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Using sociorhetorical interpretation, Alexandra Gruca-Macaulay examines Lydia of Thyatira’s prominent placement in the opening and closing of the Philippi narrative of Acts 16 as well as her position within the broader constellation of characters in Luke-Acts.  Rather than focusing on Lydia as a prominent convert who supports Paul’s mission, Gruca-Macaulay draws contemporary readers into the ancient Mediterranean world, where Lydia’s name would have raised the cultural stereotypes of Lydians as immoral, deceptive, and unfaithful for ancient audiences.  Lydia’s place within the growing early Christian community dismantles the social logic of gender- and ethnic-based criteria for assessing who can or cannot form a salvific assembly of God and connects Lydia to a network of episodes in Luke-Acts where the kingdom of God is advanced through unconventional alliances.

Alexandra Gruca-Macaulay is instructor at Saint Paul University, Ottawa.