Person New Testament
Tyrannus
Tyrannus was a teacher in Ephesus who allowed Paul to use his lecture hall for daily discussions about the gospel. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Acts 19:9.
Why it matters. Ephesian teacher who hosted Paul's discussions
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Tyrannus
Tyrannus is mentioned briefly in Act.19.9 as a teacher in Ephesus who hosted the Apostle Paul's daily discussions about the gospel. When some Jews in the synagogue became stubborn and spoke evil of the Way, Paul withdrew from the synagogue and began teaching in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This arrangement continued for two years, allowing all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, to hear the word of the Lord. The name Tyrannus means "tyrant" or "sovereign" in Greek, possibly indicating his profession as a teacher or rhetorician. By providing a venue for Paul's teaching, Tyrannus played a role in the spread of the gospel in Ephesus and the surrounding region, even if inadvertently.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Acts (1 verse)