Used with permission: Character by Character compiled by Selwyn Hughes and Trevor Partridge. Copyright © CWR (www.cwr.org.uk).
Scripture passages referenced and linked in this lesson are written out for your convenience on this page.
presents
Lesson 6: Aquila and Priscilla
Scripture passages referenced and linked in this lesson are written out for your convenience on this page.
Aquila: “Eagle”; Priscilla (Prisca): A Latin name
Refugees
Acts 18:2 (click the link to read the passage)
Aquila and Priscilla were a Jewish husband and wife team, originally from Pontus in Asia Minor. They were living in Rome when the Emperor Claudius issued an edict expelling all the Jews from there, probably because of clashes in the Jewish community concerning the subject of Christianity. After leaving Rome, Aquila and Priscilla settled in Corinth but, like so many other Jews of the Dispersion, they were vulnerable to persecution and often moved from place to place. It is obvious from what the Scripture says about them that they turned their frequent journeys to good advantage in spreading and sharing the good news of the Gospel.
For thought and contemplation:
The genius of the Christian message is that it is not what happens to us that matters, but what we do with what happens that is important. Aquila and Priscilla learned how to turn their difficult circumstances to advantage. Have you learned that secret yet?
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18, NIV)
Tent-makers
Aquila and Priscilla, like all Jews of whatever station in life, were trained in a craft. In their case it was tent-making—the same trade as that of the apostle Paul. When Paul arrived in Corinth, he “became acquainted” with Aquila and Priscilla, “for they were tentmakers just as he was” (The Living Bible). We cannot be certain of Aquila’s and Priscilla’s spiritual condition at the time when the apostle joined them. Some think they were already Christians prior to Paul’s arrival, while others believe they were converted under his dynamic ministry in Corinth. There can be no doubt, however, that Aquila and Priscilla would have been able to inform Paul about conditions in Rome, which would have been of great interest to this missionary strategist.
For thought and contemplation:
If it is true that Paul’s association with Aquila and Priscilla began on a business footing, it certainly did not stay on that level for long. Paul would soon have brought the conversation gently and tactfully around to Christ. And note the words ‘gently and tactfully’—they are important. For “to win some”, as D.L. Moody once put it, “we must be winsome.”
“A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24, AV)
Adventurers
It appears that Aquila and Priscilla risked their lives on Paul’s behalf. We are not told anything about the circumstances, but Paul alludes to this fact when writing to the Church in Rome. Aquila and Priscilla were a brave and adventurous couple who gained the gratitude of all the Gentile churches for their labours in the Gospel (Romans 16:4). It is quite clear that when Paul left Corinth, after spending a considerable time there, Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him as far as Ephesus, where they remained when he returned to Antioch. It seems that eventually—possibly after the death of the Emperor Claudius—they returned to Rome, since Paul sends his greetings to them there (Romans 16:3).
For thought and contemplation:
“The worst thing that can happen to a Christian”, says Edward Eddy, “is to lose a sense of adventure in spiritual things. To those who walk closely with Christ, every stumbling-block becomes a stepping-stone, every adversity an adventure. Without the recognition of this, one sinks down into despair.” How do you interpret what is happening around you at the moment? As an adversity—or an adventure?
“…I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14, NIV)
Aquila came from Pontus, a remote Roman province. Priscilla’s origins seem different. Her name, appearing sometimes in its shorter form, as Prisca, is often met with in monuments in Rome.
One of the oldest of the catacombs at Rome is known as “the burial-place of Priscilla.” The name Prisca has been found in association with an aristocratic family, some members of which were buried in this catacomb. From these facts it has been inferred that Priscilla was a member of this family, and that has been taken as the reason why, of the six places where she and her husband are mentioned in the New Testament, four have the wife’s name first. (W. F. Adeney)
Teachers
During their stay in Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla met up with another Jew from the Dispersion, known as Apollos. He was an eloquent speaker and had a good knowledge of the Old Testament.
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 Spirit at Pentecost.
Aquila and Priscilla heard him speaking boldly in the synagogue at Ephesus, but detected a lack of the Spirit’s power and presence in his life. After taking him aside, Priscilla (as Chrysostom says) “was able to instruct him”—or, as Luke puts it, “they expounded to him the way of God more accurately” (v. 26, RSV).
For thought and contemplation:
Did you notice that Luke puts Priscilla’s name first, suggesting she took the lead in the teaching ministry? Does this mean she was not fulfilling her Scriptural role? What do you think?
“…all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28, NIV)
Church leaders
It is obvious that during their stay at Ephesus, Priscilla became the hostess of the new church there, as when Paul wrote from Ephesus back to Corinth, he sent the “hearty” greetings of Aquila and Priscilla and “the church in their house” (1 Cor. 16:19). In the letter to the Romans, we find a similar reference to “the church in their house”, which suggest that after returning to Rome, they again gave hospitality to meetings of the believers. Aquila and Priscilla flit in and out of the pages of the New Testament with the spotlight never focused clearly upon them. We would love to know more about this intriguing couple, but for some reason, the Holy Spirit is content to give us just a few glimpses into their spiritual actions and adventures.
For thought and contemplation:
Have you ever pondered what is the basic qualification for leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ? Is it just an ability to preach or teach? No. The basic qualification for leadership is a willingness to serve. Take a moment now to pray for the leader, or leaders in your church or community.
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:11-12, NIV)
The lesson to be learned from Aquila and Priscilla
Such a couple as Aquila and Priscilla—mentioned only six times in the New Testament, but always with warm appreciation—were obviously valued colleagues in the infant Church. Only twice is the husband, Aquila, mentioned first, from which commentators both ancient and modern infer that the wife was the more gifted personality. These two, yoked together in Christ, stand before us as a living picture of the way our earthly loves can be glorified if the light of heaven is allowed to shine into them.
The main lesson that we learn from the lives of Aquila and Priscilla, however, is the fact that, under God, they were able to turn their adversity into an adventure.
Used with permission: Character by Character compiled by Selwyn Hughes and Trevor Partridge. Copyright © CWR (www.cwr.org.uk).
