Question: What was Paul's trade?
Answer: A tent-maker. (Acts 18:2-3)
Comments: While Paul was on his "third missionary journey" in Corinth he also worked as a tentmaker alongside Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2-3). Unlike other traveling teachers of the Hellenistic world, it was customary for Jewish rabbis to be bivocational so that they would not have to charge for their instruction. Paul's native province (he was fromTarsus in Cilicia) exported goats' hair cloth called "cilicium" which was used primarily in tentmaking. It is likely that Paul learned this trade there.
and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. (Acts 18:3, NASB)
Today the term tent-maker refers to any minister who supports herself by unrelated work.
Note: This illustration of "He earned his living by making tents" was created by Annie Vallotton.
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