Reading… and Thinking

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 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 the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.

— Acts 18:1-3 (NIV)

We know from several passages that Paul often worked for his own living while doing his preaching work. It’s only here that we learn how he supported himself: he was a tentmaker. This may seem strange, since we know that he was primarily a scholar in Jerusalem. But we learn from sources outside the New Testament about the Pharisaic school of Hillel, which was led by Gamaliel at this time and which Paul (then Saul) attended. (Acts 22:3) One of the requirements was that every scholar must have a trade, preferably one that involved working with the hands. Hillel thought this would help avoid the “ivory tower” problem, of scholars being out of touch with the real world. So this little detail in this passage rings true.

But the more interesting story here is the remarkable couple that Paul stayed with. The emperor Claudius threw the Jews out of Rome because the anti-Christian Jews were instigating riots against the Jews who had turned to Christ. (The gospel got to Rome very quickly, incidentally without involvement from the apostles.) Not too long afterwards, Jews were allowed to come back. Providentially, Aquila and Priscilla showed up in Corinth just about when Paul did. This wonderful couple was to play a key part in the foundation of three important churches.

We learn about the first two right in this chapter. Their part in the early days of the Corinth church is not given much attention. We can only suppose from the fact that they went on to become vigorous preachers, that they started their work right there. By the time Paul headed home a year and a half later, they went with him as far as Ephesus (v 18). When the response there was very favorable, they stayed behind—and Paul obviously felt that the important work was being left in capable hands.

Paul’s trust was well-founded. Priscilla and Aquila hosted the young Ephesus church in their own home (1 Cor 16:19), and soon after Paul left they brought Apollos into the faith, who proved to be another powerful force in the early church. The foundation was so well laid that when Paul came back, the church had already grown strong, and with him there it became the leading church in the entire region—a situation that continued for centuries.

But this isn’t the end of Priscilla and Aquila’s work. (By the way, after their first introduction, Priscilla is usually named first. Those who foolishly assert that Paul was anti-female haven’t paid attention to the high regard he had for this remarkable woman.) Later on, when Paul writes to the church in Rome, he says, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks; greet also the church in their house.” (Rom 16:3)

To say that “all the churches of the Gentiles” gave thanks to these two people is a tribute that is unparalleled. It’s obvious that they had returned home to Rome, and started right in again with their preaching, once again hosting the church in their home. We don’t know how it was that they risked their lives for Paul—that’s something not even hinted at in Acts. Doesn’t it make you wonder what other things they did?

In every way, Priscilla and Aquila are examples for us. They immediately responded to the word of truth. When they came to the Lord, they gave the rest of their lives to his service. They were vigorous preachers. They used their material blessings in the Lord’s work. They built up and nurtured the church. And in their marriage they had a wonderful partnership in the Lord’s service. They are outstanding models for believers in every generation!