Who Was Aquila in the Bible?
Who Was Aquila In The Bible?
Quick Summary
Aquila was a Jewish Christian leader in the first century who played a quiet but decisive role in the growth of the early church. Alongside his wife Priscilla, Aquila hosted churches in his home, worked as a tentmaker, taught emerging Christian leaders, and partnered closely with the apostle Paul. Though never the focus of a biblical book, Aquila’s life shows how faithfulness, hospitality, and theological depth shaped Christianity from the ground up.
Introduction
Some figures in the Bible stand in the spotlight. Others stand close enough to the center that everything important seems to pass through them. Aquila belongs to the second group.
He never preaches a sermon that is recorded. He performs no public miracle. He writes no letter preserved in the New Testament. And yet Aquila appears repeatedly at key moments in the story of the early church. Wherever the gospel is taking root in difficult or transitional spaces, Aquila is often there, opening his home, practicing his trade, teaching with patience, and strengthening the church from within.
To understand Aquila is to understand how Christianity spread not only through apostles and missionaries, but through households, friendships, and ordinary work.
Aquila’s Background and Origins
The New Testament introduces Aquila in Acts 18. He is described as a Jew “native of Pontus,” a region along the southern coast of the Black Sea in what is now northern Turkey. Like many Jews of the diaspora, Aquila lived far from Judea, shaped by both Jewish tradition and the wider Greco-Roman world.
At some point, Aquila and his wife Priscilla moved to Rome. Their stay there was cut short when the Roman emperor Claudius ordered Jews to leave the city. This expulsion, dated around AD 49, is one of the clearest places where biblical narrative intersects with Roman historical records.
Forced displacement becomes the backdrop for Aquila’s ministry. His faith is not formed in stability, but in movement.
Aquila and Priscilla: A Shared Ministry
Aquila is almost never mentioned without Priscilla. In fact, Priscilla’s name appears before Aquila’s in several passages, suggesting her prominence as a teacher and leader.
Together, they embody a shared ministry model that was both practical and theological. They worked with their hands as tentmakers, a trade that placed them within the economic life of the city rather than above it. At the same time, they opened their home as a gathering place for believers.
Their partnership challenges later assumptions that leadership in the early church was solitary or hierarchical. Aquila and Priscilla lead together, teach together, and host the church together.
Aquila and Paul: Partnership in Work and Witness
When Paul arrives in Corinth, he meets Aquila and Priscilla and stays with them because they share the same trade. This detail matters. Paul’s mission is not funded by distant patrons alone, but sustained through shared labor and friendship.
Aquila becomes more than a coworker. He becomes a trusted partner in Paul’s ministry. When Paul leaves Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla travel with him as far as Ephesus. Their willingness to relocate again underscores their commitment to the gospel rather than to place.
Later, Paul refers to them as “my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life.” Whatever that danger entailed, it suggests real cost and courage, not theoretical support.
Aquila as a Teacher of Apollos
One of Aquila’s most important contributions comes quietly. In Ephesus, he and Priscilla encounter Apollos, a gifted and eloquent teacher who knows the Scriptures well but has an incomplete understanding of the gospel.
Rather than correcting him publicly, they take Apollos aside and explain “the Way of God more accurately.” This moment reveals Aquila’s theological depth and pastoral wisdom. He recognizes truth, discerns what is missing, and teaches without humiliation.
The result is not division but growth. Apollos goes on to become a powerful witness in the church, particularly in Corinth. Aquila’s influence is indirect but enduring.
House Churches and Hospitality
Aquila and Priscilla repeatedly host churches in their home. This is mentioned in both Corinth and Rome, showing that wherever they settle, a congregation soon gathers.
House churches were not informal placeholders until buildings could be constructed. They were the primary form of Christian assembly in the first century. Hosting a church meant assuming responsibility, offering leadership, and opening one’s private space to communal life.
Aquila’s home becomes a theological space. Teaching, prayer, fellowship, and discernment all happen around his table.
Aquila in the Letters of Paul
Aquila appears in several of Paul’s letters, including Romans and 1 Corinthians. These references place him within the relational network of early Christianity.
Paul greets Aquila and Priscilla warmly, acknowledging their leadership and the church that meets in their house. These greetings are not incidental. They show that Aquila’s role endured over time and across regions.
Even after returning to Rome, where Jews were once expelled, Aquila continues his work as a Christian leader. The gospel outlasts imperial decrees.
Theological Significance of Aquila’s Life
Aquila represents a form of leadership that is deeply biblical and often overlooked. He is not an apostle, yet apostles depend on him. He is not a public preacher, yet he shapes preachers. He does not write Scripture, yet he helps others understand it more fully.
His life illustrates how doctrine is preserved through teaching, how community is sustained through hospitality, and how mission advances through ordinary faithfulness.
Aquila also reminds the church that theology is not only formed in letters and sermons, but in conversations, shared work, and patient correction.
FAQs
Who was Aquila in the Bible?
Aquila was a Jewish Christian leader in the first century who partnered closely with his wife Priscilla and the apostle Paul. He is known for hosting house churches, teaching other believers, and supporting missionary work.
Was Aquila a tentmaker like Paul?
Yes. Aquila and Priscilla shared the trade of tentmaking with Paul. This common work formed the basis of their partnership and allowed ministry to be sustained through shared labor.
What is Aquila best known for?
Aquila is best known for his partnership with Priscilla, his role in teaching Apollos, and his hospitality in hosting churches in his home. His influence is seen through others rather than through direct public ministry.
Where is Aquila mentioned in the Bible?
Aquila appears primarily in Acts 18, as well as in Romans 16 and 1 Corinthians 16. These passages trace his movements from Rome to Corinth to Ephesus and back to Rome.
Why is Aquila important to early Christianity?
Aquila shows how the early church depended on faithful leaders who opened their homes, shared their resources, and invested in teaching others. His life demonstrates that Christian growth often happens through quiet, consistent service.
Works Consulted
Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts. Eerdmans.
Dunn, James D. G. Romans 9–16. Word Biblical Commentary.
Keener, Craig S. Acts: An Exegetical Commentary. Baker Academic.
