St. Barnabas.
Barnabas
(originally Joseph), styled an Apostle in Holy Scripture, and, like St. Paul,
ranked by the Church with the Twelve, though not one of them; b. of Jewish
parents in the Island of Cyprus about the beginning of the Christian Era. A
Levite, he naturally spent much time in Jerusalem ,
probably even before the Crucifixion of Our Lord, and appears also to have
settled there (where his relatives, the family of Mark the Evangelist, likewise
had their homes, Acts 12:12) and to have owned land in its vicinity (4:36-37).
A rather late tradition recorded by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. II, 20, P.G.
VIII, col. 1060) and Eusebius (H. E. II, 1:P. G. XX, col. 117) says that he was
one of the seventy Disciples; but Acts (4:36-37) favours the opinion that he
was converted to Christianity shortly after Pentecost (about A.D. 29 or 30) and
immediately sold his property and devoted the proceeds to the Church. The
Apostles, probably because of his success as a preacher, for he is later placed
first among the prophets and doctors of Antioch (13:1), surnamed him Barnabas,
a name then interpreted as meaning “son of exhortation” or “consolation.” (The
real etymology, however, is disputed. See Encyl. Bibli. I, col. 484.) Though
nothing is recorded of Barnabas for some years, he evidently acquired during
this period a high position in the Church.
When Saul the persecutor, later Paul
the Apostle, made his first visit (dated variously from A.D. 33 to 38) to Jerusalem after his
conversion, the Church there, remembering his former fierce spirit, was slow to
believe in the reality of his conversion. Barnabas stood sponsor for him and
had him received by the Apostles, as the Acts relate (9:27), though he saw only
Peter and James, the brother of the Lord, according to Paul himself (Gal. 1:18,
19). Saul went to his house at Tarsus to live in
obscurity for some years, while Barnabas appears to have remained at Jerusalem . The event that
brought them together again and opened to both the door to their lifework was
an indirect result of Saul's own persecution. In the dispersion that followed
Stephen's death, some Disciples from Cyprus
and Cyrene ,
obscure men, inaugurated the real mission of the Christian Church by preaching
to the Gentiles. They met with great success among the Greeks at Antioch in Syria ,
reports of which coming o the ears of the Apostles, Barnabas was sent thither
by them to investigate the work of his countrymen. He saw in the conversions
effected the fruit of God's grace and, though a Jew, heartily welcomed these
first Gentile converts. His mind was opened at once to the possibility of this
immense field. It is a proof how deeply impressed Barnabas had been by Paul
that he thought of him immediately for this work, set out without delay for
distant Tarsus , and persuaded Paul to go to Antioch and begin the work
of preaching. This incident, shedding light on the character of each, shows it
was no mere accident that led them to the Gentile field. Together they laboured
at Antioch for
a whole year and “taught a great multitude.” Then, on the coming of famine, by
which Jerusalem was much afflicted, the offerings
of the Disciples at Antioch
were carried (about A.D. 45) to the mother-church by Barnabas and Saul (Acts
xi). Their mission ended, they returned to Antioch , bringing with them the cousin, or
nephew of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), John Mark, the future Evangelist (Acts 12:25).
The time was now ripe, it was
believed, for more systematic labours, and the Church of Antioch Cyprus , the native land
of Barnabas , was first evangelized,
and then they crossed over to Asia Minor .
Here, at Perge in Pamphylia, the first stopping place, John Mark left them, for
what reason his friend St. Luke does not state, though Paul looked on the act
as desertion. The two Apostles, however, pushing into the interior of a rather
wild country, preached at Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, at Derbe, and
other cities. At every step they met with opposition and even violent
persecution from the Jews, who also incited the Gentiles against them. The most
striking incident of the journey was at Lystra, where the superstitious
populace took Paul, who had just cured a lame man, for Hermes (Mercury)
“because he was the chief speaker,” and Barnabas for Jupiter, and were about to
sacrifice a bull to them when prevented by the Apostles. Mob-like, they were
soon persuaded by the Jews to turn and attack the Apostles and wounded St. Paul almost fatally.
Despite opposition and persecution, Paul and Barnabas made many converts on
this journey and returned by the same route to Perge, organizing churches,
ordaining presbyters and placing them over the faithful, so that they felt, on
again reaching Antioch in Syria, that God had “opened a door of faith to the
Gentiles” (Acts 13:13-14:27).
Barnabas and Paul had been “for no
small time” at Antioch ,
when they were threatened with the undoing of their work and the stopping of
its further progress. Preachers came from Jerusalem
with the gospel that circumcision was necessary for salvation, even for the
Gentiles. The Apostles of the Gentiles, perceiving at once that this doctrine
would be fatal to their work, went up to Jerusalem to combat it; the older
Apostles received them kindly and at what is called the Council of Jerusalem
(dated variously from A.D. 47 to 51) granted a decision in their favour as well
as a hearty commendation of their work (Acts 14:27-15:30). On their return to Antioch , they resumed
their preaching for a short time. St. Peter came down and associated freely
there with the Gentiles, eating with them. This displeased some disciples of
James; in their opinion, Peter's act was unlawful, as against the Mosaic law.
Upon their remonstrances, Peter yielded apparently through fear of displeasing
them, and refused to eat any longer with the Gentiles. Barnabas followed his
example. Paul considered that they “walked not uprightly according to the truth
of the gospel” and upbraided them before the whole church (Gal. 2:11-15). Paul
seems to have carried his point. Shortly afterwards, he and Barnabas decided to
revisit their missions. Barnabas wished to take John Mark along once more, but
on account of the previous defection Paul objected. A sharp contention ensuing,
the Apostles agreed to separate. Paul was probably somewhat influenced by the
attitude recently taken by Barnabas, which might prove a prejudice to their
work. Barnabas sailed with John Mark to Cypress ,
while Paul took Silas an revisited the churches of Asia
Minor . It is believed by some that the church of Antioch
Little is known of the subsequent
career of Barnabas. He was still living and labouring as an Apostle in 56 or
57, when Paul wrote I Cor. (9:5-6). from which we learn that he, too, like
Paul, earned his own living, though on an equality with other Apostles. The
reference indicates also that the friendship between the two was unimpaired.
When Paul was a prisoner in Rome
(61-63), John Mark was attached to him as a disciple, which is regarded as an
indication that Barnabas was no longer living (Col. 4:10). This seems probable.
Various traditions represent him as the first Bishop of Milan, as preaching at
Alexandria and at Rome, whose fourth (?) bishop, St. Clement, he is said to
have converted, and as having suffered martyrdom in Cyprus. The traditions are
all late and untrustworthy. With the exception of St. Paul and certain of the Twelve, Barnabas
appears to have been the most esteemed man of the first Christian generation.
St. Luke, breaking his habit of reserve, speaks of him with affection, “for he
was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith.” His title to glory comes
not only from his kindliness of heart, his personal sanctity, and his
missionary labours, but also from his readiness to lay aside his Jewish prejudices,
in this anticipating certain of the Twelve; from his large-hearted welcome of
the Gentiles, and from his early perception of Paul's worth, to which the
Christian Church is indebted, in large part at least, for its great Apostle.
His tenderness towards John Mark seems to have had its reward in the valuable
services later rendered by him to the Church. The feast of St. Barnabas is
celebrated on 11 June. He is credited by Tertullian (probably falsely) with the
authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and the so-called Epistle of Barnabas
is ascribed to him by many Fathers.
Orthodox Church Pakistan
www.ocpak.com
By: Fr. Cyril Amer
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