Priscilla

Rom.16:1-3 – Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house.

Women apparently played a prominent role in the early church. One great example of this is the woman named Priscilla or Prisca. She was a well known traveling companion with her husband Aquila and the Apostle Paul. She was considered to be a missionary who traveled and taught and preached God’s word with Paul. One of the famous stories found in Acts was when she and her husband called aside the famous preacher Apollos who was not baptized in the Holy Spirit. Apparently Priscilla was used by the Lord to bring some correction to Apollos’ theology. Her name normally mentioned first when referring to her and her husband leads us to believe she shared at least an equal role with her husband. Here is how Wikipedia describes Priscilla.

“Priscilla was a woman of Jewish heritage and one of the earliest known Christian converts who lived in Rome. Her name is a Roman diminutive for Prisca which was her formal name. She is often thought to have been the first example of a female preacher or teacher in early church history. Coupled with her husband, she was a celebrated missionary, and a friend and co-worker of Paul.

While the view is not widely held among scholars, some scholars have suggested that Priscilla was the author of the Book of Hebrews. Although acclaimed for its artistry, originality, and literary excellence, it is one of the few books in the New Testament with author anonymity. Hoppin and others suggest that Priscilla was the author, but that her name was omitted either to suppress its female authorship, or to protect the letter itself from suppression.”

Of course Priscilla writing Hebrews is far from a proven fact. But you have to admit if a book of the Bible was written by a woman it may have been kept under wraps. Nevertheless Priscilla has inspired women to follow the Lord in their calling since the early days of the church. Missionaries, teachers, and pastors who happen to be female have been inspired by her for 2000 years. Maybe it’s time for more Priscillas to stand up in our generation.