Elymas

Elymas was the surname of Bar-jesus, a Jewish false prophet and sorcerer attached to the court of Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul of Cyprus. When Barnabas and Paul visited the island during their first missionary journey, Sergius Paulus summoned them to hear the word of God, but Elymas actively opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. The name Elymas is understood to mean wise man or sorcerer, functioning as an Arabic translation of his title.

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, confronted Elymas directly, denouncing him as a son of the devil, an enemy of righteousness, and a perverter of the ways of God. Paul then pronounced a temporary blindness on him, and the sorcerer immediately groped in darkness seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Witnessing this miracle of judgment, Sergius Paulus believed. The episode demonstrates the power of the gospel over the competing spiritual authorities of the Roman world.