Acts 18:1-3, 18-19a, 24-26; Romans 16:3-4; 1; Corinthians 16:19
There are millions of women around the world who hate Paul. They hate him because of what he has to say about women keeping silent and wives being submissive to their husbands. Some women believe that Paul is anti-woman. There is, however, a different view of Paul’s attitude toward women. And that comes from his willingness to form strong friendships and working relationships with women. One of those women was Priscilla, sometimes called Prisca.
Priscilla is always mentioned in the New Testament along with her husband, Aquila, and more often than not Priscilla is named first. This was very unusual in the ancient world. It may indicate that she had a higher social status than her husband, perhaps because of inherited wealth. Or it may be that she was the stronger leader of the two in the church that met in their home. Or it may be simply that she had the more impressive personality.
Aquila was originally from Pontus, a city on the Black Sea. Tradition says that he was a freedman, a former slave who had either earned his freedom by working for it or who had paid for it. He had learned the trade of leather-working and tentmaking to support himself. He made his way to Rome, where he met Priscilla, a woman from a high-born family. She apparently was also well-educated. They eventually married. Apparently they were already Christians; there is no mention that Paul converted them to Christianity.
In 49 the Emperor Claudius issued an edict that all Jews, including Jewish Christians, had to leave Rome. So Priscilla and Aquila moved to Corinth, where they established a business and sponsored a church that met in their home. It was there that they met Paul in 51. Paul always supported himself financially while on his missionary travels, and since he was a tentmaker he found a position working with Aquila. He was also invited to move into their home.
About 18 months later, Paul decided to move on to Ephesus, and he invited Priscilla and Aquila to go with him. They agreed, and they moved together. Once in Ephesus, they set up another tentmaking shop and began the work of establishing a house church. After just a few months, Paul decided that he needed to go on to Jerusalem, but Priscilla and Aquila stayed in Ephesus. For three years, they worked at building up a Christian community. They probably supported it financially through money earned in their business. They led the services, which included celebrating the Lord’s Supper, reading letters from preachers and teachers, and hearing from visiting missionaries. During the week, they would have been visiting the sick and those in prison, giving aid to the needy, and teaching about Jesus.
One day, a brilliant scholar named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was invited to speak in the synagogue (where Jewish Christians were still in attendance). Priscilla and Aquila listened to him and realize that he had an incorrect understanding of the Christian faith. So they invited Apollos to their home and began to teach him the truth about Jesus and the Way of following him. Apparently Apollos did not react negatively to being taught by a woman.
When Paul came back to Ephesus, his efforts at converting the population did not get good results. But they did stir up the people. He began to criticize those who were making and selling idols, specifically silver figures of Artemis. The biggest attraction in Ephesus was the Temple of Artemis, and many silversmiths depended on selling these idols in order to support themselves. One of them named Demetrius got them all stirred up and eventually there was a huge demonstration.
Paul may have been in prison at least once during his time in Ephesus. And it was probably during those days when Priscilla and Aquila “risked their necks” to save Paul’s life, as he states in Romans 16:4. They truly were loyal friends who were willing to risk their own lives in order to protect Paul.
In 54 Emperor Claudius was poisoned by his wife and her son, Claudius’ stepson, Nero, was named emperor. He lifted the ban on exiled Jews, and Priscilla and Aquila decided to go back to Rome. There they hosted another house church. It is possible that they were both martyred during the persecution of Nero about ten years later. The Church of St. Prisca on Avenue Hill in Rome is said to have been built over the site of her house church. Priscilla was held in high esteem by the early Church Fathers.
There are several things that we can learn from Priscilla. First, it is possible to have a successful marriage partnership that involves more than domestic responsibilities for the wife. Priscilla was her husband’s equal in every way. Paul considered her his co-worker, just as much as he did Aquila, and maybe more, since he always mentioned her first. And they hosted the church groups in their home together. They instructed Apollos together. They were a team.
Second, Priscilla knew how to turn a tragedy into an opportunity. When she was forced to leave her home in Rome, she made the best of it. Living in Corinth and in Ephesus, she opened her home to the Christian believers to have church meetings and services. She helped to make converts to the faith. She was a missionary, in her own way, bringing the gospel to people who had not heard it before. And the church grew because of her efforts.
And finally, Priscilla was a woman of great courage and great love. Paul says that both she and her husband risked their necks in order to save his life. She was loyal to her friend and to the Christian faith. She was willing to give her own life in order to save the life of her friend. And Jesus said that no one could have greater love than that. This same courage may have led to her martyrdom during the persecution of Christians that began under Emperor Nero. She would rather die than renounce her faith in Jesus.
Priscilla is one of the women who was a co-worker of Paul, giving us the knowledge of Paul’s true perspective on women. He saw them as equals in working in the church. He considered them to be his helpers and co-laborers. And certainly Priscilla was one of his dearest friends.
We may not know a lot about Priscilla, but what we do know is that she was a strong woman, strong in character, strong in faith, strong in loyalty, and strong in her determination to help build the church. We do well to honor and remember her today.
