“A certain woman
named Lydia, a seller of purple,
of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."
The “seller of purple (cloth)” caught my attention because
Helen was a famous “weaver” of purple cloth”.
I looked at the Greek and it is definitely “seller” not worker like
Helen. Thyatira is a city in “Lydia” so
I doubt the woman’s name is “Lydia” but rather that is title. Sort of like Briseis and Chryseis in the
Iliad not actually being the names of the two women.
“Briseis” can be
translated as Miss Briseus In honor of her father Briseus, priest of Lyrnessus.[i] Her real name was Hippodameia. [ii]
Chryseis can be
translated as Miss Chryses. This is the girl whom Agamemnon captured,
refusing to give her back to her father Chryses, priest of Apollo. Later
writers give her real name as Astynome.[iii]
Nereids can be called Nereis after their father[iv]
and Hesiod (Theog. 945) names
the Charis whom Hephaestus wed (after Aphrodite); Aglaia. She is one of the three Charites (Graces).
Any other Ancient Greek daughters out there with names and patronymic
titles?
[ii] (Dictys
Cret. ii. 17.)
[iii] (Supposedly one of
the following references documents the name; Scholia on the Iliad; Hesychius, Lexicon; Malalas, Chronographia
100; Eustathius of Thessalonica, Commentary
on the Iliad 1.123.9 van der Valk.)
