Alexander (Son of Simon)

Biblical Record

Alexander appears once, in the Gospel of Mark 15:21, where he is introduced as a son of Simon of Cyrene. Roman soldiers compelled Simon to carry the cross in place of Jesus as He was led to the site of the crucifixion. Mark identifies this Simon as "the father of Alexander and Rufus." Cyrene was a city on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, in what is today eastern Libya.

The parallel accounts in the Gospel of Matthew 27:32 and the Gospel of Luke 23:26 name only Simon and do not mention his two sons. Scripture records nothing further about Alexander's life, faith, or deeds.

Significance Within Scripture

Many commentators hold that Mark took care to name the sons because the Gospel's first readers knew Alexander and Rufus. If so, the two men may have been known believers in the early church. The text, however, does not say this directly; the interpretation is an inference about why the author added the names.

Interpretations and Issues

• Connection with Rufus: In Romans 16:13, Paul sends greetings to "Rufus" and "his mother." Together with the traditional view that Mark's Gospel was written for the church in Rome, some interpreters identify this Rufus as Alexander's brother. On that reading, it is conjectured that Simon's family later became connected with the Roman church. Rufus was a common name at the time, however, so there is no firm basis for concluding that the two are the same person.
• Distinction from other Alexanders: Several people of the same name appear in the New Testament: Alexander of the high priestly family (Acts 4:6), the Jew named Alexander who came forward during the riot at Ephesus (Acts 19:33), the Alexander mentioned by Paul (1 Timothy 1:20), and Alexander the coppersmith (2 Timothy 4:14). The text offers no basis for identifying any of them with the son of Simon.
• Archaeological evidence: A tomb that appears to have belonged to a family from Cyrene is reported to have been discovered near Jerusalem in the twentieth century. An ossuary inscribed with the name Alexander was found in it, and a possible connection has sometimes been suggested. It has not been confirmed, however, that this individual is the Alexander of Mark's Gospel.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, Alexander is seldom treated on his own; he is more often mentioned in sermons on Simon of Cyrene preached around Holy Week. Such sermons frequently present the interpretation that "the cross carried under compulsion led to the faith of his family." This, however, is a homiletical application built on the inferences described above, not something the biblical text directly records.