known about the post-apostolic history of Laodicea. Traditions regarding Archippus, Nymphas (Col 4'^), and Diotrephes (3 Jn ^) are worth- less. The so-called ' Epistle to the Laodiceans ' (in Latin) is a forgery. The subscription of 1 Tim., 'written from Laodicea, which is the chief- est city of Phrygia Pacatiana,' has no authority. The ruins of Laodicea are many but not impressive.
Literature. — W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches, 1904, pp. 413-430 ; W. J. Hamilton, Researches in Asia Minor, Pontus, Armenia, 1842, i. 515 f. ; W. M. Leake, Journal of Tour in Asia Minor, 1824, p. 251 f. ; Murray's Uandbook to Asia Minor, 1895. JaMES STRAHAN.
LAPIS LAZULI.— See Sapphire.
LASCIYIOUSNESS {da^yeia).—!. Usage.— The Greek word occurs 10 times in the NT (Mk 7^^, Ro 13'3, 2 Co 12-1, Qal 5W gpi, 419^ i p 43^ o P 2-'-'?- \\ Jude"*). It should be read instead of dwoiXeta in 2 P 2^ It is 7 times translated by ' lasciviousness' (AVm so translates it in 2 P 2'-) in the AV, while
the RV translates it so in all cases except Ro 13'^, where the 'wantonness' of the AV is retained (cf. 2 P 21S). In 2 P 2^ iv dcreXyelg^ is translated ' filthy conversation.'
2. Derivation. — The derivation of the word is unknown. Tiie old derivation was from Sclge, a city in Pisidia regarded by some as remarkably addicted to wantonness (Suidas, s.v.), and by others as noted for its sobriety (Etymolofjicon Magnum, s.v. ; Strabo, xii. ; Libanius, schol. in Dem. Orat.). In the first case the a- would be intensive, in the second privative. Moderns derive it from a -I- aeXyo} {O^Xyu) (see Trench, NT Synonyms^, 1876, p. 54, and T. K. Abbott, Ephesians and Colossians [ICC, 1897, p. 132]), or from ao- ('satiety') + e\y, or from a + ffaXa7 (o-eXas), in which case the primary meaning would be ' foul ' (J. W. Donaldson, Neio Cmtyius\ 1859, p. 692 ; Ellicott on Gal 5^%
3. Classical meaning. — The classical meaning of the word is excess of any kind — even inordinate size (see Donaldson, op. cit. p. 692), but particularly moral excess and outrage, contemptuous violence and insolence towards others. It has thus much the same range of meaning as iJ^pts. Trench brings out well the classical meaning of the word (op. cit. p. 54 tt'.).