Greet Aquila and Priscilla – Romans 16:3-5

 As I have said several times, this letter was written while Paul was in Corinth. I think that in some ways, Paul’s most important ministry was in the city of Corinth. He was there about a year and a half. He began, as usual in the Jewish synagogue, but eventually moved to the house of a Gentile, who was lead of the Holy Spirit to believe on Christ. Not only was that man, Justus, saved through Paul’s ministry there, but so was Chrispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue. And it was there that Paul first met Aquila and his wife. Acts 18 1-3 describes their initial relationship – “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.” By the time that the letter to the Romans was written, Aquila and Priscilla had returned to Rome. They were such close friends with Paul, that they were the first people on his mind, after Phebe the bearer of the letter. I know that we’ve looked that this couple before, but since they are put before us once again, let’s use this opportunity to find some things to apply to ourselves.

I won’t keep you long tonight as we review at Aquila, Priscilla and the city of Corinth.

Let’s begin with the city.In Paul’s day, Corinth was the capital of Achaia and the residence of the Roman proconsul. In other words, it was the seat of the Roman government in that region. It was a strategic city in the overall Roman Empire.

And it had a long and important history. The ancient version of the city was called “Ephyra.” According to myth, it was named after the daughter of the Titan god “Oceanus.” So from its earliest moments, Corinth was in some ways connected idolatry and to the sea. Despite the fact that it wasn’t really on the sea. It was linked to the ocean through three ports, the most important of which was Cenchrea. Nevertheless, Ephyra was one of the great commercial and military capitals of the Mediterranean. It is said that the first ships ever built specifically for war were commissioned by the Corinthians sometime around 450 BC. And as Sparta, Thebes, Argos and even Athens declined because of their lack of commercial enterprise, Corinth prospered. But Ephyra resisted the spread of Rome, and in 146 BC it was completely destroyed by Mummius. The conflagration that leveled the city melted tons of precious metals, including gold, silver and copper. The mixture of those materials was just right to produce a bronze that was new to most people. It was the most beautiful new alloy to be produced in years and became known as “Corinthian Brass.” So the destruction of the city, actually contributed to more of its future fame and wealth. (That is something which has been duplicated in thousands of individual lives as well. Just because something which you think is a disaster has struck you, don’t despair. Figure out what can be done to turn that into a lesson or a blessing.) A hundred years after Corinth’s destruction, Julius Caesar, recognizing the strategic importance of the area, returned the city into its earlier glory. As a result, one of the differences between Corinth and Athens was that Corinth became a Roman community. Although both cities were cosmopolitan, Athens had Greek or Helenistic roots, but Corinth was Roman. Immediately after it’s rebuilding, the city began to thrive again. And when Paul arrived, about a hundred years had passed since its reincarnation.

Corinth is about 50 miles to the west of Athens. As I said this morning, it is on an isthmus, a narrow stretch of land between northern Achaia and the Peloponnesus, the large body of land that looks almost like an island at the south end of Greece. That isthmus wasn’t more than 8 miles across, but overlooking the narrowest point was an 1,800 foot mountain, called the “Acro-corinthus.” That bluff, or mountain, became a part of the city. From the top of the Acrocorinthus people could clearly see parts of both the Aegean and Ionian Seas. And eventually there was a ship-canal carved across the isthmus at Cenchrea, saving days of travel around the Peloponnesus. At the top of the Acrocorinthus, there were the usual array of temples and other important buildings. Up there was the famous fountain of Pirene, which was dedicated to the honour of the Muses. The Muses were said to be nine of the daughters of Zeus, They presided over nine different areas of art and culture. There was a Muse who governed painters, another over sculptors, another over music and another over writers, etc. Also at the top of Acrocorinthus was a temple dedicated to the patron deity of Corinth, Aphrodite. And if you were listening this morning, you’ll remember that Aphrodite is another name for Phebe.

There is some debate about the origin of the name “Corinth.” It is attributed to several different people and to different gods or goddesses, but Gill says that it comes from the Greek phrase “corai entha” – which translates: “here are girls.” If that is the true explanation of the name “Corinth,” and that is debatable . . . If that is the true explanation, then it highlights the general character of the people of Corinth. Aphrodite, the patron of Corinth, was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. And as a part of her worship, there were over a thousand prostitutes employed in her temple. Corinth was infamous as one of the most licentious and morally wicked cities in the Roman Empire. And it became a universally accepted proverb that when a good person became immoral he or she was said to have “corinthianized.” Even in modern dictionaries, a “Corinthian” is someone given to licentiousness or profligate luxury.

So Athens and Corinth were separated by only a few miles, but they were at opposing poles culturally. Corinth was wicked and debased, while Athens professed to be spiritual and cultural. Athens was considered to be the one of the most educated and intellectual cities in the Roman Empire, but the principle interests of Corinth were sensual and economic. Paradoxically however, this very difference made Corinth ripe for the gospel, while Athens was spiritually impregnable. And not only that, but the commercial nature of Corinth made it a springboard in sending the gospel around the world.

Paul may have entertained thoughts about leaving Corinth when he was expelled from the synagogue, but the Lord had other plans. Acts 18:9 – “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.” And as a result Paul stayed for a year and a half in Corinth.

Shortly after his arrival in Corinth Paul met the Aquila and Priscilla of Romans 16.“After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”

Why Claudius Caesar ordered the Jews out of Rome is one of those hotly debated subjects of ancient history. Some say that the Emperor’s wife was thinking about becoming a proselyte, and this provoked him. One ancient historian, named Suetonius, says that Claudius “expelled the Jews from Rome, who were continually making tumults, being moved thereunto by one Chrestus,” People like John Gill think that this is a reference to “Christ,” and it is explained to mean that the Jews in Rome were beginning to fight among themselves about Jesus the Messiah. In order to prevent a small civil war in the capital, Claudius ordered all the Jews out of the country. Most unbelievers didn’t see any real difference between the Jews and the Christians in those days. Other historians argue other reasons for this expulsion, some of which don’t make a lot of sense, because Claudius was actually very friendly toward the Jews. He had decreed that the Jews should have freedom to worship the Lord in their own way and to move about the Empire in relative freedom. All of this is one reason why Alexandria, Egypt became one of the foremost Jewish cities in the world. And that may be the reason that the Jews were tolerated in Athens, despite the wishes of the Areopagites.

Anyway, Aquila, a business man with apparently some wealth, being driven out of Rome, moved to Corinth. That decision was probably purely economic, but he and his wife didn’t stay there very long. Like Lot they may have moved to Sodom for financial reasons, but their spirituality wouldn’t permit them to stay. When Paul finally left Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla went with him. “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there.” Then later we read: – “And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Sometime after Acts 18, the couple returned to Rome and helped to start a church there. “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.” We are left to wonder when and what the situation was, where these two risked their lives for Paul. Perhaps it was in Ephesus, but it might have been something not told us about Corinth. Aqulla and Priscilla are also mentioned at the end of the book of I Corinthians: “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” And then finally, in Paul’s last letter from Rome to Timothy, who was pastoring the church in Ephesus, he said, “Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.” Apparently this couple were seasoned travelers going from Pontus to Rome, to Corinth, to Ephesus, back to Rome and eventually back to Ephesus. They either started churches in several places or whole-hearted supported the churches which were there. They were good and honourable Christians.

And speaking of honour – In a couple of scriptures Priscilla, the affectionate shortened version of Prisca, is mentioned before her husband. This may be explained by her higher birth in Roman society, but we don’t have any information about that in the scriptures.

Aquila and Priscilla were originally from Pontus near the south-eastern edge of the Black Sea. It was probably there that Aquila learned the trade of tent-making. Paul too, had learned that trade. It was a part of Jewish life that fathers taught their sons to carry on the family business or trade. And it was said that any father who didn’t teach his son a trade, was teaching him to become a thief. So Paul was a tent-maker, rather than a thief. And I am told that Tarsus was actually quite famous for a special kind of goat-skin tent. It could be that Aquila was using this same material, or that he was interested in learning more about it, and the two men became acquainted that way.

Undoubtedly on the first sabbath after his arrival in Corinth, Paul visited the synagogue, and soon he met Aquila and Priscilla. But what was it that drew them together? It might have been that Paul, needing to support himself, asked about job opportunities and was directed to the new comers from Rome. Some suggest that Aquila was already a Christian, and this was the thing that brought the two together. I have reservations about calling Aquila a Christian before he met Paul. Although that is not impossible, The Book of Acts doesn’t give us the slightest hint of that, just calling him “a Jew.” Whichever came first, these three people became very close friends and co-workers in the evangelism of the world. Paul even took up residence in the couple’s house while in Corinth, helping in the tent business.

Here in Romans 16 Paul is back in Corinth, and this couple are back in Rome. Once again they are at the forefront of the church which is being established in that city. Either Aquila is the pastor, or one of the elders of that church, or merely that he and his wife have opened up their large home to the assembly of God in that city. Not only were they good and helpful Christians, but we don’t read of anything about which to criticize them. They were known and loved by the people of several churches around the Mediterranean.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the same could be said of us?