Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 16:12

"and from thence to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the first of the district, a [Roman] colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain days." — Acts 16:12 (ASV)

Philippi was situated on a plain bounded by Mount Pangaeus to the north and northeast, with the rivers Strymon and Nestos on either side. Its fame in earlier days came from its fertile plain and gold in the mountains to the north. Philip II of Macedon recognized the city’s importance, and in 356 B. C. he established a large Greek colony there. With the subjugation of the Macedonians by Rome in 167 B. C., Philippi became part of the Roman Empire. In 146 B. C. it was included within the reorganized province of Macedonia, whose capital was at Thessalonica. In 42 B. C., the city was designated a Roman colony, meaning that its government was responsible directly to the emperor and not to the provincial administration. Philippi’s importance during the NT period, therefore, resulted from its agriculture, its strategic commercial location on both sea and land routes, its still functioning gold mines, and its status as a Roman colony. In addition, it had a famous school of medicine with graduates throughout the thenknown world. Luke’s reference to Philippi as “the leading [or first] city of that district of Macedonia” is somewhat confusing. Actually, Amphipolis, the early district capital between 167 and 146 B. C., and Thessalonica, the provincial capital after that, had a more valid claim to that title. Luke’s designation of Philippi in this manner probably expresses his pride in his city (though the expression might also mean that is was the leading city only in that particular part of Macedonia).