The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-09-08
Teaches at Home
Lesson for September 10, 1861

Lesson for September 10, 1861
One test of a successful marri-
age would cbme in this question:
Do you ever think Of one of them
without thinking of the other at
the same time? Do you often
speak of one without referring to
the other? We have in the Bible
a notable example of a couple
neither of whom is ever men,
toned alone. but both always to-
gether: Aquila and Priscilla. If
you had inquired around in
places where they lived, you
would have heard different
things about them. In Rome they
would have told you: ooh, 1
don't know them. Jews think
they were. and we never mix
with Jews. In fact the Emperor
ran them all out, and a good
thing too" If you had asked in
Corinth. you would have been
told: "Oh yes. you mean the tent
makers. They have plenty of
business, they work all the time.
But I don't remember ever see
ing them out and around" If you
had asked their neighbors few
years later. they might have
said. THAT must be the couple
that have those big parties once
a week. Mighty quiet parties
though, l guess it's some new
religious Sect"
With Things and People
So you might say that Aquila
and Priscilla didn't make a very
strong impression on their world.
the Roman Empire. But there
was more to that couple than
some of their neighbors guessed.
| For one thing, they were host
and hostess to the Apostle Paul
This 1--WE may surmise) was be-
fore they became Christians, for
at that point they are called
simply Jews" and Paul went to
stay with them partly because he
also was a Jew. partly to set up
shop with them, for all three
were tent-makers. no easy trade.
We know that when Paul left the
city of Corinth, Priscilla and
Aquila went with him; which
makes us think that probably
Paul had converted them while
living in their home. At any rate,
the next thing we hear Of them is
as workers of a different kind,
not with cloth and leather but
with people. These tent-makers
invited to their home one of the
most famous and popular preach
ers OF his time, man named
Apollos. They did not invite him
to their home just to be sociable.
They took him so as to teach
him = not tent-making, but the
Christian faith, the way Of God"
as St. Luke puts it.
We Wish We Knew
We hear just a little more
about these two people. Paul
mentions the Church in their
house" This means they must
have made money with their
trade, otherwise no house. But it
also suggests that they were the
responsible leaders of a Christian
group that Paul calls a church,
not meaning that there were no
other churches in the city. We
wish we knew more about that.
We wish also that we had the
whole story of which Paul gives
tantalizing hint when he says
that these friends mentioning
the lady first) risked their necks
to save his life.
Teachers Above All
Why are people remembered?
Sometimes. like Aquila and PriS.
ella. for something they do ION
the side," something they never
get money for doing. Able and
eloquent men who have been off.
center in their religious thinking
have done the Christian religion
much harm. It was a blessing
that the early Christian church
was not torn by a half baked
Apollos preaching a half-gospel
So this harmonious husband-and-
wife team are specially noted moi
for their Jewish family tree, moi
for their hardships as refugees
not for the skill as craft-workers
not even for their heroism. Above
all, they were teachers; teaching
by example. by unity in love
teaching by word and argument
They did not found a college
they asked for no pay and go
none. They taught right where
they we're ~ at home. They die
not wait for opportunity to teach
they made it. Of such are thu
great teachers. !.
Based on outlines copyrighted
by the Division Of Christian Edu
cation, National Council Of thu