Who is…
Lucius
Lucius of Cyrene was a Christian teacher at Antioch on the Orontes, and called a kinsman by the Apostle Paul.
Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. —Romans 16:21
Lucius is a Latin name, but his birthplace seems to indicate that he was one of the Jews of Cyrene, in North Africa. Cyrene (capital of the Roman province of Cyrenaica in modern eastern Libya) had a substantial Jewish community, making it plausible that Lucius was a Hellenistic Jew who had connections to Jerusalem (e.g., via the synagogue of the Cyrenians mentioned in Acts 6:9).
Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. —Acts 13:1
Lucius is grouped with “prophets and teachers,” indicating he exercised spiritual gifts of proclamation, instruction, and exhortation in the church. In the early Christian context, these roles involved guiding the community, interpreting Scripture, and equipping believers—functions that overlapped with but were distinct from later formalized offices like bishop or elder.
This group named in Acts of the Apostles is remarkably diverse. Antioch as a major cosmopolitan hub where Jewish, Hellenistic, and Gentile influences intersected.
Lucius of Cyrene: From North Africa
Barnabas: A Levite from Cyprus, known for encouragement and generosity
Simeon called Niger: Likely of African descent (Niger is Latin for “black” or “dark,” possibly indicating complexion or origin); often linked to North African roots
Manaen: Raised in the court of Herod Antipas (tetrarch of Galilee), suggesting elite or Herodian connections
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