We have looked at individuals mentioned in Acts, such as Paul, Barnabas, and Luke, the author of Acts. In this blog, I want to highlight a couple, who are always mentioned together. They are Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2), or at most other times, Priscilla and Aquila, or Prisca and Aquila. Priscilla is the affectionate diminutive of her proper name, Prisca (Romans 16:3).
In Acts, we first encounter this couple in chapter 18, where they and Paul were in Corinth. They had lived in Rome, until the Emperor, Claudius, forced them to leave with other Jews. The Roman historian, Suetonius, said this about the edict of Claudius:
“Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.”
Sherlock Holmes is not needed to see that Suetonius got the name slightly wrong. It was not a man named Chrestus, but the title Christos, or Christ (Anointed One or Messiah). The Roman government, especially in Rome, took a dim view of disturbances. It is now assumed that the disturbance was between Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah, and Jews who rejected the idea of a crucified Messiah, whom God raised from the dead. All Claudius really seemed to care about was Pax Romana (Roman peace), and only saw that Jews were causing trouble, so away with the Jews. Priscilla and Aquila were Jews and, as such, were expelled and made their way to Corinth.
As the great old hymn says, God moves in a mysterious way. Luke seemed to enjoy edicts of emperors turning into God’s sovereign will. It was not a chance meeting they had with Paul in Corinth, but a Spirit-blessed one. They already were believers in Jesus, and, as a bonus, shared the same occupation of making or repairing tents.(1) It was hard work, but important work that allowed them the resources to preach, teach, and minister for the Messiah to all, without taking money from those with whom they shared the Good News. Along with Paul, they did all of that.
All of that included teaching a bright, well-educated, Alexandrian Jew, named Apollos, when God joined him with this dynamic duo in Ephesus. He was an eloquent and passionate believer, who proclaimed the Messiah, Jesus. However, knowing only the baptism of repentance by John, he did not know of baptism in the name and power of Jesus, through which forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit came. Thanks to this woman and her husband, Apollos and his message were completed.
This teaching for Apollos happened in Ephesus when Prisca and Aquila “invited him to their home (Acts 18:26).” They seemed to have homes in several cities and were constantly inviting others to them. Their houses were the houses in which believers met for worship and instruction. Hospitality was their gift from God and faithfully shared with God’s people. An open home opens hearts. They opened many hearts!
Prisca (Priscilla) has often been singled out as an example of the Christian empowerment of women in leadership, teaching, and serving. She certainly was such an example. The cultural norm of listing the husband’s name first was not usually followed with this couple, and that has led many to assume it was because she was the more dynamic of the two. Others think it was because she was the wealthier one and was from a higher social class (Aquila married above his station). What all of that guess-work misses, is that whoever is named first, they were always named together. Singling either out distorts their Biblical witness.
In Christ, they were one flesh. In a marriage where one (husband or wife) seeks top billing, there will be jealousy. I, for one, want it to be Roxanne and Tim. It can be Tim and Roxanne if appropriate, but please, always together—always one. As with Priscilla and Aquila, Jesus is the Lord of our family. We serve Him, together. Certainly, not all are called to marriage, as seen in Paul, and, of course, in Jesus. But we were so called. Looking back, we see God’s leading us to each other.
I know well that loving and faithful followers of the Messiah have experienced the pain, serious pain, of divorce. We all sin and fall short, even in the best marriages. God gives us the freedom to sin and hurt those we love. We can’t figure all that out, and are even less able to change the past. What we have is the present moment filled with the love of the Father, and hopefully, the loving support of our brothers and sisters in Christ. His forgiveness and His gift of repentance point us forward with the assurance that He’s not through with us. His blessings are before us, and our blessing others through His Spirit, lie ahead.
Priscilla and Aquila stand together before us as a model of hope in Christ, and oneness through Christ. Praise God!
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(1) It is possible that "tentmakers" may have manufactured and repaired various kinds of booths, canopies and awnings for city use. (From Dictionary of Paul and His Letters © 1993 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. All rights reserved.)