“And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.”
King James Version (KJV)
18:2 Claudius, the Roman emperor, had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome - All who were Jews by birth. Whether they were Jews or Christians by religion, the Romans were too stately to regard.
Ac 18:2 Found a certain Jew named Aquila. We have no account of the conversion of these two Christians, so famous in connection with Paul's labors. The fact that he describes Aquila as a Jew seems to imply that he was not yet a Christian. I am of the opinion that they were converted at Corinth. For other notices of them, see Ac 18:18,26 Ro 16:3,4 1Co 16:19 2Ti 4:19. Born in Pontus. A great province southeast of the Euxine Sea. Lately come from Italy. They had been driven out of Italy because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome. By a decree of the Emperor Claudius banishing all Jews from Rome. The Roman historian Suetonius, who lived about fifty years later, alludes to this decree, but states that the Jews made disturbances at the instigation of one "Chrestus", a form the ancients often used for spelling "Christus"; a mistake of the historian, showing that they did not comprehend the spiritual nature of Christ's reign.