The Sergius Paulus inscriptions in Cyprus and Rome
The Bible records in Acts chapter 13 verses 6 to 12 how when Paul, Barnabas and John Mark visited Paphos, on Cyprus, at the start of Paul's first missionary journey, they had a dramatic encounter with the Roman governor (or proconsul) Sergius Paulus, which led to him becoming a follower of Christ.
In 1877, an inscription was found near Paphos, bearing Sergius Paulus's name and title of proconsul.
Ten years later, his name was also found on a memorial stone in Rome. The stone records that in AD 47 he was appointed as one of the keepers of the banks and channel of the river Tiber. He held this office when he returned to Rome after his three years as governor of Cyprus.
 Photo: www.HolyLandPhotos.org |
Sergius Paulus's family had large land-holdings in the area of Pisidian Antioch, and this stone inscription discovered there contains his name. This inscription is now on display in the Yalvac museum, in Turkey. Acts chapter 13 verses 13-14 records how Paul and Barnabas went from Cyprus to Pisidian Antioch. |
Dr. Carl Rasmussen theorizes that Sergius Paulus may have asked them to go there to speak to members of his family - and perhaps even given them a letter of introduction.
One visitor to this web site wrote:
It
may be worth noting, in the
interests of accuracy, that the Psidian Antioch inscription is to a Lucius
Sergius Paulus, whom some speculate may be the son of Sergius
Paulus the
proconsul. However, since the name is not uncommon, it is by no means
certain that it refers to the same family at all.
The Roman inscription, on the other hand, is certainly talking about the
same man, the erstwhile proconsul of Cyprus. He is not mentioned by Paul
in
his greetings to the church at Rome, however, so perhaps he left Rome (or
died) before Romans was written.