Paul teaches Lydia and the women
The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. ~Acts 16.14-15
At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. ~Acts 16:33
Familia Ante Omnia:
Family Before All
I was once asked where the jailer’s wife was in Sold into Freedom because the Scriptures say he “and his whole household” were baptized.
But the Scriptures also say Lydia’s household was baptized, though there is no evidence she was married. In a time when women were defined by the men in their lives—husband, father, sons, owner—there is no mention whatsoever of a man in Lydia’s life.
Lydia’s house is referred to as “her house.” It is big enough to house her “family,” and Paul, Silas, Timothy and possibly Luke, not to mention serve the growing church in Philippi. Doubtless, she had many servants to take care of such a large home.
The Ancient Roman familia included not only the nuclear family, but also extended family, household slaves, and freed slaves. The ancient Greek word oikos also meant more than immediate family. Aristotle used it in his work Politics to refer to everybody living in a given house.
It was customary for everyone in the house to adopt the beliefs of the head of the household. We should not, however, assume this meant that the “families” of Lydia and the jailer were baptized simply because they were told to.
Verse 32 tells us, “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.” Acts 10 shares the story of the centurion Cornelius, who sent men to Joppa to find Peter, so he could tell them “words by which you and all your household will be saved.” Clearly, the Word of God was preached and received before the baptisms.
These facts allowed me to portray the jailer as unmarried. Because who doesn’t love a good love story?