Of all the women in the early Church, the one I should most like to meet is Priscilla (aka Prisca). She must have been a formidable woman. When I think of her I am reminded of the equally formidable Neo-Platonist Hypatia, who was a cross between Christopher Wren and Isaac Newton. She specialised in mathematics and astronomy. Lecturing in philosophy at Alexandria in the fourth century, she came to a sticky end at the hands of a street gang of Christians who saw it as their duty to terrorise opponents. Archbishop Cyril was suspected of having a hand in this shameful episode.
Back to Priscilla. She gets a place in Luke’s account of the early Church because she was one of its commanding personalities. Luke, remember, was far from blind to the place of women in that story. He tells us that Paul, who was prepared to earn his living and detested sponging on others, set up shop with Priscilla and her husband Aquila in a tent-making, or leather-working, business. The word ‘Aquila’ means Eagle, so we can call Priscilla Mrs Eagle. The Eagles had moved to Corinth from Rome. They had been kicked out of Rome by the Emperor Claudius, who was, as we should say these days, a thorough-going anti-Semite intent on eliminating Jews from his capital city. After being encouraged by a vision in the night Paul continued with discussion and public speaking in the synagogue for 18 months. Eventually Paul journeyed to Syria, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Eagle.
It happened that Apollos, an Egyptian Jew from Alexandria, had taken up the new way and was a forceful advocate of the Christian faith in Ephesus. (Talking of Alexandria, I once had a colleague who was a maths. graduate of Alexandria university and a Coptic Christian. I now have a memento of that – a ball-point with a picture of Pope Shenouda on it. And you have probably visited Ephesus – near Izmir – and sat in the vast theatre where Paul proposed to speak but was dissuaded because it would have been too dangerous.) Ephesus was the very opposite of a backwater. It seethed with citizens making money and airing their views in the streets or anywhere else they fancied. Powerful advocate as Apollos was, he thus far had an imperfect grasp of the Christian Gospel. Priscilla and Aquila, who were now in Ephesus with the wife presumably in the lead position, took him in hand and improved his understanding. (We have to remember that there were half-Christians in those days as well as full-blooded ones.)
We have our Priscillas in the 21st century. Some are vicars. Some are bishops. Some are surgeons and captains of industry. More are inconspicuous. We should keep a wary eye open. After 2,000 years we Christians have come to appreciate that we owe more than we might ever have thought to those who follow on where she left off.
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