³ Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, ⁴ who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. ⁵ Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.

The list of greetings from verses 3 through 16 is the longest of the New Testament. Greetings was an expression of love in the ancient world. Paul added a brief commentary with most of his greetings. He included many women in this list of greetings: Prisca, Mary, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus’s mother, and Julia. Paul greeted 26 people in Rome.

16:3

Greet Priscilla [Prisca] and Aquila,

Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned in six other places in the New Testament. Aquila was a Jew from Pontus in Asia Minor who settled in Rome (Ac 18:2). He was forced to leave Rome with his wife Priscilla when Claudius expelled Jews from the capital city (Ac 18:2). Aquila was a tent maker like Paul. This trade first brought Paul and Aquila together in Corinth during his second missionary expedition.

Aquila and Priscilla left Corinth for Ephesus with Paul (Ac 18:18-19). They stayed in Ephesus while Paul moved on. There this couple explained the dispensation of grace to an orator by the name of Apollos (Ac 18:24-26). He had not known that the church age had begun. There they also ministered to Paul again on his third missionary expedition (1 Co 16:19). They then moved back to Rome and then, after the writing of Romans, returned to Ephesus again (2 Ti 4:19).

my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,

Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome having previously left. This couple were solid citizens of the kingdom. Paul called upon them to do a number of things for the Lord. Paul called them his “fellow workers in Christ Jesus.”

16:4

who risked their own necks for my life,

This couple risked their lives for Paul. This may have happened at Ephesus when a goon squad of idol makers of Diana rioted against them.

to whom not only I give thanks,

Paul gave thanks to God for this married couple for saving his life. He had a capacity in his soul for appreciation.

but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

Many Gentile churches were blessed by this couple. These churches also gave thanks for Priscilla and Aquila. Gentile churches are in debt to a Jewish couple who came to Christ.

16:5

Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

Pricilla and Aquila had a church that met in their house in Rome. They previously had a church in their home in Ephesus as well (1 Co 16:19). There were no church buildings until 200 years after the writing of Romans.

PRINCIPLE:

It is not enough to be truth oriented; we must be people oriented.

APPLICATION:

The list of Paul’s friends was very diverse and deep. They consisted of slaves and freedmen, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor. Women are prominent in the list; one third are women. As Paul moved from the mountaintops of doctrine to the pavements of Rome, so we must move between truth and people.