{To Philippi} (eis Philippous). The plural like Ath(886e)ai
(Athens) is probably due to separate sections of the city united
(Winer-Moulton, _Grammar_, p. 220). The city (ancient name
Krenides or Wells) was renamed after himself by Philip, the
father of Alexander the Great. It was situated about a mile east
of the small stream Gangites which flows into the river Strymon
some thirty miles away. In this valley the Battle of Philippi was
fought B.C. 42 between the Second Triumvirate (Octavius,
Antonius, Lepidus) and Brutus and Cassius. In memory of the
victory Octavius made it a colony (kol(936e)ia) with all the
privileges of Roman citizenship, such as freedom from scourging,
freedom from arrest save in extreme cases, and the right of
appeal to the emperor. This Latin word occurs here alone in the
N.T. Octavius planted here a colony of Roman veterans with farms
attached, a military outpost and a miniature of Rome itself. The
language was Latin. Here Paul is face to face with the Roman
power and empire in a new sense. He was a new Alexander, come
from Asia to conquer Europe for Christ, a new Caesar to build the
Kingdom of Christ on the work of Alexander and Caesar. One need
not think that Paul was conscious of all that was involved in
destiny for the world. Philippi was on the Egnatian Way, one of
the great Roman roads, that ran from here to Dyrrachium on the
shores of the Adriatic, a road that linked the east with the
west. {The first of the district} (pr(9374)(8820)t(8873) meridos). Philippi
was not the first city of Macedonia nor does Luke say so. That
honour belonged to Thessalonica and even Amphipolis was larger
than Philippi. It is not clear whether by meris Luke means a
formal division of the province, though the _Koin(825f) has examples
of this geographical sense (papyri). There is no article with
pr(9374)(885c) and Luke may not mean to stress unduly the position of
Philippi in comparison with Amphipolis. But it was certainly a
leading city of this district of Macedonia. {We were tarrying}
((886d)en diatribontes). Periphrastic imperfect active.