The Holy Disciple Barnabas
Commemorated on June 11
The Holy Disciple
Barnabas was born on the island of Cyprus into the family of rich Hebrews,
and he was named Joseph. He received his education at Jerusalem, being raised
with his friend and co-student Saul (the future Apostle Paul) under the then
reknown teacher of the law, Gamaliel. Joseph was pious, he frequented the
Temple, he strictly observed the fasts and avoided youthful distractions. And
during this time period our Lord Jesus Christ began His public ministry. Seeing
the Lord and hearing His Divine Words, Joseph believed on Him as the Messiah,
he was ardent with love for Him and followed Him. The Lord chose him to be
among His Seventy Disciples. And it was amongst the followers of the Lord that
Joseph received a second name – Barnabas, which in Hebrew means "son of
consolation". After the Ascension of the Lord to Heaven, Barnabas sold
land belonging to him near Jerusalem and he brought the money to the feet of
the Apostles, leaving nothing for himself (Acts 4: 36-37).
When Saul after his
conversion arrived in Jerusalem and sought to join with the followers of
Christ, everyone there was afraid of him as having been a persecutor but a
short while before. Barnabas however came with him to the Apostles and
reported, how the Lord had appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:
26-28).
As entrusted him by
the Apostles, Saint Barnabas went to Antioch to encourage the believers:
"Having come and having seen the grace of God, he rejoiced and he urged
all to cleave to the Lord with sincerity of heart" (Acts 11: 23). Then the
Disciple Barnabas went to Tarsis, and thereafter he brought the Apostle Paul to
Antioch, where for about a year they taught the people in the Church. It was
here that the disciples first began to be called Christians (Acts 11: 26). With
the onset of famine, and taking along generous alms, Paul and Barnabas returned
to Jerusalem. When king Herod killed the Apostle James Zebedaeus, and to please
the Jews had the Apostle Peter put under guard in prison, Saints Barnabas and
Paul and Peter were led out of the prison by an Angel of the Lord, and they hid
out at the house of Barnabas' aunt Maria. Later, when the persecution had
quieted down, they returned to Antioch, taking with them Maria's son John,
surnamed Mark. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophets and
teachers there imposed hands upon Barnabas and Paul, and sent them off on
matters to which the Lord had summoned them (Acts 13: 2-3). Arriving in
Seleucia, they sailed off to Cyprus and in the city of Salamis they preached
the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. On Paphos they came across a sorcerer
and false-prophet named Barjesus, who was close with the proconsul Sergios.
Wanting to hear the Word of God, the proconsul invited the saints to come to
him. The sorcerer attempted to sway the proconsul from the faith, but the
Apostle Paul denounced the sorcerer, who through his words suddenly fell blind.
The proconsul believed in Christ (Acts 13: 6-12). From Paphos Barnabas and Paul
set sail for Pergamum Pamphylia, and then they preached to the Jews and the
Gentiles at Pisidian Antioch and throughout all that region. The Jews made a
riot and expelled Paul and Barnabas. The saints arrived in Iconium, but
learning that the Jews wanted to stone them, they withdrew to Lystra and
Derben. There the Apostle Paul healed a man, crippled in the legs from birth.
The people assumed them to be the gods Zeus and Hermes and wanted to offer them
sacrifice. The saints just barely persuaded them not to do this (Acts 14:
8-18).
When the question
arose, whether those converted from the Gentiles should accept circumcision,
Barnabas and Paul set off to Jerusalem. There they were warmly received by the
Apostles and elders. The preachers related, "what God had wrought with
them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles "Acts 14:
27). After long deliberations the Apostles collectively resolved not to impose
upon Gentile-Christians any sort of burden beyond that necessary – to refrain
from idol-sacrifice and its blood, and from things strangled, and from
fornication, and not to do to others that which they themselves not do (Acts
15: 19-20). Letters were dispatched with Barnabas and Paul, and they again
evangelised at Antioch, and after a certain while they decided to visit the
other cities, where earlier they had preached. The Disciple Barnabas wanted to
take Mark along with him, but the Apostle Paul did not want to, since earlier
he had gone off from them. A quarrel arose, and they separated. Paul took with
him Silas and set off to Syria and Cilicia, and Barnabas took with him Mark –
to Cyprus (Acts 15: 36-41).
Having multiplied the
number of believers, the Disciple Barnabas set off to Rome, where he was
perhaps the first to preach Christ.
The Disciple Barnabas
founded the episcopal seat at Mediolanum (now Milan in Italy), and upon his
return to Cyprus he continued to preach about Christ the Saviour. Thereupon the
enraged Jews incited the pagans against Saint Barnabas, and they led him out
beyond the city and stoned him, and then built a bon-fire so as to burn the
body. Later on, having come upon this spot, Mark took up the unharmed body of
the Disciple Barnabas and buried it in a cave, placing upon the bosom of Saint
Barnabas, in accord with his final wishes, the Gospel of Matthew copied out in
his own hand.
The Disciple Barnabas
died in about the year 62, at age 76. Over the course of time the place of
burial of the Disciple Barnabas was forgotten. But numerous signs appeared at
this place. In the year 448, during the time of the emperor Zeno, the Disciple
Barnabas thrice appeared in a dram-vision to the Cyprus archbishop Anthymos and
indicated the place of burial of his relics. Starting to dig at the indicated
spot, Christians found the incorrupt body of the saint, and upon his chest was
the Holy Gospel. It was from these times that the Cyprus Church began to be
termed Apostolic in origin and received the right of autonomously choosing its
head. And thus the Disciple Barnabas defended Cyprus against the pretensions of
the opponent of the Fourth OEcumenical Council, the heretic surnamed Knapheios,
who had usurped the patriarchal throne at Antioch and sought to gain dominion
over the Cyprus Church.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.