Home › Glossary › Letter S

Sergius Paulus

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Roman proconsul of Cyprus converted after Paul rebuked the sorcerer Elymas

Detailed Definition
Sergius Paulus, an intelligent ruler, believed after witnessing Paul’s miraculous blinding of Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6–12). In poetry, Sergius Paulus embodies Gentile openness to truth, the triumph of gospel over occult power, and how political authority can bow to spiritual insight.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Acts 13:6–12, Sergius Paulus’s conversion inspires poetry about intellectual faith; 19th-century verse depicts Sergius Paulus as proconsul astonished at Elymas’s blindness; Contemporary poems honor Sergius Paulus as first Roman official converted; In poems about seeking truth, Sergius Paulus models openness beyond magic; Some liturgical works include Sergius Paulus in litanies of early converts in power; Educational poems cite Sergius Paulus to teach about gospel and governance.
Additional Notes
Sergius Paulus, a Roman proconsul in Cyprus, is converted through Paul’s ministry (Acts 13); his openness to the gospel despite high status symbolizes the reach of the message across social strata; poets reference him for intellectual conversion, political faith, or the encounter between empire and gospel.
Also Known As
Sergius Paulus proconsul Sergius Paulus the Believer
Skip to main content