Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 6:9

"But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called [the synagogue] of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen." — Acts 6:9 (ASV)

Then there arose. That is, they stood up against him, or they opposed him.

Of the synagogue. See the notes on Matthew 4:23.

The Jews were scattered in all parts of the world. In every place they had synagogues.

It is also probable that enough foreign Jews residing in Jerusalem from each of these regions were able to maintain synagogue worship there. During the great feasts, these synagogues, adapted for Jewish people of different nations, would be attended by those who came to Jerusalem for these festivals.

It is certain that there was a large number of synagogues in Jerusalem. The common estimate is that there were four hundred and eighty in the city (Lightfoot, Vitringa).

Of the Libertines. There has been considerable disagreement about the meaning of this word. The main opinions are threefold:

1. The word is Latin and means, properly, a freedman: a man who had been a slave and was set at liberty. Many have supposed that these persons were manumitted slaves of Roman origin who had converted to the Jewish religion and who had a synagogue in Jerusalem. This opinion is not very probable, though it is certain from Tacitus (Annales, Book II, Chapter 85) that there were many persons of this description at Rome. He says that four thousand Jewish converts, who were freed Roman slaves, were sent at one time to Sardinia.

2. A second opinion is that these persons were Jews by birth who had been taken captive by the Romans and then set at liberty, and thus called freedmen or libertines. That there were many Jews of this description, there can be no doubt. Pompey the Great, when he subjugated Judea, sent large numbers of Jews to Rome (Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius). These Jews were set at liberty in Rome and assigned a place beyond the Tiber for a residence. See Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans. These persons are called libertines or freedmen by Philo (Kuinoel, in loco). Many Jews were also conveyed as captives by Ptolemy I to Egypt and obtained a residence in that country and the vicinity.

3. Another and more probable opinion is that they took their name from a place which they occupied. This opinion is more probable from the fact that all the other persons mentioned here are named from the countries they occupied. Suidas says that this is the name of a place. In one of the Church Fathers, this passage occurs: "Victor, bishop of the Catholic church at Libertina, says unity is there," etc. From this passage, it is plain that there was a place called Libertina. That place was in Africa, not far from ancient Carthage. See Bishop Pearce's Comment on this place.

Cyrenians. Jews who lived at Cyrene in Africa. See the notes on Matthew 27:32.

Alexandrians. These were inhabitants of Alexandria in Egypt. The city was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. and was populated by colonies of Greeks and Jews.

This city was highly celebrated and contained no fewer than three hundred thousand free citizens and an equal number of slaves. Alexandria was the residence of many Jews.

Josephus says that Alexander himself assigned them a particular quarter of the city and allowed them equal privileges with the Greeks (Antiquities 14.7.2; Against Apion 2.4).

Philo affirms that Jews inhabited two of the five parts of the city. According to his statement, no fewer than one million Jews lived in his time in Alexandria and the other Egyptian cities.

Amron, the general of Omar, when he took the city, said that it contained forty thousand tributary Jews. At this place, the famous version of the Old Testament called the Septuagint, or the Alexandrian version, was made. See Robinson's Calmet.

Cilicia. This was a province of Asia Minor, on the sea-coast, north of Cyprus. The capital of this province was Tarsus, the native place of Paul (Acts 9:11). And as Paul was from this place and doubtless belonged to this synagogue, it is probable that he was one who was engaged in this dispute with Stephen. .

Of Asia. See the notes on Acts 2:9.

Disputing with Stephen. This was doubtless on the question of whether Jesus was the Messiah. This word does not denote angry disputing but is commonly used to denote fair and impartial inquiry. It is probable that the discussion began in this way. When they were overcome by argument, they resorted, as disputants often do, to angry criminations and violence.