Two Jews, Two Hellenists, and an African Walk into a Church (No Joke)

When perusing a text that mentions numerous names, it is customary to glance halfheartedly at the lists in order to hurry toward sections that contain presumably more interesting material. The writers of Scripture, however, did not include names and biographic information without purpose. In Acts 13:1 five individuals appear, and each of them possesses distinctive ethnic and cultural backgrounds. These men are Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul/Paul (13:1).

            Barnabas (i.e., “the son of encouragement”) who also answered to the name of Joseph, was a Levite from the island of Cyprus. He was a Hellenistic Jew who was the cousin of John Mark (Col. 4:10). After Saul’s conversion, Barnabas vouched for this onetime adversary of the church when others were reluctant to fellowship with him (Acts 9:27).

            Next in the list was Simeon, whose nickname was Niger. In Latin, the term niger means black, which likely indicates that he was of African descent and had dark features[1] (cf. Acts 15:14). Simeon may have originated from the same region as the Ethiopian eunuch (cf. Acts 8:25-40).[2] F. F. Bruce speculated that Simeon was none other than “‘Simon of Cyrene . . . the father of Alexander and Rufus’ (Mark 15:21) who carried the cross of Jesus”[3] before His crucifixion. The mention of Alexander and Rufus in the Gospel according to Mark suggests these two men were well known by Mark’s readers, probably because of distinguished Christian service (cf. Rom. 16:13).

            Lucius of Cyrene, a Jew of the diaspora,[4] also was a member of this team of prophets and teachers. Located in modern Libya, Cyrene was “the capital of the North African Roman province of Cyrenaica.”[5] “Cyrene’s Jewish population originally came from Egypt, which adjoined Libya (Jos. Ant. 14.118; Ag. Ap. 2.44).[6] In Romans 6:21, a man named Lucius was one of Paul’s fellow workers,[7] perhaps the same man that Acts 13:1 mentions.

            Manaen is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Menahem, which means “comforter.”[8] Given the roots of his name and as well as his background, Manaen “came from aristocratic Jewish circles.”[9] Acts 13:1 makes the surprising statement that he was the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, which is a reference to Herod Antipas (cf. Luke 3:1; Acts 4:27). Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the great and Malthace, ruled Galilee from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39.[10] While Antipas beheaded John the Baptist and treated Jesus with contempt the night before His crucifixion (cf. Mark 6:19-29; Luke 23:11), his foster brother Manaen became a follower of Christ. Chalmer Faw noted, “What a tribute to the powerful grace of God that a man with his background is a prophet and teaching in the church at Antioch!” [11]

            The final man who was a part of this assembly was Saul himself. As readers of Scripture are well aware, Saul was a Jew from Tarsus (Acts 21:39), “the capital and chief city of the Roman province of Cilicia in Asia Minor.”[12] As a Pharisee, the strictest religious sect among Jews (Acts 26:5), Saul thought he rendered service to God by mistreating followers of Christ (Acts 26:9-11; cf. John 16:2). When Jesus appeared to him in an intense light on the Road to Damascus, however, Saul learned the truth and ultimately became an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:3-6, 15-16).

            The biographic profile of these five prophets and teachers reveals that they were a “multi-racial fellowship”[13] of Christians who derived from various cultural and geographical locales. One was an African. One was a Jewish aristocrat who had enjoyed a life of privilege. Two were Hellenistic Jews who likely were just as comfortable in the Greek culture as they were in their ancestors’ culture. One had considered non-Israelites as beyond the scope of God’s compassion. However, after Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul had become followers in Christ, they experienced a blessed unity of position and purpose. As a result, they enjoyed a special harmony that only is possible through Jesus.

            Would that Northern American Christians of various ethnic backgrounds would learn this lesson, experience authentic reconciliation, and enjoy the unity that largely has been lacking throughout United States history. One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One Spirit.

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[1] Spencer, Acts, 137.

[2] Packer, Acts, 101.

[3] Bruce, Acts, 260.

[4] Krodel, Acts, 227.

[5] Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, 206.

[6] Keener, Acts: Volume 1: Introduction and 1:1-2:47, 849.

[7] In this text, other fellow workers include Timothy, Jason, and Sosipater.

[8] Brice, Acts, 260.

[9] Krodel, Acts, 227.

[10] Marshall, The Gospel of Luke, 134.

[11] Faw, Acts, 149.

[12] Elwell, ed. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 2, 2037.

[13] Keddie, You Are My Witnesses, 152.