Today we celebrate an important figure of the Apostolic Era, St. Barnabas. The Acts of the Apostles, in which he appears frequently, identifies him in chapter four: Thus Joseph, also named by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated "son of encouragement,") a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:36-37). As a Levite, he would have had some position in the Temple, perhaps even as a priest like Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. He was a Hellenist, that is, a Jew who lived outside of Palestine and spoke the Greek tongue. Born in Cyprus, he embraced the faith soon after the death of Christ, becoming a member of the original Jerusalem community. His first noteworthy deed was to sell his belongings and place the money at the feet of the apostles.
There are many traditions about this man, but most of them cannot be verified as historical fact. For instance, tradition tells us that he, like most of the disciples of Jesus, was martyred. However, there is no hard evidence to the fact. Tradition also ascribes the Letter to the Hebrews to him, as well as a Gospel and an Epistle. However, there is no way to back up these claims.
What we can say of him is that he was a companion missionary of St. Paul's and the man who is directly responsible for the foundation of the Church of Antioch where the term "Christian" was first used to identify a person who has placed their faith in Jesus. He was set aside by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to the God-fearing Gentiles and, with Paul, fought off the efforts of the Christians who insisted on their circumcision. He attended the Jerusalem Council recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
It is to his lasting credit that he befriended the neo-convert Paul and introduced him to the apostles when everyone was still distrusting the former persecutor. More noteworthy still was his service to the universal Church by being the first to recognize Paul's potential for the cause of Christ; it was Barnabas who brought him from Tarsus to teach at Antioch. The first missionary journey (about 45-48 A.D.) the two made together, and Barnabas seems to have been the leader, at least at the beginning (Acts 13-14). Barnabas' appearance must have been dignified and impressive, otherwise the inhabitants of Lystra would not have regarded him as Jupiter.
He was present with Paul at the Council of Jerusalem (ca. 50). While they were preparing for the second missionary journey, there arose a difference of opinion regarding Mark; as a result each continued his labors separately. Barnabas went to Cyprus with Mark and thereafter is not referred to again in the Acts of the Apostles or in any other authentic source. From a remark in one of Paul's letters we know that he lived from the work of his own hands (1 Cor. 9:5-6). The time and place of his death have not been recorded. It is claimed that his body was found at Salamina in 488 A.D. The Church celebrates him as an apostle though not one of the Twelve. The designation "apostle" means "one who is sent." Barnabas was sent to many of the communities of Asia Minor to encourage the fledgling Christian communities. His name is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass since ancient times.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator