Cyrene Cyrene was a Mediterranean port on the north coast of Africa. It was one of the many places in northern Africa where Jewish people settled during the centuries leading up to the New Testament era. As in other places, they built synagogues and carried on the religious traditions of their forefathers (See Dispersion).
Many of the local people, attracted by the higher moral standards of the Jews, joined their synagogues, some as part members, others as full members (See Proselyte). The man named Simon who carried Jesus’ cross on the way to Golgotha was either one of these Gentile God-fearers or a local Cyrenian Jew (Mark 15:21).
Jews, and possibly Gentiles, from Cyrene were in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). Some of these apparently became Christians, for Cyrenian Christians were among those whom the Jews expelled from Jerusalem after they had killed Stephen. Cyrenian Christians were among the first to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and played an important part in founding the church in Antioch in Syria (Acts 1:11-20). Among the prophets and teachers who led the Antioch church was a Cyrenian named Lucius (Acts 13:1).