If she is preparing a lesson, she may come to get my help in understanding a particular verse, and we find ourselves sharing the Word together. 1. You probably know something about each of those dynamic duos. The people begged Paul to stay, and Paul said no, but "I will return, if the Lord wills." Paul left and sailed to Caesarea, and Aquila and Priscilla stayed there to teach. We have already seen, in our notice of Lydia, how large a part women sometimes had in the origin of Churches formed by the Apostle Paul. But you know what? First, their names always appear together. 9. Acts 18:1 Meaning 2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. Priscilla and Aquila noticed one problem: Apollos didnt know that Jesus had already been born, died on the cross, was resurrected, and had gone back to heaven. Are you sharing the Word of God with each other? We find written in the New Testament about a couple - Aquila and Priscilla that have left the following seven very beautiful and worthy lessons to be learned and followed by every Christian couple. Anything can become a ministry. How did it make Apollos more effective? They are mentioned six times in four different books of the New Testament, always named as a couple and never individually. From Priscillas life, I am taking lessons for faith, marriage, ministry, and business. The careful description of Aquila as a Jew, a man of Pontus (Acts 18:2), rather implies that Priscilla his wife was not a Jewess; because her name is usually put first (4 out of 6 times), it is thought that she was of higher social standing than her husband. In every place where the Bible refers to Aquila or Priscilla, it speaks of them together, suggesting that they formed a useful and well respected partnership. He had learned about Jesus but knew only of the baptism of repentance practised by John, being ignorant of the news of the descent of the Holy . Churches in New Testament times could not afford to own land and build buildings, nor would it have been wise to do so if they could, in view of the continual pressure and persecution. And all things are from God" and his affirmation of Priscilla's instruction of the prominent evangelist Apollos as evidence that Paul was acceding to the law and customs of his day. If they did have kids, it appears their lives were not centered on their children, but Christ. His two friends were willing to give everything in the service of the Savior, even their lives. Aquila and Priscilla were martyred with other Christians. Enjoy these fun facts about her. Then the couple started out to accompany Paul when he proceeded to Syria, but stopped at Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia, now part of modern Turkey. For wives: Are you threatening your husband by striving to prove your superiority in certain areas? His Latin name, Aquila, means "eagle." Most likely he was a freedman living in Rome because most of the Jews living in Rome at this time were such. We do not know for certain whether she was Jewish or Roman, nor are we sure whether or not they were both Christians at the time. Aquila and Priscilla may not have been accomplished public speakers, but they were diligent students of the Word, and they loved to share it with others. If they didnt believe before, they would certainly have received teachings from Paul. Of those six references, Aquilas name is mentioned first only twice, Priscillas name is mentioned first on four occasions; this may indicate her equal status with her husband, or even possibly that Priscilla was thought of as the more prominent teacher and disciple. Youve heard their names, they show up occasionally in your Bible reading, and you might even remember something about this married couple. I admired the sound and productive friendship she and her husband shared with Paul. His name means eagle. Fourth, they became life-long friends and ministry partners of Paul. They lovingly and patiently rehearsed the life and ministry of Jesus Christ on earth, His sacrificial and substitutionary death on Calvarys cross for the sins of the world, His victorious resurrection from the tomb and glorious ascension into heaven, the necessity for personal salvation from sin by faith in His finished work, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the birth of the Body of Christ, and other great New Testament doctrines. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Priscilla is commonly identified with her husband, Aquila. Some Bible scholars believe they were martyred in Rome due to Christians being blamed for a fire which occurred when they returned and resettled there. Young people have profited greatly by adults who have opened their homes to youth groups. If they didnt have kids, it may have been sad for them, but they still maximized their days for the Lord. Learn how your comment data is processed. In Romans 16:34, thought to have been written in 56 or 57,[7] Paul sends his greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and proclaims that both of them "risked their necks" to save Paul's life. What is the meaning of Priscilla in the Bible? There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. And they were doing just that. If you can imagine the racial protests and riots of 2020, you will have a window into what was going on in Rome. Whether you worship alone or with some of your friends, make sure the enemy knows your space is a place of godly worship, peace, and praise. It is easier for them not to show up at all than to have their wives outshine them. Acts 18:24-26. The greater the intimacy, the more success you will experience in your life. Priscillas story is told in the New Testament. They are mentioned six times throughout scripture. Batman and Robin. Her sorrow: To experience opposition to the gospel from both Jews and Gentiles. In particular they helped Apollos, a newly converted Jewish teacher who had come to Ephesus from Egypt ( Acts 18:24-26). In Acts 18:2428, Luke reports the couple explaining Jesus' baptism to Apollos, an important Jewish-Christian evangelist in Ephesus. It is easy to imagine that at this time the home of Priscilla and Aquila was a real hive of theocratic activity. Apollos is first mentioned as a Christian preacher who had come to Ephesus (probably in AD 52 or 53), where he is described as "being fervent in spirit: he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John ". Bert and Ernie. But Priscilla and Aquila are also a brilliant example of the heroic self-devotion which is kindled by true Christian faith. Brilliant and well-traveled as he was, there were limitations. [4], The Christian Church, beginning with Jesus, had a radical view of the status of women. The number of ways to build a ministry is countless. She is the only Priscilla named in the New Testament. What could you do now to avoid those problems? We hear Luke and Paul tell of a woman who had rich influence on the nurturance and growth of churches in Corinth, Ephesus and their home-city of Rome. It's said a generation spans roughly 25 years. Another thought is that Priscilla was born unto an elite Roman family but fell in love with Aquila, an ordinary Jewish tentmaker and gave up her wealth to live with the love of her life. Their story begins in Acts 18 when they came in as a group of refugees who were fleeing from Rome in 49 A.D. as a result of the persecutions happening there. And there, in private, they taught him the full story about Jesus. This was the epitome of courageous faith. The greater the intimacy, the more fulfilled you will be. Richard, was a 1954 graduate of Wheaton College, and received his Th.M. Coupled with her husband, she was a celebrated missionary, and a friend and co-worker of Paul. Why? Adolph von Harnack, "Probabilia uber die Addresse und den Verfasser des Habraerbriefes", Suetonius mentions this expulsion of the Jews from Rome (, "The Ministry of Women: An Argument for the Ordination of Women", "Comparing the Status of Women in the Early Christian Church with Their Contemporaries in Greco-Roman Culture at Large", "How a Woman Taught an Apostle and we Missed It", "St. Priscilla, with her husband, Aquila, at Ephesus | Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Priscilla_and_Aquila&oldid=1142389469, Articles about multiple people in the Bible, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 14 July (other Orthodox Churches commemorate Saint Aquila alone as an Apostle), This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 03:35. KEY VERSE: "Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." Romans 16:3,4. Nowadays, we have become very protective of spaces. Priscilla and Aquila were also good friends of and ministry partners with Paul (Romans 16:3). Their home was a meeting place for the Ephesian church. The church at Ephesus encouraged him to go and wrote a letter of recommendation to the church at Corinth. Aquila and Priscilla exhibited such unity, they were one in their secular job of tentmaking, one in their love for each other, and one in their service for the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, but lets start with ten facts about Priscilla and Aquila. Not everyone received his testimony. Aquila and Priscilla are always mentioned together. Actually, Prisca was her real name. Priscillas husband was named Aquila. Reading through a book of the Bible together will allow God to speak to our lives. Tradition reports that Aquila and Priscilla were martyred together. "For my sake," says the Apostle, "they laid down their own necks." We do not know to what incident he refers; possibly it may be the riot in the theatre at Ephesus, in which he was in great danger, and which made a deep . They moved to Corinth in Achaia, the southern part of Greece, where they met Paul. And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them (Acts 18:11). Thats where they met Paul. Priscilla and Aquila found something that was priceless. Driven away from Thessalonica and Berea through persecution stirred up by the Jews, and from Athens by the rationalistic spirit which reigned in that cultured city, Paul departed to the . You can tell that their partnership was built on intimacy that was deep as it was wide. In some way, Priscilla and Aquila took a risk, and exposed their lives to great danger for the purpose of protecting Paul. [10], While the view is not widely held among scholars, some scholars have suggested that Priscilla was the author of the Book of Hebrews. So he withdrew from the synagogue and began teaching in the house of Titus Justus next door. Aquila and Priscilla were martyred with other Christians. Aquila and Priscilla Feast day: Jul 08. But life is better when there is a tribe of people like this. An extensive research on husband-wife saints listed only 10 since the time of Christ. At the mouth of the valley of the shadow of death he remembered the old days in Corinth, and the, to us, unknown instance of devotion which these two had shown, when, for his life, they laid down their own necks. Priscilla appears on six occasions in a King James Bible (2 Timothy 4:19 shortens her name to "Prisca" ). Priscilla and Aquila had that kind . How can you demonstrate more fully the equality you share in Christ as husband and wife? Priscilla, Aquila, and Timothy ministered together with Paul in Corinth, and Priscilla and Aquila worked alongside Timothy in Ephesus. When Christianity was new, there was no such thing as a church building. Possibly at this time they became Christians ( Acts 18:1-3). [11] The Greek Orthodox Church and the Antiochian Orthodox Church commemorate them together on February 13. I suppose the emperor didnt want them to disrupt and destroy the place any longer so he expelled them. Tenth, they may have had children. According to Jewish law, those who teach and preach should not get paid. When they came to Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila stayed there. The wonderful thing is that as women, God has equipped us with what we need to do what He has called and commissioned us to get done. Priscilla and Aquila had been among the Jews expelled from Rome by the Roman Emperor Claudius in the year 49 as written by Suetonius. After Paul left them in Ephesus, they heard Apollos speaking in the synagogue, but his knowledge of the truth was deficient. In addition, the Greek Orthodox Church recognizes Aquila separately as an apostle on July 14. BulletinInserts.org - A ministry of Christian Communicators Worldwide. 2. And true, we better not throw in the towel. Eighth, they risked their necks for Paul (Rom 16:3-4). Paul found in Priscilla and Aquila compatibility in purpose and a true, life-long friendship. What spiritual contribution are you making to the lives of others? Priscilla and Aquila appear in four chapters of the Bible; Acts, Romans, Corinthians and Timothy. However, it apparently works out well for some. Although Paul left them in Ephesus and went on his way at some point, he always sent greetings to them in his letters to the congregations that met in various homes. Priscilla was a businesswoman who, with her husband Aquila, likely owned leatherwork or tent-making shops in several urban centers of the ancient worldRome, Corinth and Ephesus. Not every husband and wife can work together like this. Aquila and Priscilla are mentioned one more time in the New Testament, in the last chapter of the last book the Apostle Paul wrote. When Paul left Corinth for Ephesus eighteen months later, Aquila and Priscilla went with him, and remained in Ephesus when Paul moved on ( Acts 18:11;  Acts 18:18-19). Aquila and Pricilla were a Jewish couple that converted to Christianity and aided Paul in spreading the gospel. Most references to husbands and wives in the Bible place the man first. The two letters of Paul to the Thessalonians, which later became part of the Bible canon, may have been written while the apostle was staying with Aquila and Priscilla. If you are a Bible study teacher, you are free to allow this content to influence the lessons you teach or the sermons you present. But we do know from Scripture that when they left Rome they went to Corinth. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him "more accurately".[v.26]. Aquila and Priscilla returned to Rome by 57 CE where they became church leaders again. (1958 More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Priscilla and Aquila flesh this idea out and call us to similar discipleship. Your ministry may even be under the disguise of a business. AQUILA was a natural Jew and a . Nevertheless, theres definitely enough for us to learn some awesome things about her. Scripture tells the story like this: After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. But when we consider Pauls experiences and culture and the original audiences experiences and culture, those six mentions like a trumpet proclaim Priscillas significance in the nurturing of home-churches throughout the Mediterranean and impact on Pauls life and ministry.
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