St. Priscilla, with her husband, Aquila, at Ephesus

Commemorated on February 13

St. Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, were Jews from Pontus who settled in Rome, where they worked as tent-makers.

When the Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in 49-50, Priscilla and Aquila moved to Corinth. (They may already have been Christians; at that time the Empire made no distinction between Christians and Jews.) In Corinth, they became friends with the Apostle Paul, who lived and worked with them for a period of time (Acts 18:1-3). They also traveled with Paul and were considered worthy to bring Apollos to a full knowledge of the Faith (Acts 18:26).

Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome around 58, and later went to Ephesus. They were living there when St. Paul asked his disciple Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, to greet them (2 Tim. 4:19). It was probably in Ephesus that they were martyred by the pagans.

By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)