Acts 18: 1-4 1After these things, after leaving Athens, he went to Corinth. 2And after finding a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently having come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, on account of Claudius, who ordered all the Jews to leave Rome, he went to see them, 3and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4And he discussed in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
Paul’s mission strategy is apparent in the next story of his mission to Corinth. Corinth is about 50 miles from Athens. In the first century, it would have taken a couple of days to walk it. Corinth was the largest city of Greece. It was located on a narrow isthmus of land with only three miles separating the Adriatic Sea and the port of Cenchrea with the Aegean Sea. It was a prosperous city because of its location by two major ports. Goods were transported over the isthmus on a road called the diolkoi, which saved much time, money, and effort in transporting the goods around the Greek peninsula. The city was also known for its idolatry and immorality, two topics that Paul wrote about later in his first canonical letter to the church known as 1 Corinthians. The famous temple to Aphrodite was located on the large 1900-foot hill known as the Acrocorinth. Paul spent a significant amount of time in this city. We also know of the most letters to this church than any others, with two being included in our New Testament.
When Paul arrived in the city, he found a Jewish couple who were also tentmakers like him. Tents or awnings were typically made of leather. It was a challenging job that took physical strength. Pharisees were taught a trade to support themselves. Paul likely supported himself in his travels by applying his trade, especially in places where he stayed for longer. It would have been easy for him to set up a small booth in a marketplace. This vocation also allowed him opportunity to meet people and share the gospel.
Aquila and Priscilla were from the Pontus, a Roman province along the Black Sea, which was far northeast of Greece. They had traveled extensively in their lives. They most recently had lived in Rome. Luke notes that they had left Rome when the Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city. The Roman historian Suetonius, in his Life of Claudius 25.4, mentions that Jews were expelled because of a certain “Chrestus,” which would have happened around the year 50 A.D. The name Chrestus could be a variation of the “Christ,” so it is highly possible that Christians had reached Rome by that point. It is also possible that Aquilla and Priscilla were already believers when they met Paul. Much of this is speculation from little pieces of evidence.
Somehow, Paul had found this couple, joined them in tentmaking, and stayed with them. This couple became important to the ministry of Paul and the early church. They are also mentioned in Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; and 2 Timothy 4:19. Paul followed his pattern of going to the local synagogue every week and trying to reason and persuade the Jews and God-fearers who attended. By the time he wrote his letters, there were many Gentile believers in the church. In every place Paul went, it is clear that God was preparing the way for Paul’s connections with people. Paul had to put his faith into action and trust God’s guidance. The church that developed in Corinth would be challenging for Paul later in his ministry as he passed through again or wrote his letters. Ministry is never easy, but we can learn from Paul’s example of trusting in God and courage to step out in faith.