[uh-kwil-uh, ak-wuh-luh] 
[uh-kwil-ee, ak-wuh-lee] . | the Eagle, a northern constellation south of Cygnus, containing the bright star Altair. |
[ak-wuh-luh; It. ah-kwee-lah] | a city in central Italy. 300,950. |
| Aq·ui·la (āk'wə-lə) n. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere and the Milky Way near Aquarius and Serpens Cauda. [Middle English, from Latin aquila, eagle, the constellation Aquila.] |
| Aquila (āk'wə-lə) Pronunciation Key
A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Aquarius and Hercules. Aquila (the Eagle) contains the bright star Altair. |
Aquila
eagle, a native of Pontus, by occupation a tent-maker, whom Paul met on his first visit to Corinth (Acts 18:2). Along with his wife Priscilla he had fled from Rome in consequence of a decree (A.D. 50) by Claudius commanding all Jews to leave the city. Paul sojourned with him at Corinth, and they wrought together at their common trade, making Cilician hair-cloth for tents. On Paul's departure from Corinth after eighteen months, Aquila and his wife accompanied him to Ephesus, where they remained, while he proceeded to Syria (Acts 18:18, 26). When they became Christians we are not informed, but in Ephesus they were (1 Cor. 16:19) Paul's "helpers in Christ Jesus." We find them afterwards at Rome (Rom. 16:3), interesting themselves still in the cause of Christ. They are referred to some years after this as being at Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:19). This is the last notice we have of them.
Aquila
scholar who in about AD 140 completed a literal translation into Greek of the Old Testament; it replaced the Septuagint (q.v.) among Jews and was used by the Church Fathers Origen in the 3rd century and St. Jerome in the 4th and 5th centuries. St. Epiphanius (c. 315-403) preserved in his writings the popular Christian tradition that Aquila was a relative of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who employed him in rebuilding Jerusalem. There he was converted to Christianity, but, on being reproved for practicing pagan astrology, he returned to Judaism.
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