SIMON OF CYRENE - The location of Cyrene has led some scholars to wonder if Simon was a black man. Cyrene was officially a Greek and Roman city, which means it was populated by a number of different nationalities. Jesus' crucifixion occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So many people traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the yearly feasts that the city became overrun. This may point to Simon being a Jew who lived in Cyrene. Simon's sons, Alexander and Rufus, were likely leaders or active members of the early church at Jerusalem.

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Simon Of Cyrene

Who Was Simon of Cyrene From the Bible?

By Sam O’Neal

There are a number of interesting minor characters connected to the historical crucifixion of Jesus Christ – including Pontius Pilate, the Roman Centurion, Herod Antipas, and more.

Among these was a man named Simon who was conscripted by the Roman authorities to carry Jesus' cross-beam on the way to His crucifixion.

The History of the Cross Bearer

Simon of Cyrene is mentioned in three of the four Gospels.

Luke provides a quick overview of his involvement:

^“26 As they led Him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry behind Jesus. ²⁷ A large crowd of people followed Him, including women who were mourning and lamenting Him.” (Luke 23:26-27)

It was common for Roman soldiers to force convicted criminals to carry their own crosses as they trudged toward the place of execution -- the Romans were expertly cruel 

in their torture methods and left no stone unturned. At this point in the crucifixion story, Jesus had been beaten several times by both Roman and Jewish authorities.

He apparently had no strength left to drag the heaven burden through the streets.

Roman soldiers carried a great deal of authority wherever they went.

It appears they wanted to keep the procession moving, and so they forcibly recruited a man named Simon to pick up Jesus' cross and carry it for Him.

Simon of Cyrene's Life

What do we know about Simon? The text mentions that he was "a Cyrenian," which means he came from the town of Cyrene in the region known today as Libya on the northern coast of Africa.

The location of Cyrene has led some scholars to wonder if Simon was a black man, which is certainly possible.

However, Cyrene was officially a Greek and Roman city, which means it was populated by a number of different nationalities. Acts 6:9 mentions a synagogue in that same region, for example.

One other clue to Simon's identity comes from the fact that he was "coming in from the country."

Jesus' crucifixion occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So many people traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the yearly feasts that the city became overrun.

There weren't enough inns or boarding houses to accommodate the influx of travelers, so most visitors spent the night outside the city and then walked back in for different religious rituals and celebrations.

This may point to Simon being a Jew who lived in Cyrene.

Mark also provides some additional information:

“They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’ cross. He was Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus.”
(Mark 15:21)

The fact that Mark casually mentions Alexander and Rufus without any further information means they would have been well-known to his intended audience.

Therefore, Simon's sons were likely leaders or active members of the early church at Jerusalem. (This same Rufus may have been mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13, but there is no way to tell for sure.)

The final mention of Simon comes in Matthew 27:32.

Sam O'Neal

·   Author or co-author of The Bible Answer Book and three other books

·   Content editor for Lifeway Christian Resources 

·   Editor for Christianity Today

Experience

Sam O'Neal is a former writer for ThoughtCo. He is a professional writer and editor with a life-long passion for and appreciation of the Bible. Sam is currently a senior editor at Thomas Nelson Publishers and was a content editor with LifeWay Christian Resources for six years. Sam also worked as editor and writer for Christianity Today and Wheaton College and has authored or co-authored four books on bible studies. He wrote for ThoughtCo for about three years.

Education

Sam graduated from Wheaton College in 2002 with a B.A. in English Literature. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Christian Studies from Union University in Hendersonville, TN.

Publications

·   Field Guide for Small-Group Leaders

·   Bible Stories You May Have Forgotten (co-authored with James Bell)

·   The Spiritual World of The Hobbit (co-authored with James Bell)

·   The Bible Answer Book (co-authored with James Bell)

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

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