Ancient letters were often ended by passing on greetings from other people. Following this custom, Paul begins by passing general greetings from the churches of Asia. At the time of Paul’s writing these churches would include Ephesus (from where the gospel spread to the rest of the province of Asia, Acts 19:10), Laodicea, Colossae, and Hierapolis (Colossians 1:2; Colossians 4:13). Possibly there were also small groups of believers in cities such as Thyatira, Smyrna, Sardis, and Philadelphia (Revelation 2:1 – 3:22).

Paul specifically mentions Aquila and Prisca (an abbreviation for Priscilla). This married couple had been of great service to Paul and the church, first in Corinth and then in Ephesus (Acts 18:1–3, Acts 18:1 – 26:32; Romans 16:3–4). The fact that a church was able to gather in their house shows that they possessed a degree of wealth. In the first century it was common for a local church to meet in the house of one of the wealthier church members.