Italian
The saints Aquila and Priscilla represent one of the brightest testimonies of marital holiness from the early Church. Their life demonstrates how Christian marriage can become a true apostolic mission, founded on faith, hospitality, and full communion with Christ. United in mutual love and dedication to the Gospel, they were among the closest collaborators of Saint Paul the Apostle, sharing in his struggles, travels, and work of evangelization.
ROMAN EMPIRE. Aquila was a Jew from Pontus, in present-day Turkey, while Priscilla, also called Prisca, was probably a Christian of Roman origin. Settling in Rome, the couple worked as tent makers. Their lives were profoundly transformed by their encounter with Christ, which turned their home into a place of hospitality, brotherhood, and evangelistic testimony.
In 49 AD, Emperor Claudius decreed the expulsion of the Jews from Rome. Forced to leave the city, Aquila and Priscilla moved to Corinth, an important commercial and cultural center of Greece. It was here that they met Saint Paul, who arrived in the city during his second missionary journey. Since they practiced the same trade, they welcomed the Apostle into their home and worked together, allowing him to support himself through his work while he preached the Gospel. From that meeting, a deep spiritual friendship was born, destined to last a lifetime.
When Paul resumed his journey to Syria, Aquila and Priscilla accompanied him to Ephesus, where they decided to settle. In that great city of Asia Minor, they continued their craft, but above all, they dedicated their home to the service of the emerging Church. Their residence became one of the first domus ecclesiae, a place where Christians gathered to listen to the Word of God, celebrate the Eucharist, and live in fraternal communion.
In Ephesus, the two spouses also carried out an important work of Christian education. In particular, they instructed Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria in Egypt, a cultured man and a deep connoisseur of the Scriptures. Although fervent in faith, Apollos only knew the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla, with great wisdom and discretion, presented to him the doctrine of Christ more fully, preparing him to become one of the most effective preachers of the apostolic Church.
Saint Paul always held a deep gratitude towards these faithful collaborators. In his Letter to the Romans, he greets them with words that testify to their extraordinary dedication: “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus; they risked their necks for my life; not only I give thanks to them, but all the churches of the Gentiles” (Rom 16:3-4). This praise reveals the courage of the two spouses, ready to put their own lives in danger to defend the Apostle and support the mission of the Church.
After the expulsion decree was completed, Aquila and Priscilla returned to Rome, where they continued their work of evangelization and hospitality towards the Christian community. Even in the capital of the Empire, their home became a meeting place for the faithful and a center for the spread of the Gospel. Their existence was characterized by a perfect harmony between work, family life, prayer, and ecclesial service, showing how holiness can be fully lived in the everyday life of marriage.
News regarding the last years of their lives are scarce. According to some ancient traditions, Priscilla may be identified with the saint Prisca venerated on the Aventine or with the noble family linked to the Catacombs of Priscilla on the Via Salaria. Although there is no definitive evidence, the veneration of the Church towards this holy couple has remained alive through the centuries thanks to the testimony offered by the Sacred Scriptures.
Saints Aquila and Priscilla remain a shining example for Christian spouses and all laypeople engaged in evangelization. They teach that the family can become a true domestic Church, in which mutual love, marital fidelity, hospitality, and service to others become instruments through which Christ continues to make Himself present in the world. Their life demonstrates that every home open to the Gospel can transform into a place of communion, mission, and holiness.
