BAR-JESUS
(bahr' jesus) GREEK: BARIESOUS
"son of Jesus"
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A Jewish magician also known by the Greek name Elymas, Bar-Jesus became involved in a confrontation with Paul and Barnabas in which the apostle caused him temporarily to lose his sight. The encounter occurred at Paphos, capital of Cypres, where Bar-Jesus was employed by the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus.
On a journey to Barnabas's native country, the two missionaries attracted the attention of Paulus, who granted them a public audience. Bar-Jesus opposed their preaching, fearing his influence would be diminished if the proconsul embraced the Christian faith. Paul, however, exposed the magician's motives, condemned him for "making crooked the straight paths of the Lord" (Acts 13:10), and struck him blind. The severity of the rebuke was apparently sufficient to evoke the proconsul's belief.
{E2 Dictionary of Biblical People}