SAUL OF TARSUS

He is known as the Apostle Paul. He was converted on the road to Damascus where he was intending to persecute the Christians, as he did in Judea. Jesus appeared to him and Saul converted to become one of the most important characters in the New Testament.

In his early christian life, Saul of Tarsus was mentored by Barnabas who taught him how the scriptures announced the coming of the Messiah and that the Messiah was Jesus. After having been accepted by the Apostles as a true believer, he started a series of three missionary journeys. The first one was with Barnabas, before separating after a problem occurred with John Mark.

With Silas, Timothy and many others, Saul who changed his name to Paul made his way through Asia and Europe to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles and wrote many of the New Testament epistles.

At the end of his life, he claimed the help of John Mark with whom he was reconciled, and brought Alexander and Rufus with him on his journey in Spain.
 
Indirectly, Paul's story was connected with that of Simon of Cyrene.



SIMON PETER

Also called Cepas. He was certainty the most important character in the New Testament after that of Jesus. He was the first among the twelve apostles and Jesus charged him with great responsibilities for the early church.

Peter was the first responsible of the church in Jerusalem along with James, the brother of Jesus. Jesus gave him the responsibility of the spreading of the Gospel among the Jews. He also was the mentor of John Mark who became his secretary.

During the persecution period, the church of Jerusalem gathered in the home of Mark's mother. When Peter was miraculously freed from prison, he went to that house. He traveled to the city of Babylone" in Egypt with John Mark. Through him, Peter was also connected to Simon of Cyrene who went back to his homeland to announce the Messaiah in North Africa, alongside his two sons, Alexander and Rufus. The work done there has lead North Africa to experience the greatest christian revival of the three first centuries, with Carthage as capital city.