Aquila

Overview

• Testament: New
• Role: Tentmaker from Pontus; husband of Priscilla; expelled from Rome under Claudius; co-laborer with Paul in Corinth and Ephesus
• Family: Husband of Priscilla; no children mentioned
• Key Books: Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy

Biography

Aquila was a Jewish tentmaker from Pontus (a region on the southern shore of the Black Sea) who had been living in Rome with his wife Priscilla until the Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome, probably around AD 49. This expulsion is corroborated by the Roman historian Suetonius, who records that Claudius expelled Jews who were “constantly making disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus” — likely a reference to conflicts over Christ in the Roman synagogues. Aquila and Priscilla moved to Corinth, where Paul met them on his arrival from Athens.

Paul, who was also a tentmaker by trade, moved in with Aquila and Priscilla and worked with them while evangelizing in Corinth (Acts 18:2–4). This working relationship over eighteen months in Corinth formed a deep bond. When Paul moved on to Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla accompanied him and settled there (Acts 18:18–19). It was in Ephesus that they encountered Apollos, took him aside, and completed his understanding of the Christian faith — a remarkable act of lay mentorship that shaped one of the early church’s most gifted teachers.

Paul’s letters reveal the breadth of Aquila and Priscilla’s ministry. Romans 16:3–5 greets them warmly in Rome (they had apparently returned after Claudius’s death), describes them as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus who risked their necks for my life,” and notes that a church met in their house. 1 Corinthians 16:19 relays greetings from “Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house.” This pattern of house churches hosted by Aquila and Priscilla appears across multiple cities — Corinth, Ephesus, Rome — suggesting they deliberately made their home a center of Christian community wherever they lived. 2 Timothy 4:19 mentions them once more, still in service.

Aquila’s name consistently appears alongside Priscilla’s, and notably Priscilla is named first in four of the six New Testament references to the couple — an unusual pattern in antiquity that many scholars take as an indicator of her greater public prominence or spiritual gift in the partnership.

Key Events

• Expelled from Rome with Priscilla under Claudius’s edict; settles in Corinth (Acts 18:2)
• Paul stays and works with him as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3)
• Accompanies Paul to Ephesus at the close of his second journey (Acts 18:18–19)
• With Priscilla, takes Apollos aside and completes his instruction (Acts 18:26)
• Church meets in their house in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19)
• Returns to Rome; church meets in their house there; “risked their necks” for Paul (Romans 16:3–5)

Relationships

• Priscilla - wife; inseparable co-laborer in ministry
• Paul - worked with him in tent-making and in ministry
• Apollos - taught more fully by him and Priscilla

Important Verses

• Acts 18:2–3
• Romans 16:3–4
• 1 Corinthians 16:19

Cross-References

• Acts 18 - Arrival in Corinth, work with Paul, move to Ephesus, teaching of Apollos
• Romans 16 - Greeted warmly in Rome; risked lives for Paul
• 1 Corinthians 16 - House church in Ephesus
• 2 Timothy 4 - Still mentioned in ministry

Notes

• Aquila and Priscilla are the most traveled couple in the New Testament — Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome again — their mobility served the spread of the gospel
• The pattern of Priscilla being named first (in 4 of 6 references) has generated discussion about her spiritual leadership within the marriage, though both are consistently described as a unit
• Their practice of hosting house churches and mentoring gifted individuals like Apollos illustrates lay ministry at the highest level of theological and relational investment