The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house, with whom I also lodge.
ασπαζονται υμας αι εκκλησιαι της ασιας ασπαζονται υμας εν κυριω πολλα ακυλας και πρισκιλλα συν τη κατ οικον αυτων εκκλησια
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In his greetings he always brings near and unites the members of the Church. “Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church in their house.” He lived with them as a tentmaker. “With the church in their house.” This too is no small merit, to turn one’s house into a church.
According to his constant custom, he joins the members of Christ together through a greeting. “Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church in their house.” He stayed with them because he himself also worked at making tents (Acts 18:1-3). Note their virtue, for they made their house a church by arranging gatherings of the faithful in it.
In the last five verses of his epistle, the holy Apostle sends bows and greetings to the Corinthian Christians from the Christians of Asia Minor, for example from the city of Ephesus, from which he wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
He says: the churches of Asia greet you through me, that is, the churches of Asia Minor. Aquila and Priscilla, known in Corinth for their kindness, greet you earnestly in the Lord and in the Christian spirit, together with the church in their house. This means all the Christians who gather in their house, or who belong to their household (Rom 16:4).
Paul mentions their greeting so that the Corinthians might become like those bound together by the bond of one place. “Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church in their house.” He mentions two churches, the public and the domestic. By public he means the one where all come. By domestic he means the one where people gather together through friendship. Every place where a presbyter performs the solemn rites is called a church.
“The churches of Asia greet you.” The Apostle added this also for the Corinthians’ benefit, showing the spread of the preaching. “Aquila and Priscilla greet you much in the Lord, with the church in their house.” The divine Apostle lived with them, “for they were tentmakers by trade” (Acts 18:3). Because of their great virtue they made their house a church, resolving to do only what befits a church.
These words show that they were written by Paul in Ephesus, and that he began to write his First Epistle to the Corinthians while passing through Macedonia, as he himself testifies, saying: "For I am passing through Macedonia" (2 Cor 1:16). Intending to be in Ephesus and to remain there until Pentecost, as he himself declares, saying, "I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost" (1 Cor 16:8), he came there and finished his epistle there.
At that time, perhaps the presiders of the Churches of Galatia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, or other Asian Churches came to him there. Therefore, as though on their behalf, he greets the Corinthians.
Aquila and his wife Priscilla he found in Corinth when he first came there (Acts 18:1). "And because he was of the same trade," says St. Luke, "he stayed with them and worked, for by trade they were tentmakers" (Acts 18:3). Thus they evidently moved from Corinth to Ephesus, where Paul then was. Therefore he greets the Corinthians also on their behalf.
See here how, by greetings both generally from the Asian Churches and particularly from the household church of Aquila, he unites all with the bond of love. Notice also the virtue of these holy spouses, Aquila and Priscilla. They made their house a church, where the faithful gathered, prayed, and celebrated the divine Mysteries.
Not only Aquila had such a church, but also Nymphas in Laodicea and Philemon in Colossae. Philemon's house of this kind still existed in the fifth century after the Nativity of Christ (Col 4:5?; Phlm 1:2; Theodoret, preface to Philippians).
Finally, he sends greetings from the churches of Asia, especially from Aquila and Priscilla. He proclaims anathema, “Maranatha,” against anyone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 16:19-24).
The greetings from all the churches, and especially from certain chosen members of them, which the Apostle sends, have many meanings. First, they speak of the close union of faith and love among Christians and of their mutual participation.
Although the Apostle Paul himself composed the epistle, and Stephanas copied it, the other members of the Church of Ephesus and of other churches who were then near the Apostle were not ignorant of Paul's sending the epistle to the Corinthians.
This had great significance not only for that time, but also for our own times. Many malicious people now try especially hard, though in vain, to cast doubt on all the fundamental and original sources of our faith. As though foreseeing such hostile attacks on the authenticity of the apostolic writings, the Apostle Paul protected in every way the trustworthiness of his writing to the Corinthians.
"The churches of Asia greet you." "The Apostle added this also for the benefit of the Corinthians, showing the spread of the preaching" (Theodoret). This is customary for the Apostle Paul. "In his greetings he always draws together and unites the members of the Church" (St. Chrysostom).
All those converted by the Apostle understood themselves, in spiritual relation, to be children of one spiritual father. Therefore they sincerely greeted one another as relatives. Apart from this, all Christians are of one spirit, have one Lord as their Head, and in Him alone become kin, forming as it were one family.
Aquila and Priscilla send their greetings also because they were personally known to them. They probably helped St. Paul greatly in planting the faith in Corinth. To receive a greeting from them could only be consoling for the Corinthians. It testified that these persons remembered them still and did not cease to have good will toward them.
St. Paul especially indicated this with the words: "much in the Lord." "With the church in their house" means either with all those who were in their household, or with that part of the Christians which gathered in their house for prayer and Communion.
St. Chrysostom and our other commentators note that St. Paul lived with them. Consequently the gatherings there were more numerous. Since there were no separate churches then, houses were offered for assemblies. One could hardly find a house able to contain all the faithful, so probably more than one house was appointed for this.
This is the beginning of what still exists now, namely that there are many churches in cities. "By their great virtue they made their house a church, intending to do only what befits a church" (Theodoret). "And this is no small merit, to turn one's house into a church" (St. Chrysostom).
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS