It is possible that Rufus went to Rome as a missionary sent out by Antioch. 8 If the two Rufuses are the same man, his standing as a church leader in Rome demonstrates that Simon the crossbearer’s family indeed had a prominent role in the early Christian community. 7 Strengthening this hypothesis is the probability that Mark’s Gospel was written in Rome for the Romans. Some scholars have, at least tentatively, identified the Rufus mentioned by Mark with the Rufus mentioned by Paul in his greetings to the Roman church (Rom.Thus, we may presume that their father was a convert to Christ. For what reason does he name them? They must have been well-known figures in the early church. Mark names Rufus and Alexander as two sons of Simon the crossbearer.Since another may have been his associate Simeon, we infer that Simeon may also have been a Cyrenian. Thus, he was probably one of the founders.
We learn also that a few years later, the prominent leaders of that church included a certain Lucius, said to be a Cyrenian. In Acts, we learn that preachers from Cyprus and Cyrene founded the church in Antioch. The Gospels say that the man who carried the cross came from Cyrene.The name is Jewish, an allusion to one of the twelve tribes, but a non-Jew may have acquired it if he began life as a slave in a Jewish home or if, as an adult, he became a Jewish proselyte. Since the name Simon is a variant of the name Simeon, 5 the two men have the same name.4 The evidence that they were the same man is circumstantial but compelling. To merge the identities of Simeon Niger and Simon the crossbearer is a very old idea winning from some modern commentators either an endorsement or at least a concession that it might be true. 3Ī venerable tradition concerning Simon Niger
But it more likely means that as a result of being schoolmates, Manaen and Herod were childhood friends. 2 In the Greek, the expression "brought up with Herod" could mean that as a result of being adopted by the royal family, Manaen was Herod’s foster brother. In his youth he had known Herod the tetrarch that is, Herod Antipas, the tetrarch who executed John the Baptist. Manaen had a close tie to the family descended from Herod the Great, ruler of the Jews when Jesus was born. Lucius of Cyrene was probably one of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who first took the gospel to the gentiles in Antioch (Acts 11:19–21). Simeon called Niger (or "black" 1) may have been the Simon who carried Jesus’ cross (Matt. The reader of the earlier chapters of Acts already knows Barnabas and Saul. Now Antioch became the springboard for the next great advance.Īt this time, the church in Antioch was blessed with several outstanding leaders. The last great advance in winning souls had been the addition of many gentiles to the church in Antioch.
SERIOUS SAM 1 UNPAUSE FREE
With the death of Herod, the church was again free to preach the gospel.
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