Who Were Aquila and Priscilla and What Can We Learn from Their Marriage and Ministry?

In the New Testament, Aquila and his wife Priscilla were two Christians who supported and partnered with Paul throughout his missionary journeys. Faithful in marriage and ministry, they encouraged new believers and strengthened the church wherever they went. They have become a model for married couples in ministry and an inspiration to bi-vocational ministers looking to encourage fellow believers wherever God places them.

When Does the Bible First Mention Aquila and Priscilla?

We first meet Aquila and his wife Priscilla in Acts 18 when Paul visits the city of Corinth in Greece after leaving Athens (Acts 18:1).

Corinth was famous for rampant immoral behavior. Still, Paul sought to expand his ministry and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to Macedonia and Greece (Acts 16:6–19:20), and on his second missionary journey, he helped plant a church in the city of Corinth (Acts 18:1-17).

Paul stayed in Corinth to help strengthen the church and encourage local believers. When there, “he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them.” (Acts 18:2)

There is little known about Aquila and Priscilla besides what these verses reveal. Nevertheless, a few details tell us the following:

• Aquila was a Jew originally from Pontus, located in Asia Minor on the southern shores of the Black Sea. Like many Jews outside Judea, he had a traditional Latin name meaning “eagle.” We don’t know whether he had a Hebrew name at birth.
• Priscilla (called Prisca in 2 Timothy 4:19) also carried a common Roman name. We don’t know if she was Jewish like her husband.
• Aquila and Priscilla resided in Rome before Corinth, fleeing after Roman Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome by imperial decree. The decree’s exact date is debated. However, biblical scholars generally agree that the Jews were expelled around A.D. 49.
• In Corinth, Aquilla and Priscilla set up a tent-making business (Acts 18:3).

We do not know when or how Aquila and Priscilla came to know Christ. They may have been among Paul’s converts during his first trip to Corinth. They may have first heard the gospel from another apostle before coming to Corinth (see Acts 2:9; 1 Peter 1:1). Whether they knew Paul from his first missionary trip or not; they became close friends and fellow laborers with Paul for the rest of his life.

Paul eventually left Corinth, traveling through the Galatia region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples (Acts 18:23). Priscilla and Aquilla went with him as far as Ephesus (Acts 18:18; 1 Corinthians 16:19). From this point on, the couple regularly partnered with Paul in ministry, supporting him financially and opening their home to the apostle whenever he passed through the region.

After Paul left Ephesus for other ministry locations, Priscilla and Aquila remained and opened their home for believers to gather.

Why Is it Important that Aquila and Priscilla Were Tentmakers?

In Acts 18, Luke adds an interesting detail about how the couple came alongside Paul: “because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them (Aquila and Priscilla), and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers” (Acts 18:3).

We don’t know whether Aquilla and Priscilla were full-time tentmakers or using it as a side project to finance their ministry. We know they lived in a good location for their business: Corinth was a political and commercial trade center on an isthmus—a land bridge connecting the Peloponnesian peninsula with the rest of Greece. Virtually all traffic between northern and southern Greece passed through the city. Traders, seafarers, and merchants from Greece and beyond regularly passed through Corinth.

Paul and his friends bonded in their common interests.

1. They shared their love and faith in Jesus Christ.
2. They shared a similar passion for evangelism and the gospel’s spread.
3. Their shared trade allowed them to finance their living and ministry expenses in Corinth.

While Paul lived with Aquila and Priscilla, he made tents and preached the gospel in the synagogue (Acts 18:4).

The fact that Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla to make tents shows an interesting side to his ministry.

Paul sometimes received financial aid from the local church. He thoroughly thanked the Philippian church for supporting him throughout his ministry and sending aid while in prison (Philippians 4:15-18). However, Paul’s goal was always to increase the gospel and minister to fellow believers, not financially burden the local church. He avoided seeking donations to support his ministry. In several letters, Paul wrote how he and his companions worked day and night to cover their expenses to avoid burdening believers in those cities (1 Thessalonians 2:9, 3:7-8; 1 Corinthians 8:6-18; 2 Corinthians 11:7).

Given his character, it makes sense that Paul partnered with Aquila and Priscilla, using tent-making as a trade to cover their expenses while ministering in Corinth. They may also have saved the proceeds for Paul’s later missionary journeys.

What Do Later New Testament Letters Say about Aquila and Priscilla?

Paul references Priscilla and Aquila in his first letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:19). In his second letter to Timothy, written from abroad, he asked his young protégé to “greet Prisca and Aquila” (2 Timothy 4:19).

The last time we read of Priscilla and Aquila in the Bible in Paul’s letter to the Roman church: “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house.” (Romans 16:3-5)

The passage tells us that Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome at some point following Emperor Claudius’s death and his decree being reversed. The husband-and-wife team, whom Paul regarded as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus,” had started a home church in Rome.

We don’t know what exactly Priscilla and Aquila risked helping Paul. Given their friendship and Paul regularly encountering persecution, it’s unsurprising that they went out of their way to provide for Paul and shelter him from harm, even if it came at great cost or risk to their lives.

What Can Aquila and Priscilla Teach Us Today?

This biblical couple can teach us several things.

1. Sometimes Christians Must Flee Persecution. Likewise, Christ warned His followers that persecution would be a part of their lives. However, sometimes, Christians are called to flee persecution and leave areas that are hostile to their faith. This is not something to be ashamed of. Sometimes, we are called to weather the storm of persecution and remain where God has placed us. Other times, God calls us to leave or walk away (Matthew 10:14; see also Matthew 2:13-15). Aquila and Priscilla left Rome when it was no longer safe to remain. In time, God would open a door for them to return. It is important that they went as the Spirit led, not in fear, but always in faith. Paul had a similar attitude: friends like Agabus warned him about hostility if he visited Jerusalem, but Paul was willing to be bound and killed for the gospel’s sake (Acts 21:13-14).

2. Husbands and Wives Can Serve in Ministry Together. It is not uncommon for husbands and wives to serve in different ministries; there is nothing wrong with this. Each of us should serve and sow into the kingdom using whatever gifts and talents God has given us. However, husbands and wives serving alongside one another in ministry have unusual power. The Bible may have ordained roles for men and women in family and church leadership (Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3; Colossians 3:18-21). Still, husbands and wives acting as one flesh are never precluded from serving together in ministry. Aquila and Priscilla show the impact couples and families can have to labor together for the kingdom’s sake.

3. Mature Christians Should Lovingly Disciple Young Believers. In Ephesus, an Alexandrian Jew named Apollos, who was “eloquent,” “mighty in the Scriptures,” and “fervent in the spirit,” began “speaking boldly in the synagogue” (Acts 18:24-28). However, though he spoke accurately about Jesus, he only knew John the Baptist’s teachings (Acts 18:25-26). Priscilla and Aquila “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). More mature couples in the faith should make themselves available to disciple, mentor, and even correct young believers, always with a gentle spirit and desiring to restore them to proper theology and conduct (Proverbs 15:1; 2 Timothy 4:2)

4. Bi-Vocational Ministers Play an Important Role in the Church. From his conversion onward, Paul devoted himself to spreading the gospel. Evangelism became his primary occupation. However, even Paul occasionally worked as a tent-maker to meet his needs. Likewise, Aquila and Priscilla worked a trade to support their family and ministry. Not every Christian is called to abandon their job and enter full-time ministry. Some will, and God’s grace provides for their material needs. However, many Christians are called to minister faithfully in their jobs while serving the local church. Serving where God has placed us in our workplace and neighborhood is not a calling anyone should take lightly. Grounded bi-vocational ministers, faithful, hard-working, hospitable, and generous to both sinners and the saved, are often some of the most effective at serving their communities and the local church. Aquila and Priscilla are prime examples of how their witness and impact can be profound. May the church be filled with more couples like Aquila and Priscilla.

Photo Credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024

Joel Ryan is an author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Salem Web Network and Lifeway. When he’s not writing stories and defending biblical truth, Joel is committed to helping young men find purpose in Christ and become fearless disciples and bold leaders in their homes, in the church, and in the world.

This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.

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