SIMON OF CYRENE

A Historical Fiction

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One of the most mysterious characters in the New Testament is a certain Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus. He makes a furtive appearance in the biblical text, being forced to carry the cross of Jesus on the way to Calvary. We do not hear about him in the Bible neither before nor after this event and he does not say a single word in the gospels. Yet the fact that he has been quoted by the Gospels gives him an importance that needs to be enlightened, visiting his life, that of his family, his environment and the consequences of his act.

 

• Who is Simon of Cyrene, and who are his two sons also mentioned, Alexander and Rufus? Who are the biblical characters around them?

• What roles did they play in the history of nascent faith, based on the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth ?

• What were the implications of their work in the history of Christianity, and what remains of it today?

• What is the story told by this passing by man that can have any importance for us now ?

 

Simon and his sons are from Cyrenaica in North Africa, in what is now Libya. Their names reveal four cultural and ethnic dimensions. While Simon is a Jewish name, that of Alexander is Greek, while that of Rufus is Roman. They are all three of North Africa, country of Berbers. It is the story of these early Christians that we tell, based on biblical data, those of the Christian tradition and of historical sources. They all come from North Africa. From Cyrene in Libya to Volubilis in Morroco.

 

Objective of this script :

This script was written to tell the story of the first century church and its first believers, starting with these three foreigners from Cyrene whose story begins at the very moment when Jesus was taken to Golgotha. It will take us from Cyrene to France, from Carthage to Rome, via Cyprus, Antioch, Greece, Italy, Alexandria, Spain, and Catalonia. It is the first time that Church history is told from an africain perspective.

 

We will also find in this story, famous biblical characters and others less known : John Mark - the author of the first Gospel - and his mother Mary ; Simon Peter, Barnabas, Paul, Silas, Timothy, Epnaetus, the Samaritan woman, and of course, Simon of Cyrene, his wife and their two sons, Alexander and Rufus.

 

Rufus and Mark

Indeed, native Cyrene, Rufus and John Mark who will take over from Simon of Cyrene, will be the main characters in this scenario, alongside many others, such as Peter, Barnabas and Paul, based on biblical and historical sources, augmented by a fictional contribution to better articulate the events between them and allow the viewer to understand the history of early Christianity, its development, and its impact on the spread of the Gospel in the world, especially in the West.

This scenario thus tells in an unprecedented way the story of Simon of Cyrene and his children. And also, in a special way, the life of Saint Mark, spiritual heir to the work of Simon of Cyrene.

  

Traditionally, Church history as told and taught is based mostly on Paul’s Missionary Journeys, namely, the northern Mediterranean route. By contrast, this scenario is a

reconstruction of the story of Simon of Cyrene and his immediate lineage, related to the birth and expansion of the first century church in Africa, and its extension to the

evangelization of the West by way of the southern Mediterranean route.

 

Characters of the story :

• Jesus ;

• Mary, his mother ;

• Simon of Cyrene ;

• Alexander and Rufus, his two sons ;

• Dinah, their mother ;

• John Mark ;

• Mary his mother ;

• Barnabas his cousin ;

• Simon Peter, called Cephas his « father" ;

• Lucius of Cyrene ;

• Epnaetus of Carthage ;

• Saint Paul ;

• Pétronilla and Felicula, the two sisters, of whom Petronilla is considered to be Peter’s adopted daughter.

• Saint Photina, the Samaritan woman ...

 

Places where the story takes place.

• Alexandria, Egypt ;

• Antioch, Syria, currently in Turkey ;

• Avignon, south of France ;

• Babylon, Egypt ;

  • Cana in Galilee ;

  • Carthage, Tunisia ;

  • Caesarea, in Israel ;

  • Cyprus ;

  • Cyrene and Pentapolis in North Africa;

  • Jerusalem ;

  • Lecuza (Spain) ;

  • Perga, in Turkey

  • Rome ;

  • Tortosa (Catalonia);