Still, Paul needs a place to stay, and he is determined not to be a financial burden on others. He does not want to give anyone the impression that he is living off the word of God. What will he do?

² Paul knows a trade​—tentmaking. Making tents is not easy, but he is willing to work with his hands to support himself.

“They Were Tentmakers by Trade” (Acts 18:1-4)

4, 5. (a) Where did Paul stay while in Corinth, and what secular work did he do? (b) How may Paul have come to be a tentmaker?

⁴ Some time after arriving in Corinth, Paul met a hospitable couple​—a natural Jew named Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, or Prisca. The couple took up residence in Corinth because of a decree by Emperor Claudius ordering “all the Jews to leave Rome.” (Acts 18:1, 2) Aquila and Priscilla welcomed Paul not only into their home but also into their business. We read: “Because he [Paul] had the same trade, he stayed at their home and worked with them, for they were tentmakers by trade.” (Acts 18:3) The home of this warmhearted couple remained Paul’s place of dwelling during his ministry in Corinth. While he was staying with Aquila and Priscilla, Paul may have written some of the letters that later became part of the Bible canon.b

⁵ How is it that Paul, a man who had been educated “at the feet of Gamaliel,” was also a tentmaker by trade? (Acts 22:3) The Jews of the first century apparently did not consider it beneath their dignity to teach their children a trade, even though such children may have received additional education as well. Having come from Tarsus in Cilicia, the area famous for a cloth named cilicium from which tents were made, Paul likely learned the trade during his youth. What did tentmaking involve? The trade could involve weaving the tent cloth or cutting and sewing the coarse, stiff material in order to make the tents. Either way, it was hard work.

6, 7. (a) How did Paul view tentmaking, and what indicates that Aquila and Priscilla had a similar view? (b) How do Christians today follow the example of Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla?

⁶ Paul did not consider tentmaking his vocation, or career. He worked at this trade only to support himself in the ministry, declaring the good news “without cost.” (2 Cor. 11:7) How did Aquila and Priscilla view their trade? As Christians, they no doubt viewed secular work as Paul did. In fact, when Paul left Corinth in 52 C.E., Aquila and Priscilla pulled up stakes and followed him to Ephesus, where their home was used as the meeting place for the local congregation. (1 Cor. 16:19) Later, they returned to Rome and then went back again to Ephesus. This zealous couple put Kingdom interests first and willingly expended themselves in the service of others, thereby earning the gratitude of “all the congregations of the nations.”​—Rom. 16:3-5; 2 Tim. 4:19.

⁷ Present-day Christians follow the example of Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla. Zealous ministers today work hard so as not to “put an expensive burden on” others. (1 Thess. 2:9) Commendably, many full-time Kingdom proclaimers work part-time or do seasonal work to support themselves in their vocation, the Christian ministry.