PROCONSUL OF CYPRUS · NEW TESTAMENT

Sergius Paulus. The proconsul of Cyprus who "believed" at Paphos.

RULEDi

Not given c. AD 47 (dates vary)

SEAT

Paphos

HOUSE

Not stated 12th of 17 in Rome

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“The deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to…”

PROPHETS

None named

ROME: 17 RULERS HEROD THE GREAT → PORCIUS FESTUS

AUTHORITY

Under whose authority

SUCCESSION

Before and after

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • "The deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God." Acts 13:7
  • Elymas the sorcerer withstood them, "seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith". Acts 13:8
  • "Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." Acts 13:12

THE SEAT

Paphos, where he sat

Where Paul and Barnabas found him

TRIALS AND HEARINGS

The hearings held

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

THE NATION

What the nation did

  • At Salamis Barnabas and Saul "preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews". Acts 13:5

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

ROME

Claudius

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · PUBLISHED BY CESNOLA

The "Paulus" inscription from Cyprus

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · 1ST CENTURY AD

A Sergius Paulus in Pliny

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · COPIED 1912; LETTERS OF ABOUT AD 60-100

An inscription at Pisidian Antioch

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

SCRIPTURE'S NUMBERS

No years given

None. Acts gives no year for the visit to Cyprus.

PAUL'S VISIT (RAMSAY 1895)

c. AD 47[19]

Ramsay dates the first journey from spring 47; this dates Paul's visit, not the length of the proconsulship.

PAUL'S VISIT (ROBERTSON 1915)

c. AD 47–48[24]

Robertson: the first journey in 47-48 (or 48-49).

Possibly: some of the family leaned toward Christianity

W. M. Ramsay (1915)

From inscriptions of the family at Pisidian Antioch, Ramsay asks whether the proconsul and his daughter Sergia Paulla were "either Christian or half-way on the road towards Christianity" while other relatives stayed pagan. Acts 13:12 [21]

No member of the family is known to have been Christian

H. Dessau (as reported by Ramsay, 1915)

Dessau, the editor of the register of Roman officials, wrote that "evidently no member of this family was Christian"; Ramsay agreed for the family's well-known members.[21]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 1

Acts 13

PASSAGES · 1

Acts 13:4–13

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Acts says nothing of Sergius Paulus after Paul and Barnabas left Paphos.
  • Acts does not say that he was baptized.
  • Acts gives no year and no length for his proconsulship.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • Scholars' viewThe King James "deputy" stands for the Greek title of a proconsul, the governor of a province under the senate. Lightfoot (1889) shows from Dio Cassius and the inscriptions that Cyprus was then governed by proconsuls, so the title Luke uses is the right one. Acts 13:7 [13]

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • A. Deissmann, tr. L. R. M. Strachan, St. Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History (1912), Appendix I, The Proconsulate of L. Junius Gallio, pp. 235-260 (Orosius on p. 257).
  • Cassius Dio, tr. E. Cary, Roman History, book 60 (Loeb Classical Library, vol. 7) (1924), 60.6.6.
  • E. H. Plumptre, in C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Notes on Acts 18:2 and 27:1 (about 1880), read on Bible Hub.
  • E. H. Plumptre, in C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Notes on Luke 2:2 and 3:1 (about 1880), read on Bible Hub.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 2 (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 2.2.1-2; 2.6.3-7; 2.7; 2.8.1; 2.25.5.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 9 (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 9.5.1.
  • John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament, note on Acts 25:21 (1746-48), read on Bible Hub.
  • Seneca, tr. R. M. Gummere, Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 104 (Loeb Classical Library, vol. 3) (1925), 104.1 and Gummere's note 2.
  • The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Latin dedicatory inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate (IAA 1961-529), collection catalogue entry (facts only) (online catalogue, read 2026), findspot, date range, material, number, catalogue heading and the museum's English reconstruction of the text (checked by web search 2026-10-07; the Latin letters were not checked).
  • Justin Martyr, tr. M. Dods and G. Reith, The First Apology (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1) (1885), chs. 34, 35, 48.
  • R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles (Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. 2), on Acts 18:2 (1900), read on Bible Hub.
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, 4th ed. (1878), p. 30 note 1; detached essay 'Caesar's Household', pp. 171 ff..
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Essays on the Work Entitled Supernatural Religion (1889), Appendix, pp. 292-296 (the proconsul of Cyprus).
  • J. R. Lumby, The Acts of the Apostles (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges), on Acts 18:2 (1885), read on Bible Hub.
  • H. A. W. Meyer (English translation), Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles, on Acts 18:2 (1877-80), note on Acts 18:2 with notes 73 and 75; read on Bible Hub.
  • Philo, tr. C. D. Yonge, On the Virtues and Office of Ambassadors (the Embassy to Gaius), The Works of Philo Judaeus vol. 4 (1855), chapters 37-38 (Yonge's numbering), pp. 164-166.
  • A. Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke (International Critical Commentary) (1896), on Luke 3:1, pp. 81-84.
  • A. C. Hervey, Acts (Pulpit Commentary), on Acts 18:2 (1884), read on Bible Hub.
  • W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1895), Chronological Index (as tabulated in the Letters research, pauls-letters-part1.md section 1.2).
  • W. M. Ramsay, Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? A Study on the Credibility of St. Luke (1898), chs. VII-VIII (pp. 131-173); ch. X, pp. 199-202 and note I, p. 221; ch. XI, pp. 227-245.
  • W. M. Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament (1915), ch. XII, pp. 150-162.
  • Augustus, tr. F. W. Shipley, Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Loeb Classical Library) (1924), chapter 34.
  • Augustus, tr. F. W. Shipley, Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Loeb Classical Library) (1924), chapter 8.
  • A. T. Robertson, Paul, the Apostle (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), part 3, III. Chronology of Paul's Career; read online, not yet checked against a scan.
  • E. Schürer, tr. S. Taylor and P. Christie, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division 2, vol. 2 (1885), section 31, pp. 236-238 with notes 67-70.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Augustus (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 100.1.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Claudius (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 18.2; 25.4 with Rolfe's note 75; 28; 45; Rolfe's note 79 (accession 25 January 41); note 81 (Felix's wives).
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Nero (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 16.2; 57.1.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Tiberius (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 73.1.
  • Tacitus, tr. A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb, The Annals of Tacitus (1884), 3.48; 12.43; 12.54; 15.44; 15.73, with the translators' notes (1884 printing; first published 1876).
  • Tacitus, tr. A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb, The History of Tacitus (1888), 5.9 (1888 printing; first published 1864).
  • Tertullian, tr. S. Thelwall, Apology (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3) (1885), chs. 5 and 21.

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