Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "risk."
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who have risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.-Romans 16:3-4
I love Romans 16. I have this thing about learning about people.
In the 16th chapter of the letter to Romans, Paul lists many people’s names which were part of the early church in Rome. In verses 3 & 4 of that chapter, a couple named Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned.
The first time the couple is mentioned in the Scriptures is in Acts 18. Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, tells that they were expelled from Rome because of an edict set forth by Claudius, the emperor during that time, forcing all Jews to leave.
We don’t know why this event happened exactly. I imagine if we explored history, we might get a clearer picture.
Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple. Aquila was a Jew, we are told, but we aren’t given a clear explanation about Priscilla’s nationality.
My own personal opinion is that she was most likely a Roman. Her name is a Latin name, meaning “ancient.” I researched a little and Latin and Greek were the official languages of the Roman empire, but Latin was the original language. So, it stands to reason, having a Latin name, she was most likely a Roman.
They are mentioned throughout the epistles by Paul, in Romans 16 and then again in 1 Corinthians and 2 Timothy in Paul’s salutations at the end of the letters.
We aren’t exactly told what the risk involved, but we know that living in any of the above cities at the time wasn’t easy and it wasn’t safe.
It has been a while since I charted their route, but it appears, based on the dates of which the epistles were written, and the mention of their names in scripture, that Priscilla and Aquila's journey originated in Rome, then on to Corinth. Then they went to Ephesus, back to Rome, and then back to Ephesus.
More who risked it all for the gospel, for Jesus. I'd like to believe I am so bold. Thank you for sharing. (Stopping by via FMF.)
ReplyDeleteThe heroes of the Bible
ReplyDeletewere more valiant folk than I,
risking their survival,
while I don't want to die.
When they preached, they were bold,
and seemingly ignored the cost
that their frightened friends foretold,
and some of them, well, they lost
their status and their liberty,
and some their very lives,
and even those of family,
their children and their wives.
Could I ever be this brave?
That answer's on another page.
I'm in the #1 spot at FMF this week.