Man living at the time of the New Testament
Aquila, along with his wife Priscilla, was a Jewish Christian who worked as a tentmaker and played a significant role in the early church, partnering with Paul in his ministry.
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Aquila was a Jewish Christian from Pontus who, along with his wife Priscilla, played a significant role in the early church. He is first mentioned in the book of Acts as a tentmaker who had recently come to Corinth from Italy due to the emperor Claudius' decree expelling all Jews from Rome. Paul, also a tentmaker, stayed and worked with Aquila and Priscilla during his time in Corinth.
When Paul left Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla accompanied him to Ephesus. There, they met Apollos, an eloquent Jewish Christian from Alexandria who knew only the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately, enabling him to continue his effective ministry.
In Paul's letter to the Romans, he sends greetings to Aquila and Priscilla, commending them as his co-workers in Christ Jesus who risked their lives for him. Paul also mentions that the church met in their house, indicating their significant role in hosting and supporting the local Christian community.
Aquila and Priscilla are mentioned again in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, where he sends greetings from them and the church that meets at their house. Finally, in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he asks Timothy to greet Aquila and Priscilla, demonstrating their ongoing involvement in the ministry and their close relationship with Paul and his associates.
Part of: Paul's Circle
Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth because they shared his trade of tentmaking, and he worked with them. This couple then traveled with him to Ephesus.
Sources: Scripture
Aquila and Priscilla had recently come from Italy because Claudius ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Suetonius mentions an expulsion over disturbances instigated by "Chrestus", which historians usually link to this event and to early Christian-Jewish tension in Rome.
Sources: Scripture · Suetonius, Life of Claudius 25
When Apollos preached in Ephesus knowing only the baptism of John, Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. Priscilla is named first in several places, which many take as a sign of her prominence.
Sources: Scripture
Paul sends greetings to a church in their house in Rome, and from Ephesus a church meets at their house. They risked their necks for Paul.
Sources: Scripture
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Eagle, a native of Pontus, by occupation a tent-maker, whom Paul met on his first visit to Corinth (Acts 18:2). Along with his wife Priscilla he had fled from Rome in consequence of a decree (A.D. 50) by Claudius commanding all Jews to leave the city. Paul sojourned with him at Corinth, and they wrought together at their common trade, making Cilician hair-cloth for tents. On Paul’s departure from Corinth after eighteen months, Aquila and his wife accompanied him to Ephesus, where they remained, while he proceeded to Syria (Acts 18:18, 26). When they became Christians we are not informed, but in Ephesus they were (1 Cor. 16:19) Paul’s “helpers in Christ Jesus.” We find them afterwards at Rome (Rom. 16:3), interesting themselves still in the cause of Christ. They are referred to some years after this as being at Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:19). This is the last notice we have of them.
(an eagle), a Jew whom St. Paul found at Corinth on his arrival from Athens. (Acts 18:2) (A.D, 52,) He was a native of Pontus, but had fled with his wife Priscilla, from Rome, in consequence of an order of Claudius commanding all Jews to leave the city. He became acquainted with St. Paul, and they abode together, and wrought at their common trade of making the Cilician tent or hair-cloth. On the departure of the apostle from Corinth, a year and eight months after, Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him to Ephesus. There they remained and there they taught Apollos. At what time they became Christians is uncertain.
AQ'UILA. Acts 18:2. A Jew born at Pontus, in Asia Minor. Being driven from Rome by a decree of the government requiring all Jews to leave that city, he and his wife, Priscilla, came to Corinth, and were dwelling there at the time of Paul's first visit to that city. Acts 18:1. They were of like occupation (tent-makers), and Paul was received and hospitably entertained at Aquila's house; and they also accompanied him from Corinth to Ephesus. On some occasion they rendered Paul very important service, and a very warm friendship existed between them. Rom 16:3-5. See Apollos.
AQ'UILA. Acts 18:2. A Jew born at Pontus, in Asia Minor. Being driven from Rome by a decree of the government requiring all Jews to leave that city, he and his wife, Priscilla, came to Corinth, and were dwelling there at the time of Paul's first visit to that city. Acts 18:1. They were of like occupation (tent-makers), and Paul was received and hospitably entertained at Aquila's house; and they also accompanied him from Corinth to Ephesus. On some occasion they rendered Paul very important service, and a very warm friendship existed between them. Rom 16:3-5. See Apollos.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
6 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G0207
There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,
Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
Greet Prisca and Aquila, as well as the household of Onesiphorus.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.