Bio

 

    Simon is mentioned in the Gospels as the man whom the Romans chose to carry the cross for Jesus on the way to his crucifixion when Jesus was no longer able. He is mentioned to be from Cyrene, which is in modern-day Libya, and is mentioned to be the father of Rufus and Alexander.

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Those facts are all that we can know for sure, but those few words can give many varying ideas about Simon and what the rest of his life was like.

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There was a population of Cyrenians who were Jewish that had been displaced years before the first century, but they had a temple in Jerusalem, so it is possible Simon was Jewish. Some think Simon knew Jesus, or at least sympathized with him, and perhaps volunteered when the soldiers were looking for help. Other suggest, though, that the Romans may have chosen him out of the crowd simply because he was not Jewish, and not from the nearby towns, to not have to complicate matters more.

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What happened to Simon after the crucifixion is also a mystery. It is mentioned in Acts of the Apostles that there were "men from Cyrene" who were preaching to the Greeks, and Simon could have been one of them, if by chance his experience had changed him enough to become a believer in Jesus.

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Another curious point is the mention of him being the father of the mentioned names Rufus and Alexander. The mention of their names without any context suggests that those two men may have been important figures in the early Christian church, so much so that readers would have known who they were. Paul also mentions a Rufus in his letter to the Romans.

Because all names were common, however, these ideas are all speculation.