Claudius was the emperor of Rome. The Roman emperor, Claudius, was almost certainly a complete pagan, with no care whatsoever about the God of the Bible—yet God still used him to set in motion great things for Christ’s kingdom.
Claudius was emperor of Rome from AD 41 to 54. He was closely connected with Herod Agrippa I, king over most of Palestine, and Herod even appears to have been involved in Claudius’s appointment as emperor. Though it has not been confirmed by other literature, the Bible states that at some point before Paul completed his second missionary journey, Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome. Among those Jews expelled was a Christian couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They traveled to Corinth, where they met Paul and became his coworkers in the gospel as well as in tentmaking (Acts 18).
Later Aquila and Priscilla traveled with Paul to Ephesus, where they met another Jew named Apollos. With Aquila and Priscilla’s help, Apollos became a great teacher in the church there.
CLAUDIUS Emperor of Rome Had it not been for Claudius’s edict, Aquila and Priscilla may never have met Paul, nor would they have met Apollos. God is so powerful He can use anyone to carry out His will—no matter who they are or whether they willingly follow Him.
Historians often note that Claudius was an unlikely candidate for emperor, yet he eventually proved to be an able one in many ways.
Apparently he suffered from some physical ailment that may have been a form of cerebral palsy.