RUFUS . 1 . The brother of Alexander and son of Simon of Cyrene ( Mark 15:21 only). 2 . A Christian at Rome greeted by St. Paul ( Romans 16:13 ) as ‘the chosen in the Lord,’ together with ‘his mother and mine.’ It has been conjectured that these two are the same person, that Simon’s widow (?) had emigrated to Rome with her two sons, where they became people of eminence in the Church, and that this is the reason why the brothers are mentioned by St. Mark, who probably wrote in Rome.
A. J. Maclean.