the Libyan desert, and its wealth and hoaon i« transferred to the episcopal dty of Ptoknai, m ■ neighborhood. The Saracens completed the voktf destraction, and for centuries not oolj the dtr.lg
CTRENE
629
CYRENIUS
CD1.aNJDE H/|
'"- rrm
,g~7
"ff/m-mH!^
,------r-~*tir""^'""-^ ,
:lie once populous and fertile district of which it was :lie ornament, has been almost lost to civilization. During three parts of the year the place is tenanted by wild animals of the desert, and during the fourth part the wandering Bedouins pitch their tents on the low grounds in its neighborhood. — Smith, Diet, of Clou. Geog. s. v. ; Pem^f Cyclopcedict^ s. y. Cyrenaica, Cyrene ; Rawlinson's Herodotuij iii, 108 sq.
Ootna of Cyrene, bearing the aacred ailphium Plant (which waa the chief article of export).
Strabo (quoted by Josephns, Ant. xiv, 7) says that in Cyrene there were four classes of persons, namely, citizens, husbandmen, foreigners, and Jews, and that the latter enjoyed their own customs and laws (comp. Dio Cass, Iviii, 82). Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, in- troduced them, because he thought they would con- tribute to the security of the place (Joseph, e, Apion, °i 4). They became a prominent and influential class of the community (^AfU. xiv, 7, 2), and they afterwards 'Boeived much consideration from the Komans (xvi, 6, f)- SeelMaccxv, 28; comp. 2Maoc. ii,28. We j«ini from Josephns (Life, 76) that soon after the Jew- , uh war they rose against the Roman power. The no- nces aboTe given of the numbers and position of the
Jews in Cyrene (confirmed by Philo, who speaks of the diffusion of the Jews southward to Ethiopia, ado, Flacc, p. 528) prepare us for the frequent mention of the place in the N. T. in connection with Christianity. Simon, who bore our Saviour's cross (Matt zxvii, 82 ; Mark xv, 21 ; Luke xxiii, 26), was a native of C3^ene. Jewish dwellers in Cyrenaica were in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts ii, 10). They even gave their name to one of the synagogues in Jerusalem (vi, 9). Chris- tian converts fhmi Cyrene were among those who con- tributed actively to the formation of the first Gentile church at Antioch (xi, 20), and among those who are specially mentioned as laboring atAntioch, when Bar- nabas and Saul wereiMnt on their missionaiy journey, is Lucius of Cyrene (xiii, 1)^ traditionally said to have been the first bishop of his native district. Other tra- ditions connect Mark with the first establishment of Christianity in this part of Africa. See Africa.
See Delia Cella, Viaggid da Trtpoli, etc. (Genoa, 1819); Pacho, Voyage dans la Marmarique, la Cyre^ naique (Paris, 1827-29); Trige, Ret Cyrmentes (Hafta. 1828) ; Beechey, Expedition to Explore the north Coast of Africa (London, 1828); Barth, IFafuferufi^m dumk das Punische u. Kyrendische Kastenland (Berlin, 1849) ; Hamilton, Wanderingt in North Africa (London, 1866), p. 78 ; Smith and Porcher, HisU of DiscoiveTies at Cyre-^ ne (Lond. 1865).
Cyre'nian (Kupi/vmoct Cyrenaan, "of Cyrene," Matt, xxvii, 82 ; Acts xi, 20 ; xiii, 1), a native of Cy- rene (q. V.) or Cyrenaica, in Africa (Mark xv, 21 ; Luke xxiii, 26 ; Acts vi, 9). .
Cyre'nitiB (Gnecized Kvp^coC) Luke ii, 2; see Deyling, Obas, ii, 431 sq.), for the Latin Qidrinus (prob. not Quiriniu9 ; see Meyer, Comment, in loc.). His full name was Publius Sulpicius QuiBi2n7s (see Sneton. Tiber. 49; Tacit. Ann. ii, 80). He is the second of that name mentioned in Roman history (see Smith, DicL of Class. Biog. s. v.), and was consul with M. Valerius Messala, B.C. 12. From the language of Tacitus {Awn. iii, 48), it would appear that he was of obscure origin, a supposition apparently favored by
CYRENIUS
630
CYRENIUS
hii ramame, Qidrintiij if rendered (as it might per- haps be) the Cyreman, but opposed by it if referred to the old Sabine epithet of Romolus. He is more likely to have l>een the son of the consul of the same name, B.C. 42. Tacitus, however, states (tU sup.) that he was a native of Lanuviam, near Rome, and was not a member of the ancient Solpician family ; and that it was owing to his military abilities and active services that he gained the consulship under Augus- tus. He was subsequently sent into Cilicia, where he was so successful in his campaign as to receive ihe honor of a triumph. In B.C. 1, or a year or two after- wards, Aug^ustus appointed him to direct the counsels of his grandson C. Cassar, then in Armenia ; and on hb way thither he paid a visit to Tiberius, who was at that time living at Rhodes. Some yean afterwards, but not before B.C. 6, he was appointed governor of Syria, and while in this office he took a census of the Jewish people. He was a favorite with Tiberius, and on his death, A.D. 21, he was buried with public hon- ors by the senate at the request of the emperor. (Dion Cass, liv, 28 ; Tacitus, Jim. iii, 22 ; Strab. xii, p. 569; Josephus, Ant, xiv, 1, 1.)— Smith, Diet, of doss, Biog. s. V.
The mention of the name of Quirinus in connection with the census which was in jirogress at the time of our Lord's birth presents very serious difficulties, of which, fh>m the want of adequate data, historical and critical inquiiy has not jet attained an entirely satis- factory solution. The passage is as follows : cSnj i) dxoypaipij xpunri iyiviro i^fwvivovTOC rye "^vpiag Kvpijviov, translated in the Authorised Version thus : '* Now this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria." Instead of " taxing" it is now agreed that the rendering should be "enrolment** or "registration" (of which use of the word Avoypa^- aOai many examples are adduced by Wetstein), as it is clear firom Josephua that no taxing did take place till many years after this period. The whole passage, as it now stands, may be properly read, " This first en- rolment took plac« while Cyrenius was governor of Syria." This appears very plain, and would suggest no difficulty were it not for the knowledge which we obtain from other quarters, which is to the effect, 1. That there is no historical notice of any enrolment at or near the time of our Lord's birth ; and, 2d, That the enrolment which actually did take place under Cyrenius was not until ten years after that event. The difficulty begins somewhat before the text now dted ; for it is said that " in those days there went out a de- cree from CsBsar Augustus that the whole world should be taxed'* (enrolled). But since no historian mentions any such general enrolment of the whole empire, and since, if it had taken place, it is not likely to have been mentioned in connection with the governor of Syria, it is now usually admitted that Jud»a only is meant by the phrase rendered ** the whole earth" (but more properly " the whole land"), as in Luke xxi, 26 ; Acts xi, 28 ; and perhaps in xxi, 20. The real diffi- culties are thus reduced to the two now stated. With regard to the enrolment, it may be said that it was probably not deemed of sufficient importance by the Roman historians to deserve mention, being confined to a remote and comparatively unimportant province. Nor was it perhaps of such a nature as would lead even Josephus to take notice of it, if it should appear, as usually supposed, that no trace of it can be found in his writings. — Kitto, s. v.