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Lydia
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.
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.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2022
About the author
Paula Gooder
117 books80 followersPaula 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 21, 2023
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.
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.
January 19, 2024
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!) :)
January 2, 2023
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.
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.
February 2, 2024
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.
April 1, 2025
Definitely not as good as Phoebe but still a good read!
November 7, 2022
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.
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.
July 17, 2026
This is a factual novel about Lydia of Thyatira, the 'seller of purple' whose elite business was based in Philippi, making her a first century version of an entrepreneur dealing in designer labels. Back in that time and place, purple dyed fabrics were considered tokens of their owners' wealth, opulence, prestige, and fine taste.
A deeper delve down the Google rabbit hole informs me that the coveted color was truly rare and fiddly to attain, deriving from thousands of tiny sea snails named 'murex.' This is why anyone lavish enough to wear it as clothing or decorate their homes with purple curtains or upholstery were people who could clearly afford it, and therefore seen by the snobby as worth knowing and admiring.
Lydia is mentioned specifically as being one of the Apostle Paul's very first Christian converts in Macedonia (Acts 16: 11-15). She offered the apostle and his team heartfelt hospitality, and her connection to the city's elite opened Paul's message to a far wider audience. Lydia's home church was one of Paul's favorites, addressed lovingly in his letter to the Philippians, which he sent from prison in Rome.
This re-imagining of Lydia's tale blends many people mentioned in Scripture with other totally made-up characters. In this version, Lydia has adopted the little girl with the python spirit who Paul healed, to her owners' distress. That child is now a grown-up young woman named Ruth. And working as a cook for Lydia's household is a young woman named Artemis, whose brother, Epaphroditus, travelled to see Paul in prison. They've received word that Epaphroditus is seriously ill, but nothing since. At least not at the start of the story.
The large, sometimes unruly cast certainly highlights the awkwardness of trying to operate a fledgling faith movement. There is so much potential for egg on people's faces. The story shows quite clearly that nasty splits may begin by the magnification of small disagreements. I appreciate some of the finer details when Paul's letter is read aloud to this disparate bunch. Jonathan and Akiva, proud custodians of Jewish customs, are deeply hurt when Paul blasts those 'evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh', prompting Epaphroditus, who brought the letter, to tell them, 'If you know a description of yourself to be untrue, you don't have to accept it.'
Lydia herself, moves into an unexpected and hard-won application of Philippians 4: 6-7 (Do not worry about a thing). Her thread in the story contains shocking moments.
There is a villainess named Aurelia, who is exceedingly dangerous because she wields so much power and carries such a long hit list. This lady is said to be the niece of Seneca the stoic, an interesting detail considering how he and his peers are enjoying plenty of time in the sun in our own era.
We are told the story is rigorously researched. Dr Gooder is first and foremost a noteworthy Bible scholar. Her hard work shows, as the actual story comprises a mere two thirds of the book. The remaining third is a wedge of extensive notes, explaining details in each chapter. I'm glad this lengthy exposition is placed discretely at the back, rather than crammed into footnotes or even chapter endings. As a lover of fiction as an art form, I believe the flow of stories shouldn't be handicapped in any way. Any attempt to combine a story with didactic teaching always seems like a cheap trick to make history lessons more palatable, and as far as I've seen, nobody who positions it more in our faces ever manages to pull it off. (Check out this book as a prime example of what I mean.)
I think including a hefty appendix is the only wise choice, even though it comes with the risk that some readers won't bother to read it at all. Yet the sort of reader who would skip it might also ignore footnotes or additions to chapter endings anyway. So three cheers to this novel for honoring the whole point of being a novel! The details are there if we want them, yet we don't get bogged down in minutiae, whether we like it or not.
There is no romance element. It is, rather, a love story about a whole dynamic community. The character Lydia is lovely, and I'm glad that her new Christian faith doesn't see her close down her lucrative business out of any zealous conviction that catering to clients' status and vanity might be a poor use of her time. The world is big enough for both conviction and craftsmanship.
A deeper delve down the Google rabbit hole informs me that the coveted color was truly rare and fiddly to attain, deriving from thousands of tiny sea snails named 'murex.' This is why anyone lavish enough to wear it as clothing or decorate their homes with purple curtains or upholstery were people who could clearly afford it, and therefore seen by the snobby as worth knowing and admiring.
Lydia is mentioned specifically as being one of the Apostle Paul's very first Christian converts in Macedonia (Acts 16: 11-15). She offered the apostle and his team heartfelt hospitality, and her connection to the city's elite opened Paul's message to a far wider audience. Lydia's home church was one of Paul's favorites, addressed lovingly in his letter to the Philippians, which he sent from prison in Rome.
This re-imagining of Lydia's tale blends many people mentioned in Scripture with other totally made-up characters. In this version, Lydia has adopted the little girl with the python spirit who Paul healed, to her owners' distress. That child is now a grown-up young woman named Ruth. And working as a cook for Lydia's household is a young woman named Artemis, whose brother, Epaphroditus, travelled to see Paul in prison. They've received word that Epaphroditus is seriously ill, but nothing since. At least not at the start of the story.
The large, sometimes unruly cast certainly highlights the awkwardness of trying to operate a fledgling faith movement. There is so much potential for egg on people's faces. The story shows quite clearly that nasty splits may begin by the magnification of small disagreements. I appreciate some of the finer details when Paul's letter is read aloud to this disparate bunch. Jonathan and Akiva, proud custodians of Jewish customs, are deeply hurt when Paul blasts those 'evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh', prompting Epaphroditus, who brought the letter, to tell them, 'If you know a description of yourself to be untrue, you don't have to accept it.'
Lydia herself, moves into an unexpected and hard-won application of Philippians 4: 6-7 (Do not worry about a thing). Her thread in the story contains shocking moments.
There is a villainess named Aurelia, who is exceedingly dangerous because she wields so much power and carries such a long hit list. This lady is said to be the niece of Seneca the stoic, an interesting detail considering how he and his peers are enjoying plenty of time in the sun in our own era.
We are told the story is rigorously researched. Dr Gooder is first and foremost a noteworthy Bible scholar. Her hard work shows, as the actual story comprises a mere two thirds of the book. The remaining third is a wedge of extensive notes, explaining details in each chapter. I'm glad this lengthy exposition is placed discretely at the back, rather than crammed into footnotes or even chapter endings. As a lover of fiction as an art form, I believe the flow of stories shouldn't be handicapped in any way. Any attempt to combine a story with didactic teaching always seems like a cheap trick to make history lessons more palatable, and as far as I've seen, nobody who positions it more in our faces ever manages to pull it off. (Check out this book as a prime example of what I mean.)
I think including a hefty appendix is the only wise choice, even though it comes with the risk that some readers won't bother to read it at all. Yet the sort of reader who would skip it might also ignore footnotes or additions to chapter endings anyway. So three cheers to this novel for honoring the whole point of being a novel! The details are there if we want them, yet we don't get bogged down in minutiae, whether we like it or not.
There is no romance element. It is, rather, a love story about a whole dynamic community. The character Lydia is lovely, and I'm glad that her new Christian faith doesn't see her close down her lucrative business out of any zealous conviction that catering to clients' status and vanity might be a poor use of her time. The world is big enough for both conviction and craftsmanship.
August 7, 2024
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.
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.
October 20, 2024
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.
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.
May 20, 2026
A short but very powerful novel, backed up by up-to-the minute research referred to in a very comprehensive notes section. The church today has 2000 years of history and a whole Bible to draw on. But imagine you are the tiny house church of Philippi, trying to base your faith on memories of a visit one time from Paul, just about getting by, and then one day you receive a letter from the man himself. This is a story of ordinary people trying to get by, generally getting it right and working out where they might have gone wrong. For Bible buffs, it pulls together the Bible's two mentions of Philippi - the brief appearance of the town, Lydia and the slave girl in Acts; and then the letter itself. Curiously the letter doesn't mention Lydia or the girl, so the author has fun bringing them all together in an imagined story of persecution, love, forgiveness and generally overcoming adversity in a Christian way, bringing out the Biblical themes with great clarity and insight.
July 27, 2025
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.
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.
March 7, 2023
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.
September 21, 2025
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.
April 17, 2023
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.
September 7, 2024
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.
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.
December 16, 2022
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.
January 6, 2023
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
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
May 20, 2024
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.
June 30, 2025
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.
September 11, 2025
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.
December 28, 2022
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
January 6, 2024
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!
October 29, 2022
Really insightful look at Lydia.
Loved both parts to the story...
Loved both parts to the story...
January 4, 2023
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.
Fabulous, accessible scholarship and a cracking story as well. As a preacher and theologian, I cannot recommend Paula Gooder’s book highly enough.
January 4, 2024
Very enjoyable different view, the background notes were very interesting.
January 22, 2024
A novel with extensive (interesting) notes in the back so I’m learning while getting into the story? Wish more books were like this.
August 30, 2024
The author's second examination of what it might've been like after Saul of Tarsus visited your local synagogue...
December 19, 2024
A well-written, reimagined story of a Biblical character.
June 4, 2025
Excellent story, theology and history weaved together - and still a really captivating read! Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews