Faithful, Christian Friends

June 24th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 16:3-5a Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; 5 also greet the church that is in their house.

From Romans 16:3-16 Paul lists a cache of names (men, women, slaves) that many find boring and unedifying. Douglas Moo says, “But for those few who are especially interested in the socioeconomic composition of the early church, [vv. 3-16] is a gold mine.” The reason is that those in the ancient world tended to give names to people that were revealing. Those with social status and the rich had certain names that revealed their status as well as slaves and freedmen. With this in mind, these passages reveal that the Roman church was made up primarily of Gentiles and of slaves and freedmen. It is also clear from these verses that the early Church met in homes, for at least three, maybe five, separate house churches are mentioned (vv. 5, 14-15; cf. vv. 10-11). There were no large church buildings, and since the largest of houses held less than 100 people, the churches were spread out among various homes throughout the city.

Paul’s first greeting went to Prisca (short for Priscilla) and Aquila whom he had worked with in both Corinth and Ephesus. He had initially met them on his second missionary journey when he first visited Corinth (Acts 18:1-2). They had been expelled from Rome in AD 49 or 50 by Emperor Claudius who had grown tired of the skirmishes that he believed had been instigated by the Jews in the city. Aquila, being a Jew, therefore fled Rome along with his wife, and God led them to meet the great Apostle Paul. MacArthur says, “During that period it was customary in synagogues not only that men and women sat on separate sides but that the men sat in groups according to profession or trade. It is therefore likely that Paul first met Aquila when he sat down as a visitor in the synagogue at Corinth. As it happened, he and Prisca were tentmakers like Paul, who stayed in their house while he began his ministry in Corinth.”

Prisca and Aquila are mentioned six times in the NT. After ministering with Paul in Corinth for 18 months, the three of them traveled to Ephesus. Although they remained in Ephesus, Paul traveled back to Antioch. He later rejoined them in Ephesus. Aquila and Prisca are mentioned by Paul when he sent greetings back to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 16:19), and he also sent his own greetings to them during his second imprisonment in Rome prior to his death (2 Tim. 4:19). Their influence to Paul and the early Church was vast. The two also later met a young Alexandrian preacher named Apollos who, though he knew the Scriptures, was only acquainted with John’s baptism of repentance. Prisca and Aquila therefore “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:24-26). After the death of Claudius in AD 54 the couple returned to Rome—where they resided when Paul wrote Romans around AD 57. By this time there were many Christians in Rome meeting in at least a handful of house churches, one of which was in the house of Prisca and Aquila to which Paul sent greetings in v. 5.

Prisca and Aquila were not only Paul’s “fellow workers in Christ” but those who “risked their necks” for his life. It is not given as to when this happened but clearly they protected Paul since his life was in perpetual danger from the enemies of the gospel. Their selfless service to him and to people like Apollos served “all the churches of the Gentiles” down to the present day!

Food For Thought
Working with Christians can be painful. Paul rebuked Peter for hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11f.), divided with Barnabas and Mark for a time (Acts 15:38-39), reprimanded Euodia and Syntyche (Phil. 4:2), and was abandoned by Demas (2 Tim. 4:10). But Prisca and Aquila seem to have been a constant encouragement to Paul. His ministry was made effective by their service to him. Perhaps our ministry might of service to others on the front line of pastoral ministry?