Aquila

Jewish tentmaker from Pontus who, with his wife Priscilla, became a key figure in early Christian mission. Expelled from Rome under Emperor Claudius’s decree against Jews (c. 49 CE), they settled in Corinth where Paul joined their trade and lived with them (Acts 18:1-3). The couple traveled with Paul to Ephesus, where they instructed Apollos more fully in the faith (Acts 18:26). Paul called them “fellow workers in Christ Jesus” who “risked their necks” for his life (Romans 16:3-4). A church met in their home wherever they lived—Corinth, Ephesus, and later Rome—making them exemplars of lay ministry and hospitality in the apostolic church.