Paulus, Sergius
Paulus, Sergius
PAULUS, SERGIUS.Proconsul of Cyprus at the time of the visit of Paul and Barnabas in the first missionary journey (Act 14:7). The translators of the AV [Note: Authorized Version.] always use the term deputy when speaking of a proconsul. The provinces of the Roman Empire were divided into two classes, governed respectively by proprtors and proconsuls. Strabo describes Cyprus as governed by a proprtor, and hence some have impugned the accuracy of the author of the Acts; but there is ample evidence to show that it was sometimes under one and sometimes under the other. A coin has been discovered in Cyprus bearing the inscription in the time of Paulus, proconsul. This inscription may probably be dated a.d. 55, when its subject would be the proconsul of Acts. Pliny in his Natural History gives Sergius Paulus as his authority for certain facts, and among these are two specially connected with Cyprus.
Morley Stevenson.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Paulus, Sergius
polus, surji-us ( , Sergios Paulos): The Roman proconsul (Revised Version) or deputy (the King James Version) of Cyprus when Paul, along with Barnabas, visited that island on his first missionary journey (Act 13:4, Act 13:7). The official title of Sergius is accurately given in Acts. Cyprus was originally an imperial province, but in 22 BC it was transferred by Augustus to the Senate, and was therefore placed under the administration of proconsuls, as is attested by extant Cyprian coins of the period. When the two missionaries arrived at Paphos, Sergius, who was a prudent man (the King James Version) or man of understanding (Revised Version), i.e. a man of practical understanding, sought to hear the word of God (Act 13:7). Bar-Jesus, or Elymas, a sorcerer at the court of Sergius, fearing the influence of the apostles, sought, however, to turn aside the proconsul from the faith, but was struck with blindness (Act 13:8-11); and the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord (Act 13:12). The narrative indicates that not only the miracle but also the attention with which Sergius listened to the teaching of Paul (compare Act 13:7) conduced to his conversion (Bengel). Attempts have been made to trace some connection between the name Sergius Paulus and the fact that Saul is first called Paul in Act 13:9, but the joint occurrence of the two names is probably to be set down as only a coincidence.