Priscilla & Aquila

After this, 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 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

During our college years, my husband and I were fortunate enough to study the Book of Acts for an entire semester. At the time, we did not have aspirations of being in ministry full time, but we enjoyed the course. Now that we find ourselves in full time ministry, the book of Acts is not just a book that we enjoy- but a fantastic source of inspiration.

If Acts is the story of the early Church, the Apostle Paul is the main protagonist. His passion for the gospel is simply unparalleled. Early on in the book of Acts, we learn that Paul experiences Christ’s love and forgiveness in such a way that he feels compelled to make his life about showing others that they too, could have such an experience with God.

As Paul and the early Christians worked tirelessly to form the Christian Church, excitement was high! This excitement was… confusing to the Roman government who was obsessed with maintaining order in their land - no matter the cost. Unfortunately, the Roman government was so confused by the the early Christian's exuberance - so fearful of disturbance, that they asked the early Christians to please leave Rome altogether.

Oddly, this mandatory evacuation was one of the best things that ever happened to the church. Because this was when Paul met Priscilla and Aquila.

Just like Paul, Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers. Their tent making skills combined with their passion for Jesus made the three instant friends. While Paul is seen taking the lead in ministry, scripture shows us that Aquila and Priscilla were never far behind - using their gifts and influence to grow the church.

Priscilla and Aquila don’t get a lot of press. They are mentioned only three times in the New Testament but there is still so much that we can glean from their life and ministry.

Here are some of the highlights:

1. Priscilla and Aquila faithfully accompanied Paul in his travels. No doubt, preaching such a countercultural message was not without its fair share of difficulties and Paul would have needed friends who would encourage him to press on. Their friendship must have been noteworthy as Paul thanks Priscilla and Aquila for their loyalty not only the book of Acts, but also in the book of 1 Corinthians and the book of Romans.

2. In Acts, we learn that a man named Apollos is also traveling the country speaking about God, but unfortunately doesn’t have all of his facts straight. Priscilla and Aquila quietly take Apollos aside and equip him to tell the story of Jesus, his crucifixion and resurrection. Priscilla and Aquila could have left this task for Paul, but felt that this was a task that they could take on so that Paul did not have to.

3. Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned in 1 Corinthians where readers learn that they hosted a church in their home! We know that Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers so it is safe to assume their home was a bit nicer - or maybe even larger- than the other homes in the area. Hosting a crowd in their home was a very natural way that they could serve together.

4. There is some evidence to suggest that Priscilla may have authored the book of Hebrews. While we may never know for sure, we do know that during that time anything written by a woman would have been disregarded immediately. It is possible that Priscilla selflessly left her name off of her writing because she knew that what she had to say was too important to be thrown away.

I imagine that Priscilla and Aquila’s life wasn’t that much different from yours or mine. Did they have children who needed their time, care and attention? I don’t know. Did their tent making business ever get in the way of all that they hoped to accomplish within the early church? Probably. Did Priscilla ever get behind in the laundry? Did Aquila ever put off household projects to hangout with Paul? Probably. Did Priscilla and Aquila ever tell Paul that they needed to take a break from ministry to spend more quality time with each other? Again, there is no record of this…but I hope that they did.

The interior of our home needs to be repainted. The flooring in the kid’s bathroom needs to be replaced after an unfortunate incident with a shower curtain and a lot of water. And somebody needs to take the car for an oil change… I am guessing that your situation is equally as complicated.

You know what’s fun about Priscilla and Aquila? When Paul speaks about them, he never separates one from the other. The text always reads Priscilla AND Aquila. In those days, it was extremely rare for a woman’s name to be listed before her husband’s name -but I think that Paul saw them as a team, not as two individials who happened to be married to oneanother. This was a couple clearly not afraid to defy traditional gender roles to accomplish their career, ministry, and family tasks.

How about you? Are you working together with your spouse? Feel free to use some of the questions below to start a great conversation with your husband or wife.

1. It was natural for Priscilla and Aquila to use their home to serve together. It was a blessing that they shared with one another – so why not share it with everyone?

What are some natural gifts, blessings or talents that you and your spouse can use in ministry?

2. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he never appeared to favor women over men. Jesus recognized the value of both genders in way that no one had before.

How about you? Are you tied to the cultural expectations of your time, or are you comfortable challenging stereotypes in ministry?