Letter from one of our Readers, John UptonWOMEN WERE THERE ALSO ....October is a month in which two lesser known first century saints are remembered. Priscilla and her husband Aquila were involved in a tent manufacturing business located in Rome. Both were well educated for the time. Emperor Claudius, in a burst of anti-Semitism, issued an edict that no Jew could live or work within the walls of Rome. They then moved to Corinth, Greece where they encountered Paul and became Christians. Later they moved with Paul to Ephesus and re-established their tent-making business. For a short time Paul was employed by the tent production line.When Paul resumed his ministry, he used their home as a base, frequently returning to their residence. Priscilla, scholars agree, was a woman of many talents. She was not only highly literate, speaking Hebrew, Latin and Greek, but became a recognised orator and teacher. It was she to whom Paul entrusted the training of clergy used in his evangelical efforts. In recent years she is believed by many to have functioned as an ordained priest. During the 1970's, the Rome Public Works Department, while repairing a main water break, pushed through the pavement to several rooms below street level. There, officials discovered a previously unknown catacomb corridor leading to a large room. On the ceiling of this open space was a large painting. The illustration showed a group of women sitting around a long table celebrating Holy Communion. In the centre leading the service is the figure of a woman. This place is now known as the Chapel of St. Priscilla. Both Luke and Paul mention both she and Aquila several times in Acts and the Epistles. In all written references however, St. Priscilla is mentioned first. (References: Acts 18 v.2, Acts 18 v.26, Romans 16 v.3, 1st Corinthians 16 v.19, 2nd Timothy 4 v.19)
John Upton
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The above is the lead article from the parish magazine for October 2005.
Index of the previous magazine articles
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