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AQUILA

(Gk. Akýlas)

1. The husband of Priscilla/Prisca and associate of Paul. A native of Pontus, but later a resident of Rome, Aquila met Paul in Corinth after he, Priscilla, and other Jews had been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:2-3). Many scholars associate this expulsion with Suetonius’ statement that the emperor expelled Jews from Rome due to the instigation of Chrestus (Claud. 25.4), which may be a reference to the preaching of Jesus Christos. Later Aquila moved to Ephesus, where his home was used as a house church (Acts 18:26; 1 Cor. 16:19). According to Acts, he and Priscilla instructed Apollos “more accurately” regarding the Way (Acts 18:26), though some scholars believe this to be “pro-Pauline” propaganda from Luke, who knew Apollos to be a rival of Paul’s in Corinth (cf. 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4-9). Later Aquila moved back to Rome, again opening his home to the church (Rom. 16:3-5). Some have concluded that, as a tentmaker, able to move with relative frequency and own a home large enough for church gatherings, he was a man of some means.

2. A translator of Hebrew Scriptures into Greek during the first quarter of the 2nd century c.e. A native of Sinope in Pontus, he was first converted to Christianity, then Judaism. He studied under Rabbi Akiba. Aquila’s translation was very literal and was sanctioned by the synagogue as an alternative to the LXX, which was increasingly becoming the Christians’ Bible. His translation exists today only in fragments. Both Jerome and Origen employed this translation, with Origen including it in his Hexapla. Some have identified Aquila with Onqelos, the compiler of the Targum of the Pentateuch, but there is no consensus on this.

Bibliography. S. Jellicoe, The Septuagint and Modern Study (1968, repr. Winona Lake, 1993), 76-83.

J. Bradley Chance

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

AQUILA

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)