Alexander
“Defender of men”
Summary
A common Greek name meaning 'defender of men,' borne by several New Testament figures including a son of Simon of Cyrene, a relative of the high priest Annas, a Jew at Ephesus during a riot, and a coppersmith who opposed Paul's ministry.
☩Son of Simon of Cyrene
When Jesus was led out to be crucified, Simon of Cyrene was compelled to bear His cross. Mark alone identifies Simon as 'the father of Alexander and Rufus,' indicating that both sons were well-known Christians when the Second Gospel was written. Alexander was probably by birth a North African Jew who became a Christian and held a prominent place in the church, likely at Rome. His brother Rufus is probably the same person Paul greets in Romans 16:13, whose mother had treated Paul with maternal care, suggesting the entire family were intimate friends of the apostle. The Acts of Andrew and Peter mention Rufus and Alexander as companions of the apostles.
☩Relative of Annas
A second Alexander was a relative of Annas the high priest, present as a member of the Sanhedrin when Peter and John were examined for healing the lame man at the temple gate. Nothing more is known of this Alexander than what Luke provides in this passage. Some have conjectured that he may have been the Alexander who was brother of Philo and alabarch (governor of the Jews) at Alexandria, but this identification lacks supporting evidence.
☩The Ephesian Jew
During the riot incited by Demetrius the silversmith at Ephesus, a third Alexander was 'put forward' by the Jews to address the mob. The Jews were entirely innocent in causing the disturbance but feared that the fury of the Ephesian crowd might expend itself in violence against them. They sent Alexander forward to dissociate themselves from Paul and the Christians. However, when the crowd perceived he was a Jew, they refused to hear him and continued shouting for two hours. His trade may have been that of a metalworker, which could have associated him with the craftsmen of Ephesus.
☩The Heretical Teacher
Paul warns Timothy about Alexander and Hymenaeus, who had 'made shipwreck concerning the faith' by putting away faith and a good conscience. Their teaching was an early form of Gnosticism, holding that the resurrection was already past and that salvation consisted only in spiritual awakening, not bodily resurrection. This heresy denied the future resurrection of the body and by implication the bodily resurrection of Christ and even the incarnation itself. Paul delivered them to Satan—that is, excommunicated them—'that they might learn not to blaspheme.'
☩Alexander the Coppersmith
Paul writes to Timothy that 'Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil' and that the Lord would repay him according to his works. Timothy is warned to beware of him because he 'greatly withstood our words.' This Alexander was a worker in copper or metal, and the bitter personal hostility between him and Paul suggests he may be the same as the heretical teacher previously mentioned. Some scholars also identify him with the Ephesian Jew of Acts 19, though Alexander was such a common name that certainty is impossible.
Related Verses5 mentions
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Alexander," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Alexander and Rufus," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Alexander," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.George Morrish, "Alexander," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 5.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Alexander," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).