Barnabas, Apostle

Biography

The first time the Acts of the Apostles speak of him, he appears as an extremely generous man, who sold his field for the benefit of the community of Christians. The Scripture says: "Because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, a great multitude adhered to him." According to this, we can consider Barnabas as the Patron of human virtues, virtues that also come from God. Furthermore, without human virtues, supernatural virtues have nowhere to rely. Saint John Chrysostom, who may have known authoritative sources, said of Barnabas: "In everything he was excellent: beautiful disposition, gentle temper, generous, upright, sincere, full of goodness; with careful education, with attentive and fine manners, with such modesty and composure that he attracted the sympathy of all who knew him, and he attracted and captivated hearts." Barnabas does not properly belong to the number of the Twelve chosen by Jesus to form his first and most intimate Community, but it does seem that he was part of the Seventy-two disciples chosen by the Lord, to carry his Message everywhere. Furthermore, the apostle Paul always calls Barnabas "Apostle." Barnabas enjoyed great authority among the apostles since his intervention among the Judaizers and Hellenizers was definitive at the Council of Jerusalem. Another intervention of great value for Christianity was having introduced the converted Paul to be part of the authentic followers of Jesus Christ. His very name, which in Aramaic means "son of prophecy, "son of consolation", reflects the mission that was entrusted to Barnabas. He will go first to Antioch where, seeing that there is so much harvest and so few workers, he will call Paul to help him in the apostolate. From Antioch he goes to Cyprus where he preaches with ardent zeal the message of Jesus Christ. Everywhere he bears witness to his zeal for the glory of God. He believes who returned to Jerusalem and there died a martyr for Jesus Christ.