Barnabas, born Joseph, was an early Christian apostle and missionary. He is often referred to as the “Son of Encouragement” due to his role as a mentor and encourager within the early church. His name “Barnabas” means “son of consolation” or “son of encouragement” in Aramaic. Barnabas was born in Cyprus circa 1st century AD, to a Jewish family of the tribe of Levi. He was one of the first who gave up all their property for the needs of the poor saints in Jerusalem, and later brought a contribution from the Greek Church in Antioch for this purpose. He was the first to recognize the sincerity of Paul when he arrived from the Damascus road and quickly welcomed him to the church in Jerusalem when others were cautious and suspicious. (Acts 9:27)
Early Life of Barnabas
Little is known about the early life of Barnabas. He was born in Cyprus and was a Levite, a member of the Jewish priestly class. It is believed that he may have been a wealthy landowner before he converted to Christianity (Acts 4:36-37).
Biblical Narrative
Barnabas Sells His Property
After converting to Christianity, Barnabas sold his property and donated the proceeds to the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 4:36-37). This act of generosity earned him the respect and admiration of the early Christian community.
Introduction of Saul to the Apostles
Barnabas played a significant role in the life of Saul (later known as Paul). After Saul’s conversion to Christianity, Barnabas took him to the apostles in Jerusalem and vouched for his sincerity and zeal for Christ (Acts 9:26-27).
Missionary Work in Antioch
Barnabas was sent to Antioch by the Jerusalem church to investigate the reports of Gentiles converting to Christianity (Acts 11:22-24). He found a thriving Christian community and decided to stay and teach the new believers. He later traveled to Tarsus to find Saul and brought him back to Antioch, where they taught the church together for a year (Acts 11:25-26).
The First Missionary Journey
Barnabas and Saul were called by the Holy Spirit to embark on a missionary journey, which became their first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3). They traveled to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia, preaching the gospel and establishing churches (Acts 13-14).
The Council of Jerusalem
Barnabas and Paul attended the Council of Jerusalem, where they presented their case for accepting Gentile believers into the church without requiring circumcision or adherence to Jewish customs (Acts 15:1-29).
Separation from Paul
Barnabas did not resent the aggressive leadership of Paul and gladly co-operated with him in his resistance to the Judaizers at Antioch, and in Jerusalem in the Jerusalem Conference, where freedom from Jewish ceremonialism was won for Gentile Christians. Barnabas later, at Antioch, followed Peter’s temporary defection from Paul in the matter of social relations with Gentile Christians, but both were rebuked by Paul and came back to Paul’s side. Barnabas had a sharp and unfortunate disagreement with Paul concerning taking John Mark on the second mission tour. On Paul’s refusal to have John Mark along, Barnabas left Paul and took John Mark with him to Cyprus. After this, Barnabas disappears from the story of Acts and we know very little about his activities. Paul would later recognize that Barnabas was right about him and call for John Mark to help him in his ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11)
Death of Barnabas
The exact date and circumstances of Barnabas’ death are not recorded in the Bible. According to tradition, he was martyred in Cyprus around 61 AD.
Additional Notes
The Character of Barnabas
Barnabas was one of the greatest constructive forces of early Christianity. This is most strongly characterized by his friendship with Paul and John Mark. When these individuals needed someone to encourage them and others had given up hope on them, Barnabas was the one who took a stand and gave them the love they needed. This is the strongest characteristic of his noble character and is something Christians should emulate today.
Barnabas the Apostle
Generally, Barnabas is not considered an apostle. However, Luke does recognize him as one. (Acts 14:14) Both Barnabas and Paul were equally honored by the church until after their separation, after which Barnabas is lost sight of in the historical record.
The Epistle of Barnabas
The epistle called by his name is believed to be a fake since it has in it errors about Jewish history and worship, and a weak grasp on divine truth that is unworthy of a
Levite and disciple. It has been dated to the 2nd century A. D. by Alford. However, some attribute Barnabas as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews.