Sergius Paulus

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Sergius Paulus is mentioned in  Acts 13:4-12, where he is described as the proconsul in Cyprus, ‘a man of understanding’ who ‘called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.’ With Sergius Paulus was Elymas the sorcerer who sought ‘to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.’ St. Paul’s power brought blindness upon Elymas. ‘Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.’

The Sergii were a Roman patrician gens who furnished more than one consul. Two possible references to Sergius Paulus occur outside the NT. A Sergius Paulus is mentioned in the Index of Authors to Pliny’s Natural History, as an authority on bks. ii. and xviii., which give special information, about Cyprus. A Greek inscription from the N. coast of Cyprus is dated ‘in the pro-consulship of Paulus,’ who is probably the same governor.

NT references, though incidental (for the interest of the story centres in the duel between St. Paul and Elymas), describe a triumph for the Christian preachers. It was customary for a high Roman official to have in his train of comites not only personal friends and attachés, but also ‘provincials, men of letters or of scientific knowledge or of tastes and habits that rendered them agreeable or useful to the great man’ [W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller, p. 77). Sergius Paulus is described as συνετός-a, man of understanding, or of keen intelligence. This description does not favour the idea that he was weakly under the influence of a mountebank. Elymas was evidently a powerful exponent of a subtle theosophical system; and as a man of unusual intelligence, with a religious bent, the governor encouraged the presence and enjoyed the company of such scientists and philosophers. For the same reason he sent for Barnabas and St. Paul, when news reached him of their work in Cyprus. These travelling teachers were summoned to Court. The governor listened to their message with such evident pleasure and approval that the jealousy of Elymas was roused, and lie tried to dissuade his patron from hearing them. But St. Paul’s challenge reduced Elymas to impotent blindness. Sergius Paulus had been impressed already by the missionaries’ exposition of Christianity. He was ‘astonished at the teaching of the Lord.’ His astonishment is said to have been due not to the miracle but to the teaching (C. v. Weizsäcker is wrong, therefore, in ascribing the conversion of Sergius Paulus to ‘the Apostle striking his favourite, the Magian Barjesus, blind’ [Apostolic Age, i. 111; and cf. 274]). The Christian message made a deep impression on this ‘man of understanding’; and, when he saw the issue of the conflict between the two champions, ‘he believed.’ The governor of Cyprus was a notable convert. Renan and others have regarded the conversion of a Roman proconsul as incredible. It has to be said that we know nothing more of his Christian life-whether he professed Christianity openly by baptism, and used his influence to further the religion, or whether he relapsed. Possibly the word ἐπίστευσεν is used here to describe something less than full Christian faith; cf.  Acts 8:13, ‘Simon believed’ (though Simon became a pervert), and  John 12:42, ‘the rulers believed … but did not confess,’ and especially  John 20:8. Anyhow, the unembellished statement is entirely in favour of its historical integrity: Sergius Paulus did make some profession of faith which sent the apostles on their way rejoicing in the Christian victory. We are not told whether this man’s heart was the good soil in which the seed bears fruit, or the shallow soil in which the shoot is scorched, or the preoccupied soil in which the growing corn is choked. We are told only that the seed took root and sprang up.

Probably this proconsul’s favourable reception of St. Paul’s preaching was one of the earliest suggestions to the Apostle that the dominant power of Rome might be an asset for Christianity rather than a hostile influence. It is possible, also, that it encouraged St. Paul and Barnabas to develop a more extended missionary campaign on the mainland than was originally intended; and this may have been one reason for John Mark’s withdrawal from the party.

Literature.-G. G. Findlay, article‘Paul the Apostle,’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols)iii. 704; A. C. Headlam, article‘Paulus, Sergius,’ ib., p. 731; W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, London, 1895, pp. 73-88, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the NT, do., 1915; R. J. Knowling, Expositor’s Greek Testament, ‘Acts,’ 1900, in loc. For meaning of ‘believed’ cf. B. F. Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John , 2 vols., London, 1908, ii. 290; B. B. Warfield, article‘Faith,’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols)i. 829.

J. E. Roberts.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Proconsul of Cyprus, when Paul and Barnabas visited it on their first missionary circuit ( Acts 13:7). (See Cyprus ; Paul; Province; Deputy; Elymas ) He was at first under the influence of Elymas, but being "a prudent man" (I.E. Intelligent And Searching For The Truth) , he called for Barnabas and Paul, and having heard the word of God, and having seen the miraculous infliction of blindness on the sorcerer, "believed, being astonished at the (Divine Power Accompanying The) doctrine of the Lord."

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Ser'gius Pau'lus. Sergius Paulus was the proconsul of Cyprus, when the apostle Paul visited that island with Barnabas on his first missionary tour.  Acts 13:7. Seq. (A.D. 44). He is described as an intelligent man, truth-seeking, eager for information from all sources within his reach. Though, at first, admitting to his society, Elymas the magician, he, afterward, on becoming acquainted with the claims of the gospel, yielded his mind to the evidence of its truth.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 13:6-13

A remarkable memorial of this proconsul was recently (1887) discovered at Rome. On a boundary stone of Claudius his name is found, among others, as having been appointed (A.D. 47) one of the curators of the banks and the channel of the river Tiber. After serving his three years as proconsul at Cyprus, he returned to Rome, where he held the office referred to. As he is not saluted in Paul's letter to the Romans, he probably died before it was written.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Roman proconsul of Cyprus when Paul and Barnabas visited that island. Having heard the word, and seen Elymas struck with blindness, he believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.  Acts 13:7-12 .

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Proconsul or governor of the isle of Cyprus, was converted under the ministry of Paul, A. D. 48,  Acts 13:7 .

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 13:6-12

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Sergius Paulus . See Paulus (Sergius).

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Graecized Σέργιος Παῦλος , a Latin name), a Roman proconsul in command at Cyprus who was converted by the preaching of Paul and Barnabas ( Acts 13:7). A.D. 44. Sergius is described by the evangelist as a" discreet" or" intelligent" man; by which we are probably to understand that he was a man of large and liberal views, and of an inquiring turn of mind. Hence he had entertained Elymas, and hence also he became curious to hear the new doctrine which the apostle brought to the island. The strongest minds at that period were drawn with a singular fascination to the occult studies of the East; and the ascendency which Luke represents the "sorcerer" as having gained over Sergius illustrates a characteristic feature of the times. For other examples of a similar character, see Conybeare and Howson, Life And Epistles Of St. Paul, 1, 177 sq. But Sergius was not effectually or long deceived by the arts of the impostor; for, on becoming acquainted with the apostle, he examined at once the claims of the Gospel, and yielded his mind to the evidence of its truth. Nothing of his history subsequent to his conversion is known from Scripture. There is no reason to suppose that he abandoned his post as governor of Cyprus; but the legends assert that he did so, and followed Paul; and that eventually he went with the apostle into Spain, and was left by him at Narbonne, in France, of which he became the bishop, and died there.

The title (inaccurately rendered "deputy" [q.v.]) given to this functionary exhibits one of those minute accuracies which, apart from their inspiration, would substantiate the sacred book as a genuine and contemporary record. Cyprus was originally a proetorian province ( Στρατηγική ) , and Not Proconsular ; but it was left by Augustus under the senate, and hence was governed by a proconsul ( Ἀνθύπατος ) , as stated by the evangelist ( Acts 13:6;  Acts 13:8;  Acts 13:12; see Dion Cass. 54, 523; Kuinol, On  Acts 13:7. For the value of this attestation to Luke's accuracy, see Lardner, Credibility of the Gospel Narrative, 1, 32 sq.). Coins, too, are still extant on which this very title, ascribed in the Acts to Sergius Paulus, occurs as the title of the Roman governors of Cyprus (see Akerman, Numismatic Illustrations, p. 41; Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 1, 176, 187). (See Cyprus).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Ser´gius Paulus, a Roman proconsul in command at Cyprus, who was converted by the preaching of Paul and Barnabas . The title given to this functionary exhibits one of those minute accuracies which, apart from its inspiration, would substantiate the sacred book as a genuine and contemporary record. Cyprus was originally a prætorian province, and not proconsular; but it was left by Augustus under the Senate, and hence was governed by a proconsul, as stated by the Evangelist (;; ). Sergius is described by the Evangelist as a 'discreet' or 'intelligent' man; by which we are probably to understand that he was a man of large and liberal views, and of an inquiring turn of mind. Hence he had entertained Elymas, and hence also he became curious to hear the new doctrine which the apostle brought to the island. Nothing of his history subsequent to his conversion is known from Scripture.