Vigils Reading – St Barnabas

ST BARNABAS
From Butler’s Lives of the Saints3

Although St Barnabas was not one of the twelve chosen by our Lord, yet he is styled an apostle by the early fathers and by St Luke himself on account of the special commission he received from the Holy Spirit and the great part he took in apostolic work. He was a Jew of the tribe of Levi, but was born in Cyprus. His name was originally Joseph, but the apostles changed it to Barnabas – which St Luke interprets as meaning “man of encouragement”.

The first mention we find of him in the Holy Scriptures is in the fourth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where it is stated that the first converts at Jerusalem lived in common and that as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and laid the proceeds at the feet of the apostles for distribution. St. Barnabas’s sale of his estate is singled out for mention on this occasion. When Paul came to Jerusalem three years after his conversion the faithful were suspicious of the genuineness of this conversion, and avoided him. It was Barnabas who then “took him by the hand “and vouched for him among the other apostles.

Some time later, certain disciples having preached the Gospel with success at Antioch, it was thought desirable that someone be sent by the Church in Jerusalem to guide and confirm the neophytes. The man selected was Barnabas – “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”, as we read in the Acts. Upon his arrival he rejoiced exceedingly at the progress the gospel had made and by his preaching added greatly to the number of converts. Finding himself in need of an able assistant he went to Tarsus to enlist the cooperation of St. Paul, who accompanied him back and spent a whole year at Antioch. Their labors were crowned with success, and it was in that city and at this period that the name “Christians” was first given to the followers of the Lord.

The Holy Spirit said to the apostles “Separate me Paul and Barnabas for the work for which I have taken them.” Accordingly, after all had prayed and fasted, Paul and Barnabas received their commission by the laying on of hands and set forth on their first missionary journey. A miraculous cure wrought by St Paul upon a cripple at Lystra led the pagan inhabitants to conclude that the gods were come among them. They hailed Paul as Hermes or Mercury because he was the chief speaker, and Barnabas as Zeus or Jupiter. But with the proverbial fickleness of the mob, they soon rushed to the other extreme and stoned Paul.

At the Council of Jerusalem Paul and Barnabas gave a full account of their labors among the Gentiles and received approbation of their mission. Later a contention arose between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark and they separated, Paul proceeding on his projected tour with Silas, while Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with John Mark. Here the Acts leave him without further mention. He is said to have been stoned to death at Salamis.

3 Butler’s Lives of the Saints – revised edition – Harper – San Francisco – 1984 – pg 176.