Aquila

From BibleWiki

Meaning: eagle

Aquila and his wife Priscilla are mentioned six times in the New Testament: (Acts 18:2,Acts 18:18,Acts 18:26; Rom 16:3; 1Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19). It is interesting to note that in the odd numbered verses, Aquila's name comes first, while in the even numbered verses, Priscilla's comes first. It would seem to indicate that they were respected equally for their committment to the roles of church founders, supporters, teachers and missionaries. They were always opening their home and their business to assist the church.

It is not clear if Priscilla and Aquila were already Christians when they met Paul or if they became converts after meeting him. There was no established Christian church in Corinth when Paul arrived and the Goddess Aphrodite was commonly worshipped. There was a temple for Aphrodite as well as a sactuary for Demeter and Kore. A synagogue, also found there, cannot be dated precisely. Corinth was a city known for having significant problems with sexual immorality. One of the Greek verbs meaning to practice fornication was korinthia-zomai. This was an issue that Paul addressed in 1Cor 5:1ff and 1Cor 6:9ff.

Aquila and Priscilla shared a common trade with Paul, tentmaking and leather work, and he was alone in Corinth with no money. Paul was reluctant to ask the Corinthians for financial assistance as he didn't want the Gospel to be tainted by any suspicion that he was in it for the money. Aquila and Priscilla established him in their business and gave him the hospitality of their home. Their business was a valuable part of their ministry as it enabled them to travel and establish church houses in three different countries.

It was in Ephesus that Priscilla and Aquila met the intelligent and well spoken Apollos preaching in the synagogue (Acts 18:24ff). Apollos had heard and believed the baptism of repentance of [[John the Baptist|John]]. He was promoting his belief with eloquent preaching and exhortation and he had a thorough command of the Hebrew Scriptures. Aquila and Priscilla became friends and mentors to Apollos, instructing him in the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. They are credited with explaining the Gospel to him on a deeper, more spiritual level which helped Apollos become one of the most effective speakers of Christianity in his time.

It is obvious that Paul held them in the highest esteem; they risked their own lives for him. Paul was probably referring to the riot in Ephesus started by the silversmith, Demetrius in Acts 19:24ff. It is quite likely that Paul was staying with Aquila and Priscilla while in Ephesus and the mob would have gone straight to their home to seize the apostle. The mob's intention was to have a spectacle in the Colosseum. Paul makes an allusion to this in 1Cor 15:32 when he wrote 'If, as men do, I fought a wild beast at Ephesus, of what benefit is it to me?'. Unfortunately, there is no information on how Priscilla and Aquila saved Paul but we do know that the mob was unsuccessful.

After the riot and with the death of Claudius, Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome and established a church in their home. They did not stay long in Rome this time because of the persecution of Christians by Nero and returned to Ephesus. According to the Roman Martyrology they died on July 8. They were not blessed with children.