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Where is Cyrene in the Bible?

Cyrene was an important city in ancient Libya, located in present-day Libya. In the New Testament, Cyrene is mentioned in connection with several individuals who played a role in the life of Jesus and the early Christian church. Cyrene appears in 4 verses across 4 books of the Bible.

What happened at Cyrene?

Cyrene was an important city in ancient Libya, located in present-day Libya. In the New Testament, Cyrene is mentioned in connection with several individuals who played a role in the life of Jesus and the early Christian church. Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled by Roman soldiers to carry Jesus' cross on the way to His crucifixion, is mentioned in Matthew 27:32, Mrk.15.21, and Luke 23:26. Mark's Gospel identifies Simon as the father of Alexander and Rufus, suggesting that these men may have been known to the early Christian community. In Act.2.10, Cyrenians are listed among the people present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. Some of these Cyrenian Jews, along with those from Cyprus, were among the first to preach the gospel to the Gentiles in Antioch (Act.11.20). Lucius of Cyrene is mentioned as one of the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch who ministered to the Lord and fasted, leading to the commissioning of Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for their first missionary journey (Act.13.1). In Act.6.9, Cyrenian Jews are mentioned as part of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, which disputed with Stephen, the first Christian martyr. These references to Cyrene in the New Testament highlight the city's significance as a center of Jewish diaspora and its contribution to the spread of early Christianity, particularly in the evangelization of Gentiles.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Cyrene appear in the Bible?

Cyrene is referenced in 4 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Acts 1Luke 1Matthew 1Mark 1

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Cyrene.

CyprusAntiochJesusCross

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Cyrene?

Cyrene appears in 4 verses across 4 books, most often in Acts, which accounts for 1 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Cyrene?

Acts, Luke, Matthew, Mark.

Where can I read every verse about Cyrene?

This page lists 4 of them. Protos carries all 4, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Acts with Cyrene explained on the verse.

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