Rufus and Alexander are mentioned in Mark 15:21 as sons of Simon of Cyrene (near modern Shahhat Libya), who helped Jesus during his crucifixion ordeal by carrying his cross. Paul mentions this Rufus in Romans 16:13.
Acts 11:20 mentions that men of
Cyrene preached the Gospel to the Greeks. Many now believe that this is a
reference to Rufus, and possibly his brother Alexander, since The
Seventy (or Seventy-two) Disciples sent out as preparatory teams before Jesus’
travels included Rufus, the Bishop of Thebes in Greece, and several
other men from Cyrene. This is described in Luke 10:1, “After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to
every town and place where he was about to go. “
Bishop Solomon of Basra in the 13th century Book
of the Bee lists and groups together, among the Seventy, Rufus, Alexander,
Simon the Cyrenian, their father, and Lucius the Cyrenian.
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