Seeking the Other Side

By Colin Ferguson

Embark on an extraordinary odyssey of self-discovery in Seeking the Other Side, a gripping tale that transports readers to a pivotal era of early Christianity. Through the eyes of Nruma, a resilient slave, the story unfolds as he gazes across the vast expanse of the great sea, yearning to unravel the mysteries that lie beyond. Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving world, Nruma’s path leads him to an unimaginable destiny. Transformed into Simon, he becomes an integral part of Jesus’ journey, shouldering the weight of the cross as an unwavering symbol of faith. His travels take him to the vibrant city of Antioch, where he emerges as a visionary, contributing to the very foundations of the nascent Christian Church.

Amidst a tapestry of action and adventure, Nruma’s quest transcends mere physical boundaries. Driven by an unwavering desire to dismantle the shackles of injustice, he courageously confronts the barriers that divide humanity, sparking a powerful ripple effect that resonates far and wide. Seeking the Other Side weaves a riveting narrative, blending historical detail with a profound exploration of the human spirit. In this awe-inspiring tale, the protagonist’s journey serves as a metaphor for the indomitable resilience of the human soul, reminding us that hope and courage can triumph even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Dec 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035814084

Colin Ferguson

Colin Ferguson was born in Perth and the family moved to Richmond, Surrey, in 1948. He then attended Tiffin School in Kingston, leaving in 1957 when he joined the RAF. He followed this with ten years in the Bank of England. For the next forty years, he held various jobs, including working as a Probation Officer, and he ended his career in Reading as a Senior Manager. He holds a Master’s degree in criminal justice and certificates in mediation. He retired in 1996 and has since written two novels and several books of worship material. He has been married to Janet for over sixty years and remains active in the church as a lay preacher.

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About the Author

Colin Ferguson was born in Perth and the family moved to Richmond, Surrey, in 1948. He then attended Tiffin School in Kingston, leaving in 1957 when he joined the RAF. He followed this with ten years in the Bank of England. For the next forty years, he held various jobs, including working as a Probation Officer, and he ended his career in Reading as a Senior Manager. He holds a Master’s degree in criminal justice and certificates in mediation. He retired in 1996 and has since written two novels and several books of worship material. He has been married to Janet for over sixty years and remains active in the church as a lay preacher.

Copyright Information ©

Colin Ferguson 2023

The right of Colin Ferguson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035814060 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035814077 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781035814084 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

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Introduction

The story of Simon of Cyrene is a mixture of what we know and what we might guess. As Barclay wrote in his Study Bible on the Acts of the Apostles about ‘Simon the black’ (Niger).

It would be a thing most wonderful if the man whose first contact with Jesus was the carrying of the Cross – a task that he must have bitterly resented – was one of the men, mainly and directly responsible for sending out the story of the Cross to all the world.

This is the thought behind this novel – what if Simon of Cyrene was the same man as Simon the Black. The thought is fuelled by Mark’s version of the crucifixion (Mark 15 vs. 21) They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.

All the assumptions are that Simon was not known, but he was clearly well known to Mark, or at least his children were. Coming in from the country applied to many of the million and more people who were in Jerusalem for the Passover. It just meant he did not live in Jerusalem.

It has also been assumed that Simon was a Jew from Cyrene and that was possible as there was a substantial Jewish community in Cyrene (Now known as Tripoli) as there was of Romans – Niger is a Roman word so he might have been Roman but would have been highly unlikely for any Roman to have been in the crowds of Jerusalem. To be called ‘Niger’ meant that he was black and probably well known in Roman circles. Most black men were from slave families but many worked at sea and it is at sea that I believe Simon has made his name. Certainly, as he is so well known, he must have been an extraordinary man and clearly well respected in all communities.

The most likely answer lies in the fact that Cyrene was also the main centre of the slave trade and Cyrenian was a name given to all those who went through the slave markets of the area. He was known as Simon of Cyrene – his ‘slave’ name in the Jewish writings, but as a respected sea Captain in Antioch, he becomes known as Simon the Black and as one of the founders of the Christian community.

A further clue to Simon being the same man comes in Paul’s letter to the Romans (ch. 16 vs. 13) – Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and greet his mother – a mother to me also.

It would seem logical for Paul to have stayed with one of the leaders of the church in Antioch while he was there and Simon and Lucius (also named as a Cyrenian) were both leaders of the growing church. It is such an affectionate greeting by Paul that it hides a story of its own.

Antioch is the home of Simon the Black and it seems logical to see him as unusual in that he is identified as the Black.

It is also the base from which Barnabas and Paul prepared for their missions. It is here that Mark joined them and it is here that Mark could have met Rufus and Alexander the sons of Simon.

Antioch was at this time the third largest city in the known world and its population as varied as could be found in such a centre of cultures. Selucia (the port of Antioch) was one of the busiest ports in the world with its land links across to the east and west. It is not too much of a guess to think of Simon as being a sailor.

History also has Antioch as having a great hippodrome with chariot racing and also all the temptations of a city. Certainly, it had large communities of Jewish, Greek, Syrian and Roman origin.

The Jewish community there would have had at least one synagogue, but the principle religious centre was the Temple of Daphne whose worshippers had a very lax attitude to their behaviour.

A perfect centre for Christianity to spread across the world but first it had to bring the Jewish Christians out of their ancient belief and traditions to show that God was no longer for the Jewish nation alone. With Jesus gone, the evolution into Christianity was a painful and difficult one.

The story itself covers the time of the first ‘Christians’, and as such, it takes much of its material from the Book of Acts. A time when the followers of Christ were still mainly Jews with all the ideology of Judaism. It was hard for them to accept the message of Jesus being for all the world and not just for the Jews.

So it was from the Cypriot and Cyrenian converts that the church in Antioch was initially formed and here that the first Gentile Christian community was founded. Could Simon have been there at the forefront of this great change in the shape of the church?

It was the expulsion of the believers in Jesus from the synagogues that caused them to disperse and then the persecution of the ‘Christians’ that broke down the barriers, just as when Paul preached in the synagogues and was driven out into the gentile world that was longing to hear the message.

The story becomes a struggle to break down the barriers between cultures, colour and sex and slavery. Early Christianity had to break the love of Jesus out of the clutches of traditional Judaism into the gentile world. Even today, the struggle exists and it is not long since apartheid threatened to see Christianity as a gift only for one race. Antioch was a blend of all aspects of the world in which Christ became truly seen as a gift to the whole world.

So where does Simon begin? I have given him a slave’s name. Nkumah. Sold in a Cyrenian market to a rich Jewish owner. He has a passion for the sea and becomes a cabin boy and is renamed as Simon, and then as a bright young man, he soon learns about the sea. In time, he becomes a Captain of the vessels that his master owns.

His reputation leads to him being known as Simon the Black. At sea, there is no distinction between different nations. The sea was a great leveller and everyone depended on everyone else. As a convert to Judaism, he is a freedman, but basically, he still feels like Nkumah, and even though he is a freedman, his race and history make him feel like a second-class citizen. Jesus changes that, as he does for so many even today.

We know from the history of the church in Antioch that Peter himself came to live in Antioch before his final journey to Rome. He is recognised as the first bishop, or patriarch of the See of Antioch which covered most of the Greek and Aramaic speaking world. He was followed as the new church leader by Euodius and then by St Ignatius of Antioch.

But by then, Simon’s work was