Finding Sergius

Paul’s Encounter with the Roman Governor of Cyprus

In the early days of archaeology, the accounts of Paul’s journeys recorded in the Acts of the Apostles were considered by many scholars to be fictitious narratives written decades after the events were said to have occurred. Although the general setting was understood to be the historical reality of the Roman Empire during the first century, many of the events, locations, and people named were assumed to be fictional inventions or inaccurate reflections of theologians. William M. Ramsay, one of the foremost scholars of archaeology and the New Testament from about 1880–1920, initially held this view, but after years of archaeological investigation and research, he concluded that the book of Acts was a masterful work full of verified details and that its author, Luke the physician, was a historian of the first rank.¹

Subsequent archaeological discoveries have further demonstrated the accuracy of Acts as a historical record of Paul’s travels. One of the most substantial categories of archaeological corroboration has been that of historical attestations to people Paul encountered, including details such as their titles, places of residence, and actions.² One example is Sergius Paulus, a prominent Roman official whose name, location, position, and chronology have all been confirmed by archaeological discoveries.

Sergius Paulus, Proconsul of Cyprus

Luke records that Paul and Barnabas landed at Salamis on the east coast of Cyprus, journeyed through the whole island, and finally arrived at the Roman capital city of Paphos. There they met the governor, Sergius Paulus, along with a Jewish magician named Elymas. As a result of the encounter, Elymas was struck with blindness and Sergius Paulus became a Christian. Afterward, Paul and Barnabas traveled on to Pisidian Antioch.³ The year of this encounter, derived from information in Acts and the epistles of Paul, would have been around AD 45–47.⁴

Cyprus was indeed a Roman province at that time, having been established in 22 BC by Augustus as a senatorial province, meaning the provincial governor was appointed by the Senate instead of by the emperor, and thus the title for the governor was proconsul. Archaeological excavations and geographical information from ancient maps and historical texts demonstrate that Paphos was in fact the Roman capital of the province when Paul visited and was located on the western coast of Cyprus, just as it is described in the book of Acts, and that Luke uses the correct title for the governor—proconsul rather than prefect.⁵

Archaeological excavations at Paphos of the Roman period have uncovered a possible governor’s mansion or praetorium (the House of Theseus, fourth century AD), which may have been built upon the site of the first-century governor’s mansion where Sergius Paulus would have lived while serving as proconsul. In addition, the contextual detail regarding Elymas, the influential magician, is supported by Pliny the Elder in his discussion of adept magicians on the island of Cyprus during the first century AD.⁶

Yet, archaeological discoveries and ancient manuscripts provide much more than merely contextual information, as Sergius Paulus is attested to by three archaeological inscriptions and mentioned as a source used by Pliny the Elder around AD 77 in his work Natural History.⁷ Perhaps the most important Sergius Paulus inscription in connection with Paul and Acts is one found on Cyprus not far from Paphos. This Greek text inscribed on stone was discovered at Soloi in Cyprus, north of Paphos, and it mentions the proconsul Paulus while placing his tenure as governor of the island before the thirteenth year of Claudius, or prior to AD 53.⁸ This means that Sergius Paulus must have been the proconsul of Cyprus earlier than AD 53. Additional detail on the inscription narrows down the time period even more, as it refers to Claudius taking actions to alter the Senate during the time when Sergius Paulus was proconsul of Cyprus. From Roman records, it is known that Claudius made modifications to the Senate in approximately AD 46–47, which indicates that Sergius Paulus was still serving as proconsul around AD 46–47. This places him as governor in Paphos during the period when Paul visited, although this information must be derived by consulting multiple sources.⁹ Also, it is notable that Luke correctly uses the Greek word anthupatos—the term found on the inscription, which is the equivalent of the Latin proconsul—to describe the position of Sergius Paulus, while elsewhere Luke uses the word hegemon for Pontius Pilatus, who was a prefect.¹⁰

Sergius Paulus, Roman Curator

Another inscription from the city of Rome helps to pinpoint the year in which Sergius Paulus left his position as proconsul of Cyprus, while further attesting to his existence and prominence in the Roman political system. An official boundary stone found in Rome, which has been dated to AD 47 based on names it lists and the use of the title princeps (the unofficial title for the Roman emperor), rather than censor (the magistrate in charge of census, public morality, and state finances), bears a Latin inscription that records curators of the banks and channel of the Tiber River. Among the names is “L. Sergius Paulus.”¹¹

Curators were appointed either by the Senate or the emperor himself, and a curator of this type was charged with managing the water supply. Because only the most influential and successful politicians in the empire, usually restricted to the patricians, could govern provinces and receive prestigious appointments in Rome, it is likely that there was only one Sergius Paulus of high rank in the empire during the first century AD. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that this Lucius Sergius Paulus who was appointed a curator in Rome around AD 47 was the same Sergius Paulus who had served as proconsul of Cyprus.

Sergius Paulus & Pisidian Antioch

A third inscription, carved in large Latin letters on a stone found at Pisidian Antioch in the Roman province of Galatia, mentions a notable person named L. Sergius Paulus. This is possibly the same L. Sergius Paulus mentioned on the boundary stone in Rome.¹² However, an honorific inscription, once again referring to a Lucius Sergius Paulus and containing additional details regarding status and chronology, was also found near Pisidian Antioch. This text mentions a father and son who were both named Lucius, and it notes that L. Sergius Paulus was a quaestor (a public official) with Legio VI Ferrata.¹³ Because Legio VI Ferrata was involved in battles to the east of Pisidian Antioch, such as at Tigranocerta between AD 54–68, prior to the legion’s being deployed to Judea Province and staying in what would later become Syria Palaestina, this inscription indicates that a prominent L. Sergius Paulus was in the area of Pisidian Antioch in the early or mid-first century AD. This would likely be none other than the Sergius Paulus who served as proconsul of Cyprus and as a curator in Rome during the 40s AD.

The link between Sergius Paulus and Pisidian Antioch, a city Paul visited soon after meeting the proconsul in Paphos, is also intriguing. Perhaps Paul and Barnabas traveled from Paphos to Pisidian Antioch because of Sergius Paulus, who had become a recent convert to Christianity and had connections to the area. Certainly there is no other clear alternative explanation for their subsequent journey to this far away landlocked city.            

Roman archaeological sources make it clear that the family of Sergius Paulus, the Sergii gens, had a long and storied history and for a time was prominent in the region of Pisidian Antioch. The family was based at a large estate northeast of the city in Vetissus, although family members held distinguished roles all over the republic and empire.¹⁴ For example, the Arch of the Sergii in Pula, Croatia, commemorates Lucius Sergius Lepidus for his role in the battle of Actium in 31 BC and mentions his wife, father, and uncle. For the governor Sergius Paulus, Luke employs a naming convention of the nomen (family name—Sergius) and the cognomen (additional distinguishing name—Paulus) while leaving out the praenomen (the personal name often passed from father to eldest son). In this way Luke is ensuring accuracy while eliminating repetitive, unnecessary information.¹⁵

Multiple Corroborations

The information from the inscriptions and the ancient manuscripts, all of which feature a prominent Roman politician named Sergius Paulus who held high-ranking roles in the Roman government between approximately AD 40–68, indicates that he served in an official capacity for many years, but may have suffered a downward trajectory after his term as governor of Cyprus and conversion to Christianity.  The case of Sergius Paulus is only one of many that demonstrates the historical precision of the book of Acts and the reliability of Luke as an ancient historian.

Notes

1. Ramsay, W. M, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament (4th ed., 1920).
2. People mentioned in Acts and the epistles who have been confirmed archaeologically include Herod Agrippa I, Aretas IV, Emperor Claudius, Sergius Paulus, Erastus of Corinth, Gallio, Herod Agrippa II, Berenice, Felix, Festus, Caesar Nero, James, Peter, and possibly Aristarchus the Politarch. See Titus Kennedy, Unearthing the Bible (2020).
3. Acts 13:4–14.
4. E.g., Acts 11:26–28, 12:20–23, 18:2–12; 2 Corinthians 11:32; Galatians 1:18–2:1.
5. Strabo, Geography 14.6; Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.35; Tabula Peutingeriana; Suetonius, Divus Titus 5.
6. Pliny, Natural History 30.2.
7. Pliny, Natural History 18.90.
8. IGR III, 930.
9. Tacitus, Annals 11.25.
10. Acts 13:7; Luke 20:20.
11. CIL VI, 31545. The Latin spelling used is Paullus.
12. Sergius Paullus inscription in the Yalvac Museum.
13. AE 2002, 01457.
14. Another inscription from Kythraia, Cyprus, has been suggested as possibly attesting to the Sergius Paulus mentioned in Acts, but this text discusses an official tentatively identified as Quintus Sergius [Paulus?], and the Caesar mentioned in the text appears to be from the time of Tiberius or Caligula, not necessarily Claudius. The primary problem of associating this inscription with Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Cyprus, however, is that the “Paulus” section of the inscription is so fragmentary that it is completely missing and thus purely speculative. It is possible that this member of the Sergii family was a relative of Sergius Paulus named Quintus Sergius.
15. Luke also used the nomen and cognomen formula for the governor Pontius Pilatus (cf. Luke 3:1).