A Tale Of Two Siblings
Alexander:Alexander was a member of the family of the high priest in Jerusalem. He was a Levite (and African like his father). Alexander was among those who had Simon Cephas and Johanan (John) arrested for preaching Jeshua (Jesus) in the Temple. They were put in jail overnight, questioned the next day and then released. (Acts 4)
in Ephesus (a city that borders the Great Green Sea), a silversmith named Demetrius and other craftsmen made a living making objects for worshipers of goddess Artemis. They became outraged at losing their livelihood and the goddess they worshiped. They got the whole city in an uproar and captured Gaius and Aristarchus, and were seeking to capture Sha’ul. They rushed into the theater (Temple courtyard). Some of the crowd explained the situation to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front. Alexander motioned for silence, hoping to make a defense speech to the people. But as soon as they recognized he was a Jew, they would not listen to him and began shouting for two hours. The city clerk was finally able to calm them down and disperse them with reason. (Acts 19) Paul said Alexander rejected conscience and made shipwreck his trust; (1 Timothy 1) 2 Timothy 4:14, Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will render to him according to his works; and you should guard against him, because he bitterly opposed everything we said. (2 Timothy 4:14-15) Rufus:
Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me too. (Romans 16:13)
