2. A woman of Thyatira, "a seller of purple," who dwelt in the city of Philippi, in IMacedonia (Acts xvi, 14, 15). A.D. 47. The commentators are not agreed •whether " Lydia" should be regarded as an appellative, or a derivative from tlie country to which the woman belonged, Thyatira, her native place, being in Lydia. There are examples of this latter sense; but the preced- ing word ovofia-i seems here to support the former, and the name was a common one» (See Biel and I. Hase in the Bill. Brem. ii, 411 ; iii, 275 ; v, 670 ; vi", 1041 ; Symb. Brein. II, ii, 124; compare Ugolini Thesaur. xiii, xxix.) Lydia was not by birth a Jewess, but a proselyte, as the phrase " who worshipped God" imports. It was at the
Jewish Sal )bath- worship by the side of a stream (Acts xvi, 13) that the preaching of the Gospel by Paul reached her heart. She was converted, being the first person in Europe who embraced Christianity there, and after she and her household had been baptized she pressed the use of her house so earnestly upon the apostle and his associates that they were constrained to accept the in- vitation. As her native place was in the province of Asia (Acts xvi, 14; Rev. ii, 18), it is interesting to no- tice that through her, indirectly, the Gospel may have come into that very district where Paul himself had recently been forbidden directly to preach it (Acts xvi, 6). We infer that she was a person of considerable wealth partly from the fact that she gave a home to Paul and his companions, partly from the mention of the conversion other "household," under which term, whether children are included or not, slaves are no doubt comprehended. Of Lydia's character we are led to form a high estimate from her candid reception of the Gos- pel, her urgent hospitality, and her continued friendship to Paul and Silas when they were persecuted. Whether she was one of " those women who labored with Paul in the Gospel" at Philippi, as mentioned afterwards in the epistle to that place (Phil, iv, 3), it is impossible to say. The Lydians were famous for the art of dyeing purple vests (Pliny, vii, 57 ; ]Max. Tyr. xl, 2 ; Yaler. Flacc. iv, 368 ; Claud. Rajit. Proserp. i, 275 ; ^lian, Anim. iv, 46), and Lydia, as " a seller of purple," is supposed to have been a dealer in vests so dyed rather than in the dye itself (see Kuinol on Acts xiv, 14). — Kitto; Smith. Lyd'iau (Jer. xlvi, 9). See Lud; Ludim ; Lydia. Lydius, Balthasar, a Dutch theologian of Ger- man origin, was born at Umstadt, near Darmstadt, about 1577; studied at Leyden ; became pastor at Streefkerk in 1602, and in 1008 at Dordrecht. He was present at the Synod of Dort. He died in 1629, Lydius was a violent opponent of the Remonstrants. Of his literary labors, one deserves special mention, Wakhnsiu (now very rare, Rotterdam, 1010-17 ; 2d ed. Amsterdam, 1023, 2 vols. 8vo), in which he seeks to show an intimate con- nection between the Moravians and Waldensians. See Herzog, Real-Encyklop. xx, 63, 64.
Lydius, Jacob, a Dutch theologian, son of the preceding, flourished about the middle of the 17tli cen- turj' at Dordrecht, and took a prominent part in the synod held there. He died in 1688. Some of his works deserve special mention: Agonistica Sacra, sire Syntag- ma vocum et jihrasium agonisticarum quce in Scriptia-a occurrunt (Rott. 1657, 12mo) : — Florum Sparsio ad his- torium passionis Jesu Christi (ibid, 1672, 8vo). See JirawAi, Hist.of the Eeformation in the Loio Countries; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xxii, 388.
Lydius, Johannes (1), a German theologian, brother of Balthasar, was born at Frankfort about 1577, and became pastor at Oudewater (the birthplace of Ar- minius) in 1002. He died in 1643. Like his brother Balthasar, he is noted for his opposition to Arminianism. He was the editor of the works of Clemanges, Wessels, etc. See Herzog, Real-Encyklop. xx, 64,
Lydius, Johannes (2\ one of the early Dutch ministers of the Reformed Church in America, was edu- cated in Holland, aud settled at Schenectady and Al- bany, N. Y., in 1702. Like his predecessors in the same Church, he labored successfully for the instruction and salvation of the Mohawk Indians. He ministered among the tribes of the " Five Nations," and received from the governor and council suitable compensation for his serv- ices. He died March 1, 1710. About thirtj- Indian commimicants were in connection with his Chiu-ch at his decease. He is represented by his contemporary, Rev. Thomas Barclay, of the Church of England, in a report to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, as '"a good, pious man," who '"lived in entire friendship" with him, " and sent his own chil- dren to be catechized," — Documentary Hist, of Xew York, iii, 897 ; Dr, Rogers's Hist. Discourse. (W. J, B. T.)
LYDIUS
587
LYON
Lydius, Martin, a noted Dutch theologian, father of Balthasar and Jacob, was born at Lubeck, Germany, ill 1539 or 1540, of Dutch parentage, and was educated at the universities of Tiibingen and Heidelberg, where in 1566 he was employed at the Coller/ium Sapieniice as teacher. On account of persecution in the Palatinate, he went to Holland, and became in 1579 pastor of a Church at Amsterdam. Upon the founding of the uni- versity at Franecker in 1585, he was called thither as professor. He died in 1601. He is noted for the part he took in the Arrainian controversy. It is he who forwarded to Arminius the works of Koornhert and Arnold Cornelius for refutation, which resulted instead in the conversion of Arminius. See Herzog, Real-En- cijkl. XX, 61 sq. ; Bayle, Hist. Did. iii, 970, 971. See Ar-