Aquila, Priscilla, Apollos (February 13)

Aquila and his wife Priscilla (Prisca), Jewish contemporaries of Saint Paul, traveled widely. Because of persecution in Rome, they went to Corinth where they met the apostle Paul, who joined them in their trade of tent making (Acts 18:1-3). They in turn joined him in his mission of proclaiming the Christian Gospel. The couple later traveled with Paul from Corinth to Ephesus (Acts 18:18), where the two of them established a home that served as hospitality headquarters for new converts to Christianity. Apollos was one of their numerous Jewish pupils in the faith. An eloquent man, Apollos "spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus" (Acts 18:25). He later traveled from Corinth to the province of Achaia, where he "showed by the Scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus" (Acts 18:28). Aquila, Priscilla and Apollos are all remembered and honored for their great missionary zeal. [From "Commemorations Biographies," Lutheran Service Book, LCMS Commission on Worship]