Cyprus

Location

Cyprus is a large island in the eastern Mediterranean, about 3,570 square miles in area, some 60 miles south of Asia Minor and 60 miles west of Syria. It sits at the natural crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean, which is why it was the natural first stop when Paul and Barnabas sailed from Antioch on the first missionary journey.

Biblical importance

Cyprus is the home island of Barnabas (Acts 4:36). It was the first destination of Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:4-13). Paul preached from Salamis on the east coast to Paphos on the west, where the proconsul Sergius Paulus was converted — the first named Roman-official convert in the New Testament. Barnabas and Mark returned to Cyprus after their break with Paul (Acts 15:39).

Historical timeline

• c. AD 30 — Cypriot Jews are among the earliest of the diaspora scattered by the persecution after Stephen's death (Acts 11:19).
• c. AD 46 — Paul and Barnabas sail to Cyprus on the first missionary journey; land at Salamis; cross the island preaching in synagogues (Acts 13:4-5).
• c. AD 46 — At Paphos: Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, is converted (Acts 13:6-12).
• c. AD 49 — Barnabas returns to Cyprus with Mark (Acts 15:39).
• c. AD 60s (tradition) — Barnabas martyred at Salamis.
• AD 431 — The Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is recognised at the Council of Ephesus.
• AD 488 — The tomb of Barnabas is discovered at Salamis.

Important biblical events

• Acts 4:36 (KJV) 'Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,'
• Acts 11:19-20 (KJV) 'And they that were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch…'
• Acts 13:4 (KJV) '…they departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.'
• Acts 13:5 (KJV) 'And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.'
• Acts 13:6-12 (KJV) The confrontation with Elymas the sorcerer; conversion of Sergius Paulus at Paphos.
• Acts 15:39 (KJV) 'And Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.'
• Acts 21:16 (KJV) '…one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple…'

Related People

• Barnabas — the Cypriot Levite.
• Paul — his fellow missionary here.
• Mark — Barnabas's cousin and later companion.
• Sergius Paulus — the Roman proconvert.
• Elymas Bar-Jesus — the sorcerer struck blind.

Connected Places

• Antioch — the sending church.
• Rome — for the imperial connection through Sergius Paulus.

Christian tradition

• The Autocephalous Church of Cyprus, one of the oldest independent Orthodox churches (recognised AD 431).
• The Monastery of St Barnabas at Salamis preserves the traditional tomb of Barnabas.
• Cyprus's continuous Christian identity from apostolic times to the present is one of the longest unbroken Christian histories in any land.

Household reflection

Cyprus teaches the household that the Church's first international sending was to a familiar place — Barnabas going home with the Gospel. Every household member who returns to a hometown carrying Christian faith is walking Barnabas's road.

Room connections

Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.

• Read (Library) — Read Acts 13:1-12 aloud.
• Pray (Chapel) — On the feast of St Barnabas (11 June), pray for Cypriot Christians.
• Family (Kitchen Table) — On St Barnabas's day, share the household's testimonies with a friend or neighbour.
• Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'O Zion, Haste' (Mary Ann Thomson, 1868) — the great missionary hymn.
• Learn (Workshop) — Study the Cypriot Orthodox Church — one of the oldest self-governing Christian communities in the world.

Further reading

Acts 13:1-12 in the KJV.

Any history of the Church of Cyprus.

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Barnabas
• Paul
• Mark
• Antioch
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.