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PRISCILLA CHRISTIAN WOMAN
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CO-FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH Bible Study Resource: women of the early Christian Church
Priscilla/Prisca
When the husband and wife in this story are mentioned in the New Testament, Priscilla's name is usually listed before Aquila's. However, Concordances of the Bible place Priscilla under the heading of 'Aquila'.
Structure of Priscilla's story There are five separate references to Priscilla in the New Testament:
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ON THIS PAGE
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PRISCILLA
IS INTRODUCED
St Paul was travelling around ancient Asia Minor, teaching about Jesus and converting Jews and Gentiles. See MAP at end of this page. When he appears in this part of Acts, he was fresh from Athens, where he had a difficult time. Athens was no longer filled with intellectual giants as it once had been, but Paul met some stiff opposition and was hauled before the Court of the Areopagus to explain his teachings. He moved to Corinth, a great commercial city with a double harbour. It was not the sort of place you would expect to find a follower of Christ: it had a reputation for licentiousness and loose morality, something of which Paul was well aware. But the inhabitants were not all like this. Paul met a married couple, Prisca and Aquila, who were only recent arrivals. They have been ejected from Rome by an edict of the Emperor Claudius, expelling all Jews from Rome (the idea that anti-Jewish feeling has only existed since the advent of Christianity is nonsense; the Book of Esther describes a nation-wide pogrom centuries before the birth of Christ, and Claudius' expulsion of Jews from Rome in 49-50AD happened when Christianity was still in its infancy). Paul heard about Prisca and her husband Aquila, and sought them out. They welcomed him into their home. They appear to have been people of some means, having their own business. They are usually described as tent-makers, but this would have been a strange occupation for settled townspeople in the 1st century Roman empire. There would not be much call for tents. Translators have argued that it is more likely that they, and Paul, were workers in leather goods. The words of Acts 18:3 record that 'by trade, they were tentmakers (or leather-workers). Notice the word 'they'. She was actively involved in the family business. They offered Paul work, and shelter in their home as well. They were to be generous, loyal friends.
These 1st century Roman statues are of Gratidia and Gratidius Libanus, not of Prisca and Aquila, but they are a beautiful image of love and mutual support between husband and wife. The woman in particular radiates strength and calm.
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Read Acts 18: 18-26 No reason is given for their next move: Prisca and Aquila travelled with Paul to Syria. After a short stay, he travelled on to Jerusalem, but they remained in Ephesus and settled there.
This time, Priscilla had a mission. She taught anyone who would listen about the crucified prophet Jesus, and there is no doubt she was successful. Ephesus was steeped in religion and philosophy. It was the center of worship of Artemis, the mother goddess who was patron of pregnant women. Priscilla and Aquila were so successful they set up a church in their own home. Now they were leaders of the growing Christian community. As such they became authorities about the teachings of Jesus. A man from the Jewish community in Alexandria came to Ephesus. He was a scholar, and an eloquent and persuasive speaker. He spoke in the synagogue, and when Priscilla heard him she realized that, learned as he was, he did not know the full story of Jesus. She took him aside and taught him about Jesus - whatJesus did, said, and taught. It was recognised by all that she was the real authority on the teachings of Jesus, and that as such she had a responsibility to pass on her knowledge to others. Aquila is mentioned, but in a secondary capacity. It is clear Priscilla was the one in charge. Eventually she had to let her pupil go, hoping that her teachings would be faithfully passed on. This happened. Apollos was skilled at talking and arguing, and he passed on her teachings to the Jews in the public arena - something she as a woman could not do.
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Read Romans 16:1-3 Travel in the ancient world was swift and frequent, thanks to Roman roads and world peace (though travel by ship was limited to certain months of the year, because of storms in the Mediterranean.) The Jews of the 1st century AD were a commercial and migratory people. They moved along the trade routes and followed the markets.
The greetings were varied. One third of the names on this roll were women, showing the prominent place women held in the church at that time in Rome. Paul was a pioneer in the recognition of the function of women in Christian service - and the women of the time were ready to respond to the call of Christ. In the roll call of friends mentioned in Romans 16, Paul gave a short description of each one. Of Priscilla, he mentioned the fact that she and her husband had risked their necks to help him. We do not know what incident this refers to, but it had certainly impressed Paul. Whatever the incident was, it seems to be well-known to 'all the churches'. He took for granted that all these churches were united with him in his heartfelt expression of gratitude. Again, Priscilla's name preceded her husband's. 'The church in their house' that Paul mentions refers to the fact that in the early church there were few, if any, church buildings. Groups of Christians met in houses of prominent believers or in other available rooms. This is the first of five groups of believers in Paul's list, but the only one referred to definitely as a church.
The Ara Pacis, an altar to Peace built by the Emperor Augustus. This was newly built at the time that Priscilla was living in Rome; she would have seen this beautiful structure
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OLD FRIENDS
1 Corinthians 16:19 In this letter, Paul addressed Prisca and Aquila directly. He not only greeted them, but greeted them 'warmly'. This added phrase suggests real affection between old friends. They shared memories of past times, good and bad, but more importantly they had a common zeal for the spread of Christian teachings - 'the Way'.
2 Timothy 4:19 Prisca stays faithful to her friend Paul to the bitter end, as we learn in 2 Timothy 4:19. It is a sad, lonely letter, written just before the end of his life. He was in prison, probably in Rome, abandoned by all but a few of his friends and now facing imminent death. In the letter, he said good-bye to the few friends who have stayed loyal to him - and Prisca heads the list. She must have wept to read his final words to her.
Prisca and her husband Aquila were close friends and supporters of Paul, and as such were founding members of the Christian Church. Paul's letters record their long friendship, from first meeting to the bitter farewell not long before his execution. Prisca seems to have been the dominent partner in the marriage. She comes across as strong-minded, fervent in her love for God and Jesus Christ, loyal to her husband - and something of a mover and shaker. She was trusted by Paul to manage the infant church group he left behind, and she taught the gospel as fully as Paul did. Neither of them had met Jesus of Nazareth, but their faith was strong. Without them to teach and organize, the infant church would not have blossomed as it did. If the Church had not blossomed without Paul, Paul would not have persevered with Priscilla and Aquila. They support, restore and reinvigorate him.
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Though he lived centuries before Christ, Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) influenced the Jewish world in which the early Christian women lived. Alexander saw it as his mission to spread Greek culture throughout the world. He planted Greek-style colonies throughout the territories he conquered; he promoted Greek thought and philosophy; and he was largely successful in making the Greek way of life the preferred mode for elite groups of the time. There was much that was refined and intelligent in Hellenistic (that is, Greek) culture, and many Jews were tempted to adopt it. But as they did, they found that their own culture and identity were threatened. For this reason, Greek culture was resisted by many Jews and its influence was uneven. For example, Nazareth where Jesus grew up was a conservative town that clung to traditional Jewish culture. But Prisca lived in the wider world. She was familiar with the glory of Rome, the decandence of Corinth, and the pot-pouri of religious ideas flourishing in Ephesus. In her world, Greek influence was strong. This made it easier and more difficult for her to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. People were readier to accept new ideas - such as the philosophy of Christianity, but they were also aware of the diversity of choice they had when it came to religious belief. Acts of the Apostles suggests the proselytizing Christians like Prisca found it easier to find listeners in the cities of Greece and Asia Minor.
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WOMEN’S LIVES IN THIS ERA 'Woman' was placed in a
category containing elements that were viewed as negative: Man
-
Woman |
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These are examples only, but they show
that Platonic dualism placed women like Priscilla in a negative category. Women were closer to the natural/animal world than men. By nature they were irrational and untrustworthy, and therefore unfit to make
their own decisions and govern their own lives. According to this
world-view, women had to be looked
after and controlled, and were in no way equal to men. Jewish and Jewish/Christian women resisted the ideas of Platonic dualism, which patronized them and diminished their status. While Christianity remained a Jewish sect, the status of women within the Christian communities was high. But as the ideas of Christianity moved out into the Gentile, Hellenised world, the first Christians found they had to use the Greek philosophical framework. So Jesus' original ideal of mutual respect between the sexes was watered down and changed. Women were given roles that were acceptable in the outside, Hellenistic culture. The Christian church stepped back from the radical ideals of the first Jewish/Christians. Women were still powerful in the private sphere, but were shunted to the side in the public arena. This shows up, for example, in 1st and 2nd century re-tellings of the biblical stories. These stories often had women as central characters, but now they focused on men and male activities.
An example of this is the story of Moses’ birth in
Josephus’ Antiquities (Josephus was a Jewish writer and historian
of the 1st century BC).
In the original biblical telling of the story (in Exodus 1 and 2) the baby Moses is saved by the two midwives, by his mother, by his sister, and by Pharaoh’s daughter – all, obviously, women. In Josephus’ retelling of the story written in about 94AD, the focus is largely on Moses’ father Amram. He performs many of the actions previously attributed to the women. Female characters in the story are changed.
There were reasons for the changes in the story. Josephus was trying to counter the anti-Semitism that existed in Rome at the time, so he wrote about Jewish women who behaved like decent Roman matrons! This ideal of Roman womanhood had been vigorously promoted in a ‘back to basics’ program by the emperor Augustus. The ideal Roman woman was a mother of many children, content with her household duties. She kept to her traditional role, in the home, and did not speak assertively to the men in her family. She did not enter the public world. So to fit in to the outside world, the Acts of the Apostles presents women who correspond to the Roman ideal. For additional information on the lives of women in the Bible, see the links to FAMILY, WORK AND RELIGION: the tribe, the family, slaves, women's tasks, beliefs MILESTONES IN A WOMAN'S LIFE: Puberty, menstruation, marriage, childbirth, death, burials CLOTHING, HOUSING : ancient fabric, weaving, different styles for rich and poor
The route of Paul's Second Missionary Journey, on which he met Priscilla and Aquila |
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ACTIVITIES AND QUESTIONS
Present these descriptions and responses in the form of a journal entry, or assume the persona of
a bystander and tell the
group or a learning partner about your experience.
Women in films Know your own worth
Dozens of extra ideas at Activities for Bible Study Groups and Schools ______________________________________________________ |
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RELATED SITES - stories, pictures, ideas Clothes she wore, houses she lived in - CLOTHES AND HOUSES A short biography of Paul - PAUL'S STORY The diversity of ancient religions - RELIGION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
Read about more fascinating women of the Bible |
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Prisca-Priscilla - Bible Woman - Women of the
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So
we next find Priscilla in Rome, where she and Aquila were greeted in one of
Paul's letters. Romans 16 has been called the 'picture gallery' of New
Testament believers, since it lists so many members of the infant
Church.
The mid-wives in
Josephus’ retelling
