Biblical Relevance

The presence and influence of Jews from Cyrene is reflected in several New Testament passages.

• A Jew from Cyrene named Simon carried Jesus’ cross (Matt 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26).

• Jews from Cyrene numbered among the pilgrims in Jerusalem who heard Peter’s speech during the Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:10).

• Representatives of Cyrene’s Jewish Diaspora opposed Stephen in Jerusalem (Acts 6:9).

• Some Cyrenian Jewish followers of Jesus were responsible for the first Gentile converts in Antioch (Acts 11:20).

• Lucian from Cyrene was a prophet and teacher in Antioch (Acts 13:1).

During the Second Temple period, Cyrene was a key center in the Jewish Diaspora. The Jewish inhabitants of Cyrene were closely connected to Jerusalem and other Jewish communities throughout the Mediterranean region. Cyrenian Jews were believed to be instrumental in marketing the prized silphium plant across the Mediterranean (Oden, Libyan Christianity, 61).

Diaspora members in Cyrene likely retained a strong sense of Jewish identity (Goodman, Rome and Jerusalem, 422). According to Josephus, they sent offerings to the Jerusalem Temple (Josephus, Antiquities, 16.6.5). Retaining their national interests, they also fought in the Jewish Wars against Rome (Cassius Dio, Roman History, 68.32; Josephus, Jewish War, 6.2, 7.11). The radical Sicarii apparently operated in Cyrene (Josephus, Jewish War, 6.11; Goodman, Rome and Jerusalem, 428). A man named Jason of Cyrene chronicled many of the historical events recorded in 2 Maccabees (2 Macc 2:23).