On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
~Acts 16:13
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
~Philippians 4:2
When Paul visited Philippi, he first preached the gospel to a group of God-fearing women. Lydia the cloth merchant was the first convert on European soil. The nascent church met in her home, and these women, who learned the truth from the apostle himself, were the foundation of the Body of Christ in Philippi.
Living in a Roman colony, these women had a degree of autonomy uncommon in most Greek or Roman cities of the period. The word Paul used for “labored” in his letter to Philippi refers to something more than ordinary labor, to sharing his sufferings.
Euodia and Syntyche
History has recorded the names of two of these women, but not in a flattering way. The first of these women was named Euodia, which means “fragrant.” The other is Syntyche, (pronounced sin’-ti-ke) meaning “fortunate.”
The exact nature of their disagreement is not specified. However, it could be inferred that since Paul knew them well enough both to know of a disagreement between them and to mention them, they must have held positions of leadership.
The church at Philippi brought Paul enormous joy. They remained his supporters until the end, and his letter to them, written while he was under house arrest in Rome, is intensely personal. It mentions no false teaching, no immorality, no laziness among them. We can see then, how a quarrel among two of the first converts must have caused him great distress. Such a dispute should not exist among those who are “in the Lord,” redeemed by the Lord.
Paul’s letter mentioning this discord wasn’t written for another ten years, so I wanted to just hint at this dispute in my book Sold Into Freedom. Spoiler (highlight to reveal): I decided to give Euodia and Syntyche a difference of opinion about remaining as slaves after coming to faith. While Euodia chooses to remain with Maximus, sharing the good news with her fellow slaves, Syntyche doesn’t understand her choice. She thinks it is foolish to turn down Lydia’s offer to purchase and then free her.
Whatever their issue, Paul encouraged them to “be of one mind” lest the unity and effectiveness of the church be in jeopardy.
May we also be on guard against anything that threatens our witness.
