A Brief History
of the City and Church of Philippi
The city of
Philippi was located was located in northern Greece near
the city of Macedon (Archeological Study Bible, p.1927),
approximately ten miles from the port city of Neapolis. It
gained access to travelers, as well as trade through the
Via Egnatia road (the road that linked Italy with Asia),
which ran straight through the city. It was one of four
districts that made up the province of Macedonia. A few of
the other larger cities within the province were the cities
of Amphipolis (the districts capital), Macedon, and
Thessalonica (Thielman, 2002, p.343).
The city had a rather eventful history. Founded in 359 B.C.
by the Orator Callistratus, along with a few colonists the
city began as a Greek colony. But then came Philip II from
the nearby city of Macedon and seized the city and its
abundant gold mines. He then proceeded to fortify the city
walls, and drain the nearby marshes. He continued to
advance the city in many other ways, and then renamed it
after himself. When Philip II’s son came to power,
Alexander the Great, he used Philippi as a headquarters for
his conquest of the world (Archeological Study Bible, 2005,
p.1927).
But the second century B.C. brought a dramatic shift in the
balance of power in the Grecian world with the invasion of
the Romans. With their capture of the province of
Macedonia, Philippi became a Roman outpost. With the
assassination of Julius Caesar in 42 B.C. civil war broke
out in the Roman Empire. Even on this occasion Philippi
played a role. It was near the city of Philippi that the
forces of Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Antony defeated the
forces of Cassius and Brutus (Archeological Study Bible,
2005, p. 1927).
But, this comradeship between Octavian and Mark Antony was
destined to fail, and war broke out between these two
factions as well, with Octavian surmounting as the victor.
With his victory complete, Octavian renamed the city of
Philippi as Colonia Julia Augusta Philippensis and sent a
group of Roman veterans to live there (Archeological Study
Bible, 2005, p. 1927). This influx of Roman soldiers no
doubt greatly influenced the culture of Philippi, and by
the time Paul entered onto the scene, Philippi had “a
strong roman character” (Thielman, 2002, p. 344). Barclay
(1959) remarks concerning this Roman influence, “Wherever
they were, these colonies were little fragments of Rome and
their pride in their Roman citizenship was their dominating
characteristic. The Roman language was spoken; Roman dress
was worn; Roman customs were observed; their magistrates
had Roman titles, and carried out the same ceremonies as
were carried out in Rome itself. They were stubbornly and
unalterably Roman and would never have dreamt of becoming
assimilated to the people amidst whom they were set”
(Barclay, 1959, p.4).
Roman citizenship was not something to be taken lightly or
for granted. It was to be respected and treasured. Philippi
was even further privileged to have the status of a Roman
colony. Philippi was one of only five cities in the entire
province of Macedonia granted the ius
Italicum, which is “the
right to be governed by Roman law and to be exempt from
direct taxation” (Thielman, 2002, p.353). This makes Paul’s
statements concerning Roman citizenship all the more
important when he addresses the Philippians. Citizenship
was a very real, and very vital part of their lives.
Philippi was strongly connected with the god Dionysius and
his other related deities such as Liber, Libera, and
Hercules. Much of this religion focused around fertility.
In connection with this, women played a key role in the
worship of Dionysian and the other deities that accompanied
him (Thielman, 2002, p.344).
Another important deity in the city of Philippi was that of
Diana. She also was strongly connected with fertility, as
well as childbirth and children, and, as Thielman (2002)
points out, these were “typical concerns of ancient women.”
It then follows that most of her followers were women
(Thielman, 2002, p.344).
The Thracian Horseman, another deity found in Philippi,
dealt largely with the “safe conduct of the soul into the
afterlife.” Reliefs to this deity are found on seven
hillsides near Philippi. Archeologists have also discovered
an altar to the emperor Augustus, yet another deity to add
to its repertoire, as well as a “sanctuary dedicated to the
worship of some 140 Egyptian deities.” All of this
expresses the setting with which Paul ministered in
Philippi. Thielman (2002) properly stated the condition of
Philippi as a “cacophony of religious activity.”
It is
interesting to note that Paul’s first intentions were not
to go to the city of Philippi (Thielman, 2002, p.344-345).
Acts 16: 7-10 tells the story, “When they came to the
border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by
Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a
vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him,
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen
the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia,
concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to
them.”
The meager church that Paul found at Philippi was probably
founded by converts from his first missionary journey
through that region (Anders, 1999, p.204). Upon his arrival
he found no synagogue, but only a place of prayer with a
few women who called on the name of the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob (Thielman, 2002, p.344).
Paul quickly began his work in the city, and the first
fruit of his labor was the conversion of Lydia, and her
household. And it was with her that they stayed during
their visit to the city (Acts 16:14-15). It has been
suggested that Lydia was a wealthy woman, as she would need
a larger home to be able to house Paul and his companions
(Thielman, 2002, p.345).
His stay in Philippi, however, was not without it’s
troubles. On one of his trips to the place of prayer, a
demon-possessed girl followed Paul and shouted “These men
are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the
way to be saved.” She kept this up for several days, until
Paul finally got tired of it and cast the demon out of the
girl. With the exit of the demon, the girl’s ability to
predict the future also evaporated, making the girl’s
owners quite upset as they had just lost a good source of
income from her fortune telling. The owners then incited an
uproar against Paul and his companions. The mob then
proceeded to grab Paul and Silas and brought them before
the magistrate who handed out a sentence of a beating and
prison time.
This, however, was not properly accomplished according to
Roman law, and when the magistrates found out that Paul was
a Roman citizen, they quickly recanted and apologized. But
Paul was not idle during his time in prison, and succeeded
in converting the jailer and his entire family. And so the
church began to grow, but with it also grew persecution
(Philippians 1:27-30).
Thielman (2002)
points out “the Philippian Christians must have stuck out
like a sore thumb in society. They were not willing to
participate in the popular cult of the Roman emperor, nor
were they willing to conduct the traditional funerary rites
as the graves of their ancestors.” These things would have
labeled them “bad citizens” by their friends and family in
the city, hence, the greater persecution (Thielman, 2002,
p.354).
There was also some inner turmoil in the church. Apparently
a quarrel had arisen among two member of the fledgling
congregation, namely Euodia and Syntyche. Paul addresses
this issue by exhorting them “to agree with each other in
the Lord.”
The church at Philippi was also a great aid to Paul. They
assisted him financially, even after he left the province
of Macedonia. But they not only assisted him financially,
they also sent him the companionship of Epaphroditus. As
Thielman (2002) points out, “It is no wonder that as some
Christians where Paul was imprisoned sought his harm
(1:17), he longed for this beloved congregation.” Paul
greatly appreciated their interest and their care for him,
as the content of his letter clearly shows (Thielman, 2002,
p.349).
Much can be gleaned from the observation of this early
church. Both the good examples of generosity, and the bad
example of quarreling can be insightful for us today. Watch
Paul as he makes the best out of a horrible situation in
prison by evangelizing the jailer. Learn from the way Paul
handles conflict within the church. Observe the importance
of encouraging those doing right. Indeed, much can be
gained from this wonderful account of the church at
Philippi.
References
Anders, Max.
(1999). Philippians.
Holman New Testament Commentary, Vol. 8. Nashville,
Tennessee: Broadman & Holdman Publishers
Barclay, William. (1959). Philippians.
The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville, Kentucky: The
Westminster Press
No Author Listed. (2005). Archaeological
sites: Philippi. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Zondervan
Thielman, Frank. (2002). Philippians.
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3.
Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan