Acts 16:12

"and from thence to Philippi, which is. city of Macedonia, the first of the district,. Roman colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain days"Philippi" "Built on. spur of the Pangaean mountain range, was named for Philip of Macedon, its conqueror (the father of Alexander the Great)" (Bakers p. 213). "First of the district" Amphipolis was the largest city and the capital of the province. NASV has. better rendering, "which is. leading city of the district." "A Roman colony" "On the plains below Philippi, the great battle of Augustus and Antony against Brutus and Cassius was fought in 42 BC In commemoration of the victory of Augustus, the city was designated. colony and regarded as. branch of Rome itself" (Bakers p. 213). "That is to say it was. little bit of Rome planted in. foreign land. In them Rome planted little groups of army veterans who had completed their military service. These colonists wore the Roman dress, spoke the Roman language and used the Roman laws. Nowhere was there greater pride in Roman citizenship than in these outposts of Rome" (Barclay p. 133). "A Roman colony was essentially. military position for the defense of the frontiers.. Roman colony enjoyed three things: (1) Self government. (2) Freedom from paying tribute to the Emperor, and (3) The rights of those who lived in Italy--including Roman dress, language, coinage, and holidays" (Reese p. 575). "Tarrying certain days" Days before the Sabbath mentioned in Acts 16:13.