Lucius

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Lu'cius.

1. A kinsman, or fellow tribesman, of St. Paul,  Romans 16:21, by whom he is said, by tradition, to have been ordained bishop of the church of Cenchreae. He is thought by some to be the same with Lucius of Cyrene.

2. Lucius of Cyrene is first mentioned, in the New Testament, in company with Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Manaen and Saul, who are described as prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch.  Acts 13:1.

Whether Lucius was one of the seventy disciples is quite a matter of conjecture; but it is highly probable that he formed one of the congregation to whom St. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost ,  Acts 2:10, and there can hardly be a doubt that he was one of "the men of Cyrene" who, being "scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen," went to Antioch preaching the Lord Jesus .  Acts 11:19-20.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Lucius. 1 . A ‘consul of the Romans’ ( 1Ma 15:16 ff.), who transmitted the decree of the senate in favour of the Jews. Probably the reference is to Lucius Calpurnius Piso, consul in b.c. 139. 2 . Of Cyrene, one of certain prophets and teachers at Antioch in Syria, mentioned in   Acts 13:1 , to whom it was revealed that Paul and Barnabas should be separated for the work to which they had been called. The suggestion that he was the same person as St. Luke , the Evangelist, has nothing to support it. 3 . Mentioned in   Romans 16:21 , as sending greetings to the brethren at Rome. Possibly the same person as 2 , but of this there is no certain proof.

Morley Stevenson.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Lucius of Cyrene was one of the prophets and teachers who presided in the Church at Antioch ( Acts 13:1). He seems to have belonged pretty certainly to the band of Cypriotes and Cyrenians by whom the Gentile Church at Antioch was founded ( Acts 11:20). Some commentators have rather absurdly identified him with St. Luke. The names are not identical or even very near one another, and there is no reason to think that St. Luke would have introduced himself in this haphazard way. He may be identified with the Lucius of  Romans 16:21.

W. A. Spooner.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Lucius (lû'shĭ-ŭs ). A Cyrenian, a Christian teacher at Antioch.  Acts 13:1. It is probably the same person whom Paul calls his kinsman, i.e., of his own tribe, and whose salutation he conveys to the Roman church.  Romans 16:2.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

One of the prophets of the Christian church at Antioch. (See  Acts 13:1) His name signifies, light. There is another of this name, styled Paul's kinsman. (See  Romans 16:21)

Morrish Bible Dictionary

1. Prophet or teacher of Cyrene, one of those at Antioch who, after prayer and fasting, laid their hands on Barnabas and Paul and sent them on the first missionary journey.  Acts 13:1 .

2. Kinsman of Paul whose salutation was sent to Rome.  Romans 16:21 .

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Of Cyrene, mentioned  Acts 13:1 , was on of the ministers and teachers of the Christian church at Antioch, and probably a kinsman of Paul,  Romans 16:21 . He is supposed by some to be the same with the evangelist Luke; but of this there is no evidence.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Paul's kinsman or fellow tribesman ( Romans 16:21). Tradition makes him consecrated Bishop of Cenchreae by Paul (Apost. Const. 7:46).

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 13:1 Romans 16:21

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 13:1 Romans 16:21

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Λεύκιος v.r. Λούκιος ), a Roman consul (ὕπατος ῾Ρωμαίων ), who is said to have written the letter to Ptolemy (Euergetes) which assured Simon I of the protection of Rome (B.C. cir. 139-8;  1 Maccabees 15:10;  1 Maccabees 15:15-24). The whole form of the letter — the mention of one consul only, the description of the consul by the proenomen, the omission of the senate and of the date (comp. Wernsdorf, De fide Macc . § 119) — shows that it cannot be an accurate copy of the original document; but there is nothing in the substance of the letter which is open to just suspicion. Josephus omits all mention of the letter of "Lucius" in his account of Simon, but gives one very similar in contents (Ant. 14:8, 5), as written on the motion of Lucius Valerius in the ninth (nineteenth) year of Hyrcanus Ii; and unless the two letters and the two missions which led to them were purposely assimilated, which is not wholly improbable, it must be supposed that he has been guilty of a strange oversight in removing the incident from its proper place. The imperfect transcription of the name has led to the identification of Lucius with three distinct persons:

(1.) [Lucius] Furius Philus (the lists, Clinton, Fasti Hell . 3:114, give P. Furius Philus), who was not consul till B.C. 136, and is therefore at once excluded.

(2.) Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus, who was consul In B.C. 142, immediately after Simon assumed the government. On this supposition it might seem not unlikely that the answer which Simon received to an application for protection, which he made to Rome directly on his assumption of power (comp.  1 Maccabees 14:17-18) in the consulship of Metellus, has been combined with the answer to the later embassy of Numenius ( 1 Maccabees 14:24;  1 Maccabees 15:18).

(3.) But the third identification with Lucius Calpurnius Piso, who was consul B.C. 139, is most probably correct. The date exactly corresponds, and, though the praenomen of Calpurnius is not established beyond all question, the balance of evidence is decidedly against the common lists. The Fasti Capitolini are defective for this year, and only give a fragment of the name of Popillius, the fellow-consul of Calpurnius. Cassiodorus (Chron.), as edited, gives Cn. Calpurnius, but the eye of the scribe (if the reading is correct) was probably misled by the names in the years imrmediately before. On the other hand, Valerius Maximus (1:3) is wrongly quoted from the printed text as giving the same prsenomen. The passage in which the name occurs is in reality no part of Valerius Maximus, but a piece of the abstract of Julius Paris inserted in the text. Of eleven Mss. of Valerius which have been examined, it occurs only in one (Mus. Bri. Burn. 209), and there the name is given Lucius Calpurnius, as it is given by Mai in his edition of Julius Paris (Script. Vet. Nova Coll. 3:7). Sigonius says rightly (Fasti Cons. page 207): "Cassiodorus prodit consules Cn. Pisonem... epitoma L. Calpurnium." The chance of an error of transcription in Julius Paris is obviously less than in the Fasti of Cassiodorus; and even if the evidence were equal, the authority of 1 Macc. might rightly be urged as decisive in such a case.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Lu´cius of Cyrene, a person named along with Barnabas, Saul, and others, as 'prophets' and 'teachers' in the church at Antioch . Lucius was probably one of 'the synagogue of the Cyrenians,' and was without doubt one of the men of Cyrene, who went abroad in consequence of the persecution raised on the death of Stephen . Some suppose that he was one of the seventy disciples; and the tradition is, that he was eventually bishop of Cyrene. This is probably the same Lucius who is mentioned in as Paul's kinsman; and he has been supposed by some the same with Luke the Evangelist.