Editing Priscilla and Aquila

{{short description|1st century Christian missionary married couple}}
{{Infobox saint
| honorific_prefix = [[Saints]]
| name = Aquila and Priscilla of Rome
| image = Sint-Paulus bij de heiligen Aquila en Priscilla, onbekend, schilderij, Museum Plantin-Moretus (Antwerpen) - MPM V IV 118 (cropped).jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Detail from ''Paul staying in the house of Saints Aquila and Priscilla'' by [[Jan van de Venne]], 17th cent.
| titles = Holy Couple and [[Martyrs]]
| birth_name =
| birth_date = Unknown
| birth_place = 
| home_town = 
| residence = 
| death_date =
| death_place = Rome
| venerated_in = {{plainlist|
*[[Catholic Church]]
*[[Anglican Communion]]
*[[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
*[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]
*[[Lutheran Church]]
}}
| beatified_date = 
| beatified_place = 
| beatified_by = 
| canonized_date = [[Pre-Congregation]]
| canonized_place = 
| canonized_by = 
| major_shrine = 
| feast_day ={{plainlist|
* 8 July (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion)
* 13 February (Eastern Orthodoxy)
* 14 July (other Orthodox Churches commemorate Saint Aquila alone as an Apostle)
}}
| attributes = Crown of Martyrdom<br />Martyr's palm<br />Cross
| patronage = {{plainlist|
*[[Love]]
*[[Marriage]]}}
| issues = 
| suppressed_date = 
| suppressed_by = 
| influences = 
| influenced = 
| tradition = 
| major_works = 
}}

'''Priscilla'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|p|r|ɪ|ˈ|s|ɪ|l|ə}}; {{Langx|el|Πρίσκιλλα|Priskilla}}}} and '''Aquila'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|w|ɪ|l|ə}}; {{Langx|el|Ἀκύλας|Akylas}}}} were a [[Christianity in the 1st century|first-century]] [[Christian missionary]] married couple described in the [[New Testament]]. Aquila is traditionally listed among the [[Seventy Disciples]]. They lived, worked, and traveled with the [[Apostle Paul]], who described them as his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus" ({{Bibleref2|Romans|16:3|NASB}}).<ref name="Keller">Keller, Marie Noël. ''Priscilla and Aquila: Paul's Coworkers in Christ Jesus.'' Liturgical Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-8146-5284-8}}.</ref>

Priscilla and Aquila are described in the New Testament as providing a presence that strengthened the [[early Christian churches]]. Paul was generous in his recognition and acknowledgment of his indebtedness to them ({{Bibleref2|Romans|16:3–4|NIV}}). Together, they are credited with instructing [[Apollos]], a major evangelist of the first century, and "[explaining] to him the way of God more accurately" ({{Bibleref2|Acts|18:26}}).

It is thought by some to be possible, in light of her apparent prominence, that Priscilla held the office of [[presbyter]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Torrance |first1=Thomas F. |title=The Ministry of Women: An Argument for the Ordination of Women |url=http://www.forwardministryonline.com/links/ordinationofwomen/womenpriestsinantiquity.htm |website=Forward Ministry |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref> She also is thought by some to be the anonymous author of the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]].<ref name=Hoppin>Hoppin, Ruth. ''Priscilla's Letter: Finding the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews.'' Lost Coast Press, 2000. {{ISBN|1-882897-50-1}}</ref>

== New Testament references==

They are mentioned six times in four different books of the [[New Testament]], always named as a couple and never individually. Of those six references, Aquila's name is mentioned first only twice: and one of the times on account of it being Paul's first encounter with them, probably through Aquila first.

# {{Bibleref2|Acts|18:2–3|NLT}}: "There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when [[Claudius' expulsion of Jews from Rome|Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome]]. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was."
# {{Bibleref2|Acts|18:18|NLT}}: "Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him."
# {{Bibleref2|Acts|18:26|NLT}}: "When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately."
# {{Bibleref2|Romans|16:3|NLT}}: "Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus."
# {{Bibleref2|1 Corinthians|16:19|NLT}}: "The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings."
# {{Bibleref2|2 Timothy|4:19|NLT}}: "Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus."
Note: This is not KJV; in the KJV, Acts 18:26 lists their names as "Aquila and Priscilla" making the count three and three.

== The couple ==
[[File:Sint-Paulus bij de heiligen Aquila en Priscilla, onbekend, schilderij, Museum Plantin-Moretus (Antwerpen) - MPM V IV 118.jpg|thumb|''Paul staying in the house of Saints Aquila and Priscilla'' by [[Jan van de Venne]], 17th century: [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] is at left, writing a [[Epistles of Paul|letter]]; Priscilla is at right, spinning, and her husband Aquila is in the background, working on the loom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Paulus bij St. Aquila en St. Priscilla |url=https://search.museumplantinmoretus.be/Details/collect/209928 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214215944/https://search.museumplantinmoretus.be/Details/collect/209928 |archive-date=2025-02-14 |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=[[Plantin–Moretus Museum]] |language=nl}}</ref>]]

Priscilla and Aquila were [[tentmakers]] as was Paul.<ref>{{Bibleref2|Acts|18:1–3}}; {{Bibleref2|Acts|20:33–35}}; {{Bibleref2|Philippians|4:14–16}}.</ref> Priscilla and Aquila had been among the [[Jew]]s expelled from Rome by the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Claudius]] in the year 49 as written by [[Suetonius]]. They ended up in [[Corinth]]. Paul lived with Priscilla and Aquila for approximately 18 months. Then the couple started out to accompany Paul when he proceeded to [[Syria]], but stopped at [[Ephesus]] in the [[Asia (Roman province)|Roman province of Asia]], now part of modern [[Turkey]].

In {{Bibleref2|1Cor|16:19||1 Corinthians 16:19}}, Paul passes on the greetings of Priscilla and Aquila to their friends in Corinth, indicating that the couple were in his company. Paul founded the church in Corinth.<ref>{{bibleverse|1Cor|4:15||1&nbsp;Cor.&nbsp;4:15}}</ref> His including them in his  greetings implies that Priscilla and Aquila were also involved in the founding of that church. Since 1&nbsp;Corinthians discusses a crisis deriving from a conflict between the followers of Apollos and the ''followers of Cephas'' (possibly the apostle [[Saint Peter|Peter]]), it can be inferred that Apollos accompanied Priscilla and Aquila when they returned to Corinth. This happened before 54, when Claudius died and the expulsion of the Jews from Rome was lifted.

In {{Bibleref2|Romans|16:3–4|}}, thought to have been written in 56 or 57,<ref>Bruce, F. F. (1983). ''The Epistle of Paul to the Romans: An Introduction and Commentary.'' [[Tyndale New Testament Commentaries]]. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press.</ref> Paul sends his greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and proclaims that both of them "risked their necks" to save Paul's life.

Tradition reports that Aquila and Priscilla were [[martyr]]ed together.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060712022100/http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=531 "Sts. Aquila and Priscilla"]. Catholic News Agency (CNA)</ref><ref name=oca>[https://oca.org/saints/lives/2017/07/14/101950-apostle-aquila-of-the-seventy "Apostle Aquila of the Seventy"]. Orthodox Church in America</ref>

===Priscilla===
[[File:Harold Copping - Priscilla illustration from Women of the Bible published by - (MeisterDrucke-225035).jpg|thumb|Priscilla illustration from the Women of the Bible, [[Harold Copping]]]]
Priscilla was a woman of Jewish heritage and one of the earliest known Christian converts who lived in Rome. Her name is a Roman diminutive for ''Prisca'' which was her formal name. She is often thought to have been the first example of a female preacher or teacher in early church history. Coupled with her husband, she was a celebrated missionary, and a friend and co-worker of Paul.<ref name="Bilezikian">Bilezikian, Gilbert. ''Beyond Sex Roles.'' Baker, 1989. {{ISBN|0-8010-0885-9}}. pp.200–201</ref>

While the view is not widely held among scholars, some scholars have suggested that Priscilla was the author of the [[Book of Hebrews]]. Although acclaimed for its artistry, originality, and literary excellence, it is one of the few books in the [[New Testament]] with author anonymity.<ref name=Hoppin/> Hoppin and others suggest that Priscilla was the author, but that her name was omitted either to suppress its female authorship, or to protect the letter itself from suppression.<ref name=Hoppin/><ref name=von>Adolph von Harnack, "Probabilia uber die Addresse und den Verfasser des Habraerbriefes", ''Zeitschrift fur die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der aelteren Kirche'' (E. Preuschen, Berlin: Forschungen und Fortschritte, 1900), 1:16–41. English translation available in Lee Anna Starr, ''The Bible Status of Woman.'' Zarephath, New Jersey: Pillar of Fire, 1955, 392–415</ref>

She is the only Priscilla named in the [[New Testament]]. The fact that she is always mentioned with her husband, Aquila, disambiguates her from different women revered as saints in Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Lutheranism, such as (1)&nbsp;[[Priscilla]] of the Roman Glabrio family, the wife of [[Quintus Cornelius Pudens]], who according to some traditions hosted [[St. Peter]] circa AD 42, and (2)&nbsp;a third-century virgin martyr named [[Saint Prisca|Priscilla]] and also called Prisca.

===Aquila===

Aquila, husband of Priscilla, was originally from [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]]<ref name=maas>Maas, Anthony. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01661b.htm "Aquila and Priscilla"], ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907, accessed 23 December 2013</ref> {{Bibleref2|Acts|18:2||Acts 18:2}} and also was a [[Jewish Christian]]. According to church tradition, Aquila did not dwell long in Rome: the Apostle Paul is said to have made him a bishop in [[Early centers of Christianity#Anatolia|Asia Minor]]. The ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'' identify Aquila, along with Nicetas, as the first bishops of Asia Minor (7.46).

==Significance==
This couple were among the earliest known Christian missionaries in the first century. In {{Bibleref2|Acts|18:24–28|NIV}}, Luke reports the couple explaining Jesus' baptism to [[Apollos]], an important Jewish-Christian evangelist in Ephesus.  Paul indicates Apollos is an apostle,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/4072844|title=How a Woman Taught an Apostle and we Missed It|first=Dr Merrilyn|last=Mansfield|access-date=9 December 2021|website=Academia.edu}}</ref>{{rp|pp.230–231}} an "eloquent speaker" who had a "thorough knowledge of the Scriptures". He had been "instructed in the way of the Lord" which he taught with great "enthusiasm". He began to preach boldly in the synagogue. However, he knew only the baptism of John the Baptist—not the baptism taught by Jesus. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him "more accurately".<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|18:24–28||v.26}}</ref>

Amongst churches today, this passage is often held in perceived tension with [[1 Timothy 2:12|1 Timothy 2:12–14]], in which the author, who also identifies himself as Paul,<ref>I Timothy 1:1</ref> writes, "I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." Opponents of female pastorship cite his reference to Adam and Eve to be indicating that the issue is a matter of universal gender propriety. On the other hand, Catherine and Richard Kroeger have written:
<blockquote>The fact is that women did indeed teach men, that women served as leaders, and that in doing so they enjoyed God’s blessing and won the praise of other believers. Priscilla instructed the learned Apollos, Lois and Eunice taught Timothy, and Phoebe is named as an overseer and a deacon in the church at Cenchrea. Furthermore, believers are enjoined to teach and to learn from one another, without reference to gender.<ref>Kroeger, Richard and Kroeger, Catherine. ''I Suffer Not a Woman: Rethinking 1 Timothy 2:11–15 in Light of Ancient Evidence'' (Baker, 1992)</ref></blockquote>

Advocates of female pastorship perceive this as an imperative that was a reflection of cultural and legal restrictions of the day. They cite {{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|11:11–12}}, where Paul writes "Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God" and his affirmation of Priscilla's instruction of the prominent evangelist Apollos as evidence that Paul was acceding to the law and customs of his day.

===Chronology===
The appearance of the two in the Acts of the Apostles helps to provide a [[chronological synchronism]] for the chronology of Paul's life. According to {{Bibleref2|Acts|18:2f}}, before Paul meets them in Corinth, they were part of a group of Jews whom the Emperor [[Claudius]] ordered expelled from Rome; if this edict of the Emperor can be dated, then we would be able to infer when Paul arrived in Corinth.

The evidence of other ancient sources points to two possible periods during the reign of Claudius: either during his first regnal year (AD 41; so [[Dio Cassius]], ''Roman History'' 60.6.6), or during his nexpulsion took place: some, like Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, argue for the earlier year,<ref>''Paul: A critical life'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), pp. 8–15</ref> while others, like Joseph Fitzmyer, argue for the later year.<ref>''The Acts of the Apostles'' (New York: Doubleday, 1998), pp. 619f</ref>

==Veneration==
Priscilla and Aquila are regarded as saints in most Christian churches that [[canonization|canonize]] saints. In the [[Catholic Church]], the [[Roman Martyrology]] lists their feast as July 8.<ref name=maas/> Most churches in The Anglican Communion follow suit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary |title=The Episcopal Church Lectionary|website=episcopalchurch.org|access-date=8 July 2024}}</ref> The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] and the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch|Antiochian Orthodox Church]] commemorate them together on February 13.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww1.antiochian.org/node/17511|title=St. Priscilla, with her husband, Aquila, at Ephesus &#124; Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese|website=1.antiochian.org|access-date=9 December 2021}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.stharalambos.org/PDFs/InTouch_Feb09.pdf Name Days]", ''In Touch'' 17.2, Feb. 2009.</ref> 
The Greek Orthodox Church recognizes Aquila separately as an apostle on July 14.<ref name=oca/>

==See also==
*[[Aquila of Sinope]]
*[[Early centers of Christianity#Greece]]
*[[Flavia Domitilla (wife of Clemens)]]
*[[Titus Flavius Clemens (consul)]]
*[[Paul the Apostle and women]]

== Notes ==
{{Noteslist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Priscilla and Aquila}}
*[http://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/history/christianity/308-saints-aquila-and-priscilla Saints Aquila and Priscilla] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228072601/http://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/history/christianity/308-saints-aquila-and-priscilla |date=2016-02-28 }}

{{New Testament people}}
{{Catholic saints}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Priscilla}}
[[Category:1st-century Christian female saints]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the New Testament]]
[[Category:1st-century deaths]]
[[Category:Groups of biblical people]]
[[Category:Christianity in Roman Corinth]]
[[Category:Early Jewish Christians]]
[[Category:Epistle to the Hebrews]]
[[Category:First Epistle to the Corinthians]]
[[Category:Married couples]]
[[Category:People in Acts of the Apostles]]
[[Category:People in the Pauline epistles]]
[[Category:Groups of Roman Catholic saints]]
[[Category:Seventy disciples]]
[[Category:Women in the New Testament]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Groups of ancient Romans]]