4. The Christian family as a church. — We often read in the NT of families or households becoming Christian as a body ; e.g. those of Cornelius (Ac 10^ 1 1»), Lydia (\&^ : the first in St. Paul's history), the jailer at Philippi (IG^i-^s), Crispus (18^). So in Jn 4^* it is recorded that the king's ofiicer (paaCKiKbs) at Capernaum believed 'and his whole house.' Hence, in the absence of public churches, which persecution made impossible till a later date, a family became a centre of Christian worship, in which not only the household itself but also the Christian neighbours assembled. Thus, probably the house of Lydia was the beginning from which the Church at Philippi developed ; those of Steph- anas, whose family was ' the firstfruits of Achaia' (1 Co li« dlKo^, W^ oUia), Titus Justus (Ac 18''), Crispus (18^ ot/cos), and Gains (Ro 16'-^) perhaps became centres of worship at Corinth. Such, again, was Philemon's house at Colossge (Philem^) ; pro- bably Apphia was his wife, and possibly Archippus his son ( Philem 2j Col 4"). Archippus was clearly a church official ; he had received the ministry (diaKovia) in the Lord, and was in some way con- nected with Philemon ; we are led to think of him as ' bishop ' of the Church at Colossse, or, less pro- bably, with Lightfoot, of the neighbouring Church at Laodicea (so Apost. Const, vii. 46, which makes Philemon bishop of Colossse ; but it is more likely that Philemon was a layman). At Laodicea we read of Nymphas or Nympha (Col 4^'' ; the gender is uncertain), and 'the church that is in their house' (RV) — i.e. probably all who met to worship there are regarded as one family. Lightfoot thinks {Colossians, p. 241) that there were perhaps more than one such ' church ' at Laodicea, as there certainly were in Rome (see beloAv).
In Jerusalem such a private house was at first used for the Eucharist (Ac 2^^: /car' oXkov, 'at home,' as opposed to 'in the Temple'), and so doubtless at Troas (20''). For preaching to out- siders, the apostles made use of the synagogues (17"-: 'as his custom was'), or the Temple at Jerusalem, or the ' school of Tyrannus ' at Ephesus, which was probably open to all (19^), or other public places ; but for the instruction of the faith- ful the Christians gathered in a private house (5'*^ ' every day in the Temple and at home ' ; cf. 20-") ; in Jerusalem probably in that of Mary the mother of John Mark (12''-), for her family was certainly such a centre of worship. As St. James the Lord's brother was not present in the house where the people were assembled to pray for St. Peter (v."), it has been suggested that there were more than one such iKKX-qaia in Jerusalem ; but this is uncer- tain. At Ciesarea we are tempted to think of Philip's houscliold as such a centre (21^) ; at Cenchreae of that of Phoebe the deaconess (Ro 16'). For Ephesus we have mention of Aquila and Prisca (or Priscilla), and 'the church that is in their house ' — their ' family ' formed a Christian com- munity (1 Co 16"*). Here we have a remarkable feature, for about a year later we find these two
workers credited with another ' church ' in Rome (Ro 16^"®), and this has been adduced as disproving the integrity of Romans as regards the last chapter. But it is not an improbable supposition that they gatliered the Christians together in their own household wherever they were ; and as Sanday- Headlam remark (op. cit. p. 418 f.), they were, like many Jews of the day, great travellers. We read of Aquila in Pontus, then of him and his wife in Rome A.D. 52, Avhen they were expelled from the capital with their fellow-countrymen (Ac IS"-) ; then we read of them at Corinth, where they met St. Paul (Ac 18"-), and of their going with him to Ephesus (v.'^f-)) where they remained some time. Thence, probably, the old decree of expulsion having become obsolete, they returned to Rome, between the writing of 1 Cor. and Rom., and the ' church in their house ' in Rome was then founded. Its site has been identihed with that of the old church of St. Prisca on the Aventine, and this is quite pos- sible, though there is no evidence of importance to support the identification. Hort suggests (Prole- gomeva to Bomans and Ephesians, 1895, p. 12 fi".) that Prisca was a Roman lady of distinction, superior in birth to her husband ; and this would lend probability to the supposition that their home was a centre of Christian worship ; but Sanday- Headlam think that they were both freed members of a great Roman family.
There are traces of other centres of worship in Rome. In Ro 16 both v.'* and v."* indicate com- munities or 'families' of Christians at Rome in addition to that of Aquila and Prisca in v.®. In v." only men are mentioned, and yet they form a community ; cf. 'the brethren that are with them.' In V.'® Philologus and Julia were probably husband and wife ; Nereus and his sister, and also Olympas, would be near relations, living with them, but hardly their children, for it would not be likely that Philologus' daughter should be referred to here as ' the sister of Nereus.' This household seems to have been a large Christian centre : ' all the saints that are with them * are mentioned. The multiplying of centres in one city at a time when persecution was present or imminent may be illustrated by the account of the trial of Justin Martyr before the prefect in Rome (T. Ruinart, Acta Prim. Mart.^, 1713, p. 59). Justin tells the prefect that the Christians in the city do not all assemble at one place, for ' the God of the Chris- tians is not circumscribed in place, but, being invisible, fills heaven and earth, and everywhere is adored by the faithful and His glory praised.' Justin is pressed to say where he and his disciples assemble, and he replies that hitherto he has lived in the house of one Martin. The Acta may prob- ably be said at least to contain the traditions current in the 3rd cent, as to Justin's death (see Smith's DCB iii. [1882] 562).