Aquila
The tentmaker from Pontus who was expelled from Rome with his wife Priscilla, became a co-worker of Paul, taught Apollos in Ephesus, and whose household hosted the church in multiple cities.
The Faithful Partner
Scripture: Acts 18; Romans 16; 1 Corinthians 16
The Biblical Record
Aquila was a Jew from Pontus. He had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them and worked with them as tentmakers. They were, from the beginning, a ministerial partnership — Aquila and Priscilla, Priscilla and Aquila. When Paul left Ephesus, they stayed and did the work of receiving, correcting, and strengthening what he had started. Their house was a church. Their hospitality was ministry. Their teaching of Apollos changed the direction of one of the most eloquent voices in the early church.
Aquila in the Sanctum
Aquila is the figure of the faithful partner whose name is nearly always paired — who is not the soloist but the collaborator, and whose collaboration with Priscilla and then Paul made the early church possible in key locations. The Sanctum honors the ministry of those who open their homes and their lives.
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