Priscilla and Aquila

Biblical Record

According to Acts 18, Aquila was a Jew born in Pontus. When the Roman emperor Claudius ordered the Jews to leave Rome, Aquila came to Corinth with his wife Priscilla. Because Paul shared their trade, he stayed with them and worked with them as a tentmaker (Acts 18:2–3). The couple later sailed with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18–19). In Ephesus they heard Apollos, a man "mighty in the scriptures," teaching while knowing only the baptism of John. They took him aside and "expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:24–26).

In Paul's letters the wife's name appears as "Prisca." Paul calls the couple "my helpers in Christ Jesus" and writes that they "have for my life laid down their own necks" (Romans 16:3–4). The church is also recorded as meeting in their house (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19). They are also named among those to be greeted in 2 Timothy 4:19.

Significance Within Scripture

Moving among Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome, the couple are a leading example of lay coworkers who supported the mission of the early church. Their opening of their home as a meeting place is frequently cited as evidence that the early church gathered in homes. It is also notable that, of the six times the couple is mentioned, the wife's name appears first more often than not.

Interpretations and Debates

• Order of names: Some interpret Priscilla's being named first as reflecting her higher social status; others see it as reflecting her greater prominence in ministry. The text does not state the reason.
• The instruction of Apollos: Supporters of the ordination of women cite this scene as an instance of a woman teaching a male teacher. Opponents hold that this was done privately, together with her husband, and differs from public teaching exercised through a church office.
• Timing of conversion: The text does not make clear whether the two were already Christians before they met Paul.
• Later traditions: The hypothesis that Priscilla wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews was proposed by the German theologian Adolf von Harnack but has not gained wide acceptance. Accounts such as their martyrdom are later traditions and are not found in the biblical text. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have traditions commemorating the couple as saints.