Difference between revisions of "Aquila"

<p> [[Aquila]] ( ''Ăk'W'' ''Ĭ-Lah'' ), ''An Eagle.'' A Jew of Pontus whom Paul found at Corinth on his arrival from Athens. &nbsp;Acts 18:2. He had fled, with his wife Priscilla, from Rome, in consequence of an order of Claudius commanding all Jews to leave the city. He became acquainted with Paul, and they abode together, and wrought at their common trade of making the Cilician tent or hair cloth. On the departure of the apostle from Corinth, a year and six months after, Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him to Ephesus. There they remained, and there they taught Apollos. &nbsp;Acts 18:18-19; &nbsp;Acts 18:24-26. At what time they became Christians is uncertain, but they appear to have specially helped Paul, and to have labored in Rome. &nbsp;Romans 16:3-5. </p>

<p> ( '''''Ἀκύλας''''' , for Lat. ''Aquila,'' an ''Eagle,'' see Simon. ''Onomast. O.T.'' p. 588 sq.), a Jew with whom Paul met on his first visit to Corinth; a native of Pontus, and by occupation a tent-maker (Acts 18). Wolf, ''Curae,'' on &nbsp;Acts 18:2, shows the name not to have any Hebrew origin, and to have been adopted as a Latin name, like [[Paulus]] by Saul. He is there described as a Pontian by birth ( '''''Ποντικὸς''''' '''''Τῷ''''' '''''Γένει''''' ), from the connection of which description with the fact that we find more than one [[Pontius]] Aquila in the Pontian gens at Rome in the days of the [[Republic]] (see Cic. ''Ad Fam.'' 10:33; Suet. ''Cces.'' 78), it has been imagined that he may have been a freedman of a Pontius Aquila, and that his being a Pontian by birth may have been merely an inference from his name. But besides that this is a point on which Luke could hardly be ignorant; Aquila, the translator of the O.T. into Greek, was also a native of Pontus. At the time when Paul found Aquila at Corinth, he had fled, with his wife Priscilla, from Rome, in consequence of an order of Claudius commanding all Jews to leave Rome (Suet. Claud. 25-"Judaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantes [[Roma]] expulit:" (See Claudius)). </p> <p> He became acquainted with Paul, and they abode together, and wrought at their common trade of making the Cilician tent or hair-cloth. '''''—''''' See PAUL. This decree was made, not by the senate, but the emperor (A.D. 50 or 51), and lasted only during his life, if even so long. Comp. Neander, [[Planting]] and Training, 1, 231; Lardner, [[Testimonies]] of [[Heathen]] Authors, ch. 8. Whether Aquila and Priscilla were at that time converts to the Christian faith cannot be positively determined; Luke's expression, "came unto them" ( '''''Προσῆλθεν''''' '''''Οὐτοῖς''''' ) '','' &nbsp;Acts 18:2, rather implies that Paul sought their society on grounds of friendship than for the purpose of persuading them to embrace Christianity. On the other hand, if we suppose that they were already Christians, Paul's "joining himself to them" is highly probable; while, if they were still adherents to Judaism, they would have been less disposed than even unconverted Gentiles to form an intimacy with the apostle. But if Aquila had been converted before his first meeting with Paul, the word '''''Μαθητής''''' , "disciple," would hardly have been omitted. At all events, they had embraced [[Christianity]] before Paul left Corinth; for on his departure from Corinth, a year and six months after, Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him to Ephesus on his way to Syria. There they remained; and when Apollos came to Ephesus, who "knew only the baptism of John," they "instructed him in the way of God more perfectly" (&nbsp;Acts 18:25-26). From that time they appear to have been zealous promoters of the Christian cause in that city (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul styles them his "helpers in Christ Jesus," and intimates that they had exposed themselves to imminent danger on his account (" who have for my life laid down their own necks," &nbsp;Romans 16:3-4), though of the time. and place of this transaction we have no information. At the time of writing 1 Corinithians, Aquila and his wife were still in Ephesus (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 16:19); but in &nbsp;Romans 16:3 sq., we find them again at Rome, and their house a place of assembly for the Christians. Some years after they appear to have returned to Ephesus, for Paul sends salutations to them during his second imprisonment at Rome (&nbsp;2 Timothy 4:19), as being with Timothy. Their occupation as tent-makers probably rendered it necessary for them to keep a number of workmen constantly resident in their family, and to these (to such of them, at least, as had embraced the Christian faith) may refer the remarkable expression, ''"The Church That Is In Their House,'' '''''Τὴν''''' '''''Κατ᾿''''' '''''Οϊ''''' v '''''Κον''''' '''''Αὐτῶν''''' '''''Ἐκκλησίαν''''' (see Biscoe, quoted in Lardner's ''Credibility,'' 2, 11). </p> <p> Origen's explanation of these words is very similar ''(In Ep. [[Ad]] Romans Comment.'' 10; ''Opera,'' 7:431, Berol. 1837). Neander suggests that, as Aquila would require extensive premises for his manufactory, he perhaps set apart one room for the use of a section of the Church in whatever place he fixed his residence, and that, as his superior Christian knowledge and piety qualified him for the office of a "teacher" ( '''''Διδάσκαλος''''' ), he gave religious instruction to this small assembly. The salutations to individuals which [[Follow]] the expression in &nbsp;Romans 16:5, show that they were not referred to in it, and are quite inconsistent with the supposition that the ''Whole'' Church met in Aquila's house. Nor is it probable that the collective body of Christians in Rome or elsewhere would alter their place of meeting on Aquila's return (see Neander, Gesch. d. Chr. Rel. u. Kirche, I, 2, 402, 503; comp. Justini Martyris Opera, Append. 2, p. 586, Par. 1742). Tradition reports that he and his wife were beheaded. The Greek Church call Aquila bishop and apostle, and honor him on July 12 (Menalog. Graec. 2, 185). The festival of Aquila and Priscilla is placed in the Roman Calendar, where he is denoted bishop of Heraclea, on July 8 (Martyrol. Roman.). (See Priscilla). </p>

<p> ''''' ak´wi ''''' - ''''' la ''''' ( Ἀκύλας , <i> ''''' Akúlas ''''' </i> ), "an eagle"): Aquila and his wife Priscilla, the diminutive form of Prisca, are introduced into the narrative of the Acts by their relation to Paul. He meets them first in Corinth (&nbsp;Acts 18:2 ). Aquila was a native of Pontus, doubtless one of the colony of Jews mentioned in &nbsp;Acts 2:9; &nbsp;1 Peter 1:1 . They were refugees from the cruel and unjust edict of Claudius which expelled all Jews from Rome in 52 ad. The decree, it is said by Suetonius, was issued on account of tumults raised by the Jews, and he especially mentions one [[Chrestus]] (Suetonius <i> Claud </i> . 25). Since the word Christus could easily be confounded by him to refer to some individual whose name was Chrestus and who was an agitator, resulting in these disorders, it has been concluded that the fanatical Jews were then persecuting their Christian brethren and disturbances resulted. The cause of the trouble did not concern Claudius, and so without making inquiry, all Jews were expelled. The conjecture that Aquila was a freedman and that his master had been Aquila Pontius, the Roman senator, and that from him he received his name is without foundation. He doubtless had a Hebrew name, but it is not known. It was a common custom for Jews outside of [[Palestine]] to take Roman names, and it is just that this man does, and it is by that name we know him. Driven from Rome, Aquila sought refuge in Corinth, where Paul, on his second missionary journey, meets him because they have the same trade: that of making tents of Cilician cloth (&nbsp;Acts 18:3 ). The account given of him does not justify the conclusion that he and his wife were already Christians when Paul met them. Had that been the case Lk would almost certainly have said so, especially if it was true that Paul sought them out on that account. [[Judging]] from their well-known activity in Christian work they would have gathered a little band of inquirers or possibly converts, even though they had been there for but a short time. It is more in harmony with the account to conclude that Paul met them as fellow-tradespeople, and that he took the opportunity of preaching Christ to them as they toiled. There can be no doubt that Paul would use these days to lead them into the kingdom and instruct them therein, so that afterward they would be capable of being teachers themselves (&nbsp;Acts 18:26 ). Not only did they become Christians, but they also became fast and devoted friends of Paul, and he fully reciprocated their affection for him (&nbsp;Romans 16:3 , &nbsp;Romans 16:4 ). They accompanied him when he left Corinth to go to Ephesus and remained there while he went on his journey into Syria. When he ,wrote the first letter to the church at Corinth they were still at Ephesus, and their house there was used as a Christian assembly-place (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 16:19 ). The decree of Claudius excluded the Jews from Rome only temporarily, and so afterward Paul is found there, and his need of friends and their affection for him doubtless led them also to go to that city (&nbsp;Romans 16:3 ). At the time of the writing of Paul's second letter to Tim they have again removed to Ephesus, possibly sent there by Paul to give aid to, and further the work in that city (&nbsp;2 Timothy 4:19 ). While nothing more is known of them there can be no doubt that they remained the devoted friends of Paul to the end. </p> <p> The fact that Priscilla's name is mentioned several times before that of her husband has called forth a number of conjectures. The best explanation seems to be that she was the stronger character. </p>