SIMON OF CYRENE

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Simon of Cyrene is generally known as the man who helped Jesus carry His cross on the way to calvary.

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He is quoted by the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke.

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Matthew 27: 32

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

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Mark 15:21

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

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Luke 23:26

And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

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That is all that is said on Simon of Cyrene in the scriptures. 

But, when we analyse both the text and the historical context, we can easily reconstruct the story of this mysterious man.

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His name was a Hebrew name: Simon. We know for sure that he was a Jew who went to Jerusalem for the Holy Festivals of Passover.

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The names of his two sons: Alexander is a Greek name, while Rufus is Roman. This indicates the greco-latin dimension of his life. And we also know that he was from Cyrene, in North Africa, with Berber roots.

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The study of the history of these regions, Israël and North Africa, gives us the context of the new christian community with all its such characters such as Simon Peter, Barnabas, Saul of Tarsus, and many others. We can then draw the background of the life of Simon of Cyrene and the early church from a new perspective. 

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Alexander and Rufus

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Their names are given only by Mark in his Gospel. 

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Mark 15:21

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

They were also from Cyrene, a city in North Africa, where people were from four different origins:

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The indigenous Berbers; the Jews (whether native or immigrants), the Greek people and the Roman citizens who came from all the regions of the empire.

As Alexander is a Greek name and Rufus a roman one, it is clear that their father Simon had a multi ethnic culture. 

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Different sources say that both Alexander and Rufus were present in Jerusalem during the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and that they were among the 120.

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Later, other sources declare that Saint Paul called them to evangelise Spain and Catalonia with him. Alexander stayed in Spain where he opened the first Spanish church, while Rufus was the first bishop of Catalonia. He continued his mission to France and stayed in Avignon and raised the first church that still exists today.

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