Tyrannus

Tyrannus was a teacher in Ephesus who allowed Paul to use his lecture hall for daily discussions about the gospel.

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.

Prince, a Greek rhetorician, in whose “school” at Ephesus Paul disputed daily for the space of two years with those who came to him (Acts 19:9). Some have supposed that he was a Jew, and that his “school” was a private synagogue.