Aquila and Priscilla

( Or Prisca.)

Jewish tentmakers, who left Rome (Aquila was a native of Pontus ) in the Jewish persecution under Claudius, 49 or 50, and settled in Corinth, where they entertained St. Paul, as being of their trade, on his first visit to the town ( Acts 18:1 ff. ). The time of their conversion to the Faith is not known. They accompanied St. Paul to Ephesus ( Acts 18:18-19 ), instructed the Alexandrian Apollo, entertained the Apostle Paul at Ephesus for three years, during his third missionary journey, kept a Christian church in their house ( 1 Corinthians 16:19 ), left Ephesus for Rome, probably after the riot stirred up by the silversmith Demetrius ( Acts 19:24-40 ), kept in Rome also a church in their house ( Romans 16:3-5 ), but soon left that city, probably on account of the persecution of Nero, and settled again at Ephesus ( 2 Timothy 4:l9 ). The Roman Martyrology commemorates them on 8 July. It is not known why Scripture several times names Priscilla before Aquila; the different opinions are given by Cornely, (Rom., 772). A number of modern difficulties based on the frequent change of residence of Aquila and Priscilla are treated by Cornely, ( Romans 16:3-5 ).