Lucius of Cyrene

Info

• #coworker
• Home:: Cyrene (North Africa)
• Other Locales:: Antioch, Corinthian Church (possibly)
• References:: Acts 13#13:1, Romans 16#16:21

Notes

• Listed among the prophets and teachers at Antioch
• Paul calls a Lucius "my kinsman" in Romans 16 - possibly the same person

Summary

Lucius appears in two New Testament contexts, though whether they refer to the same individual is debated.

In Acts 13#13:1, a "Lucius of Cyrene" is listed among the prophets and teachers in the Antioch Church. The leadership team included Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Manaen, and Paul (still called Saul). Lucius was one of the founding leaders of the Antioch Church, the community that became the base of operations for the Gentile mission. Cyrene was a major city in North Africa (modern Libya) with a significant Jewish population. Cyrenian Jews are mentioned in Acts as among the early evangelists who first preached to Gentiles in Antioch (Acts 11#11:20), so Lucius may have been part of that pioneering effort.

In Romans 16#16:21, Paul sends greetings from "Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen." The term "kinsmen" (syngeneis) identifies them as fellow Jews. If this is the same Lucius of Cyrene, he remained an active partner in Paul's mission for over a decade, present with Paul in Corinth during the writing of Romans.

Ancient traditions identified Lucius with Luke the Evangelist, but the identification is incorrect. The names are different in Greek (Loukios vs. Loukas), and Luke appears to have been a Gentile while Lucius is called a kinsman (fellow Jew). Lucius of Cyrene is his own figure: a North African Jewish-Christian leader who was present at key moments in the expansion of the early church.

References

• theodoretCommentaryRomansc425 - Theodoret of Cyrus's patristic commentary on Romans, with early church interpretation of Lucius in Romans 16:21.
• mouleEpistlePaulApostle2015 - Moule's commentary on Romans covering Lucius's mention in Romans 16:21.
• bruceRomans2014 - F.F. Bruce's Romans commentary addressing Lucius in Romans 16:21.
• mcclainRomansGospelGod1989 - McClain's Romans commentary covering Lucius in Paul's closing greetings.
• mooEncounteringBookRomans2002 - Moo's Romans survey covering the greetings context where Lucius appears in Romans 16:21.
• wrightChallengeActsRediscovering2024 - Wright's study of Acts as theological history, covering Lucius's role in Acts 13:1.
• polhillActs1992 - Polhill's Acts commentary covering Lucius in Acts 13:1.
• paoActsIsaianicNew2002 - Pao's study of Acts through the lens of Isaiah's new exodus, providing theological context for Lucius's narrative in Acts 13:1.
• addisonActsMovementGod2023 - Addison examines the Acts narrative as a movement model, including Lucius's contribution in Acts 13:1.
• Acts 13:1 Commentaries - BibleHub
• Lucius of Cyrene - Wikipedia