St. Paul first visited the Churches of Northern Syria, Cilicia, and Lycaonia. At Lystra he was joined by the young Timothy, who had a great desire to help in the missionary work. He was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, and believing that by undergoing the old rite of circumcision he could more easily gain access to the Jews, St. Paul desired him to submit to it. With Silas in their company, these two messengers of God's truth travelled on until they reached Troas, at which place St. Luke, the physician and evangelist, joined them. While they remained there a vision was sent to St. Paul in a dream at night. It appeared that a man of Macedonia cried to him, saying, "Pass over into Macedonia and help us." {59} From this the Apostle believed that God wished him to preach the Gospel there, and therefore he embarked in a ship with his companions, staying, on their first landing, at Philippi, the chief city. There was no synagogue in this place, for but a very few Jews dwelt there; yet in a little quiet enclosed space by the riverside, the true God was worshipped by a small assembly of Christians, chiefly women. On the Sabbath the Apostles went to preach to them. One of the women was not of the people of Philippi; she was but staying there while she tried to sell some of the richly-dyed purple or scarlet cloth, which was so greatly prized at that time for its brilliant colour. {60} Her name was Lydia, and she was not a Christian; but when from the eloquent lips of St. Paul she heard the story of the wonderful life, and still more wonderful death, of Jesus of Nazareth, her heart opened to receive the truth, and she and all her household were converted. In that city of Philippi there was a female slave, through whom, it was supposed, the pagan gods were accustomed to speak, and therefore she managed to gain money for her owner by appearing to foretell future events. When this poor creature saw the Apostles going about the streets of Philippi, she used to cry out, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who preach unto you the way of salvation." {61} One day as she uttered these words, St. Paul pitied her, and pausing, said to the evil spirit which possessed her, "I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go out from her." That Holy Name had power then as in later days, and in that same hour the evil spirit departed from the poor slave, much to the displeasure of her masters, who could now gain no more money by the strange predictions of future things she had been accustomed to utter. In their rage they seized St. Paul and Silas and dragged them before the magistrates, complaining that they disturbed the public order by teaching unlawful customs to the people.