Lydia

by Paula Gooder

The New Testament tells us very little about Lydia, a seller of purple cloth who was living in Philippi when she met the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey. And yet she is considered the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe.

In her second work of fiction, Biblical scholar and popular author and speaker Paula Gooder tells Lydia's story - who she was, the life she lived and her first-century faith - and in doing so opens up Paul's letter to the Philippians, giving a sense of the cultural and historical pressures that shaped Paul's thinking, and the faith of the early church.

Written in the gripping style of Gerd Theissen's The Shadow of the Galilean, and similarly rigorously researched, this is a book for everyone and anyone who wants to engage more deeply and imaginatively with Paul's theology - from one of the UK's foremost New Testament scholars.

Genres: Fiction, Christian, Historical, Historical Fiction, Womens

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2022

About the author

Paula Gooder is a speaker and writer on the Bible, particularly on the New Testament. She began her working life, teaching for twelve years in ministerial formation first at Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford and then at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham. Following this she spent around eight years as a speaker and writer in biblical studies travelling the country and seeking to communicate the best of biblical scholarship in as accessible a way as possible, after that she spent six years working for the Bible Society as their Theologian in Residence and then for the Birmingham Diocese as their Director of Mission Learning and Development. She is currently the Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved Gooder's Phoebe and have been eagerly anticipating this one ever since. Gooder bases the story on Paul and Timothy's encounter with Lydia in Acts 16, and the letter to the Philippians. Gooder knows how to tell an emotionally compelling story while being scrupulously faithful to history and the text of Scripture, and I absolutely adore it. I found myself hoping she will explore the letter to Philemon next!

Even more than what I remember from Phoebe, Gooder explores the lived ramifications of Paul's theology in the influence of his letter on the community. Part of this, I think, is because Phoebe focused on the letter's delivery to Roman Christians, while the delivery of the letter to Philippian Christians was one incident among many in Lydia.

I hope Gooder continues to publish these books. I loved every page. A great resource for anyone seeking to understand the world of early Christians in an accessible way, or for anyone preaching/teaching these texts.

[SK Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said Phoebe was the best book, but now it is tied. Lydia was so good. I really can’t emphasize it enough. It has helped me think about some much and rethink so much. I am excited to read this again and discuss it with all my friends (that’s you!) :)

[Bryony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than her first volume, Phoebe, this book explores the world of the Christians who received Paul's letter to the Philippians. It is pleasingly focused on the role of women in the early church and Gooder includes the intriguing characters of Euodia and Syntyche and imagined what caused the rift between them.

Most wonderful of all, this book unpacks much of the theology to be found in Philippians, particularly the hymn in chapter 2.

Thanks again to Paula Gooder for bringing scripture to life in such a wonderful way and using solid academic scholarship.

It's a delight to read.

[Aoife · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 !

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paula Gooder with a brilliant follow up to ‘Phoebe’. She gets under the skin of what life might have been like in first century Philippi and breathes life into people whose names often pass us by.

[Sophie Nicoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not as good as Phoebe but still a good read!

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because I had loved Phoebe. It shares with Phoebe a story of life in the early church figuring out how to live as followers of the way and how Paul’s teachings fit in. The picture painted is based on thorough research leavened with imagination.

The author suggests a variety of ways of reading the book. I took the “read the intro in the notes, read the story then read the notes” option. This has the advantage of not interrupting the story but the downside was that when I turned to the notes expecting some juicy theology I got mostly history and geography. It should have been obvious that the theology was going to kick in once Paul’s letter arrived but reading it that way made it less so. There was, I hasten to add, some interesting theology in about the last quarter of the notes.

Phoebe was a really important book to me so, perhaps inevitably, Lydia wasn’t quite in that class, but I do recommend it.

[Jenny Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional account of Lydia of the New Testament, plus notes on each chapter citing historical detail, context and notes for further reading.

Some intriguing ideas from Paula Gooder who follows Lydia back to Philippi accompanied by Ruth who she imagines is the girl with the python spirit, or fortune teller delivered by Paul to the anger of the men who owned her as their income stream was abruptly halted. Other creative ideas include speculation on the disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche, the two women Paul wishes would reconcile. What might have happened if one of the men who had owned 'Ruth' became a follower of The Way or the group of believers caught the attention of those opposed to their faith? How did the business of dying purple cloth work, and how would Epaphroditus be welcomed?

An interesting read but not entirely satisfactory. More novella than novel and the notes make it a much more academic book covering its basis than an exploration in fiction. I found it hard to get into but maybe I didn't have the time to give it the attention it deserved.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting concept but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's easy to read the Bible and just think of these characters as just that, character, but they all lead real lives, walked this earth and had to manage being Christians without fully understanding what that entailed and with no Bible to turn to.

This opened my eyes to what life MAY have looked like for them and the common challenges they came across.

While this is completely fictional the amount of research, thought and planning that went into this book is phenomenal. I read it by reading a chapter and then the corresponding notes in the back in order to fully understand the context and it made a massive difference. The notes also included places where the author justified the decisions and creative license she'd taken in order to make the story run.

All in all, a good read, especially when it was based on a person that there isn't much information about. Also loved seeing other characters that are mentioned in Paul's letters being included here too.

[Penny Reeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel about the life of the Biblical character Lydia, however it's not just a novel. About one third of the book's physical width is taken up with author notes pertaining to the chapters and sharing the historical facts about Lydia's time, the research the author undertook and many side and cultural notes. For those interested in a deep dive into the historial details, this novel explores many 'what ifs' about the little known character of Lydia, and other characters mentioned in the Biblical texts. How they interacted, what the cultural and political pressures may have been, and the life-changing impact the gospel of Jesus had on these times, people and communities.
The storyline itself wasn't entirely gripping, so if you are after a real page turner this might not be what you are after. But if history is your thing, you'll love this.

[Lydia Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched and thoughtful telling of Lydia’s story, well a possible version. I loved the detail and how Paula brought the people really to life. The detailed in-depth notes section was fascinating and supportive of her telling of the story and why she had made certain assumptions with a bit of creative license here or there. It was great to get into the shoes of my namesake and understand her world better. Thank you for this wonderful sharing of scripture and faith. I will be looking to pick up a copy of Phoebe.

[Rachel Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - the story, the research, the evocation of 1st century Roman empire, even the structure of 1/3 notes (which is similar to Gooder's other work of fiction, Phoebe, which I've also read) I feel is slightly let down by the fact that the fiction part just isn't that well written? It was strongest in the last quarter but before that was so jumpy trying to introduce so many characters and with such unlikely dialogue that I found it really distracting. It is such a good concept for a book though, and obviously very well researched.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, I really liked the content and the writing style. I learned a lot about the early church and life in the Roman Empire. I found it a bit of a slog reading the info chapters at the back. I read each one having read the relevant chapter - which I would recommend - but some of this background was a bit heavy and dull. I had previously read “Phoebe” by the same author, which I felt had more sparkle.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/lydia-by-paula-gooder/

This is basically New Testament fan-fiction, linking a woman mentioned in Acts with a passage from Philippians and telling a story about St Paul. There are 212 pages of plot and 106 pages of notes, which gives you an idea of the writer’s priorities and how seriously she has taken it. I lasted until the first miracle and then couldn’t manage any more.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had enjoyed Phoebe very much, with its unique window in to the early church, So I looked forward to reading this second book but did feel rather let down. There is a huge cast of characters - all who have great individual stories for discussion, but somehow it makes the narrative rather pedestrian. What brave people they all were and how tough their lives became.

[Peter Parslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story based on long scholarship.

Not a historical novel, at least in the author’s view, because it’s written to convey theology: meaning for life.

The last third are notes, clarifying what’s known, what’s likely, and what “just” adds detail for the story.

A good read as a story or as an introduction to (or meditation on) one small book of the bible: Phillipians

[Caley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating insight into the lives of early Christians and their experiences trying to decipher God's word and the teachings that would later become scripture. Gooder's scholarly notes at the end were highly informative and really enriched the story as they explained her choices, the historical context, and the debates surrounding the theology.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. I love the explanatory notes on the history and theology and her reasons for making some of the decisions about the characters. Like Phoebe, this is one of my favourite books, though, for me, Phoebe had more impact, perhaps because it was the first time I had read a book in this style.

[I. Crocker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended, but I found the prose stiff and the style preachy. There were some interesting passages--especially the one about Lydia realizing that slavery wasn't great. And it was interesting to have the New Testament characters painted so we can see them. This book would probably be of interest to those seeking a greater understanding of the NT church.

[Natasha Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Phoebe so I was excited to read Lydia. It didn’t disappoint and was a book I couldn’t put down. I enjoyed reading it alongside the notes and getting an insight into how the story had been formed and developing an understanding. Would 100% recommend

[Alice Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings theology to life, and the personalities and practicalities of Paul’s letters have shape, brilliant and imaginative storytelling. There’s so much depth, really made me think about what I would have done if I’d been in that place and time. Formative read, thanks again Paula Gooder!

[debbie-anne Hogarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful look at Lydia.
Loved both parts to the story...

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent as Ever

Fabulous, accessible scholarship and a cracking story as well. As a preacher and theologian, I cannot recommend Paula Gooder’s book highly enough.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable different view, the background notes were very interesting.

[Callum Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel with extensive (interesting) notes in the back so I’m learning while getting into the story? Wish more books were like this.

[John Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's second examination of what it might've been like after Saul of Tarsus visited your local synagogue...

[Sara Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written, reimagined story of a Biblical character.

[Phoebe Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, theology and history weaved together - and still a really captivating read! Loved it.

[Lydia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fave title so far

[Claire Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love the way this book helps you visualise the names you know from the Bible and the type of life they would have lead. Really brings it to life.