Joseph Barsabbas Justus of Eleutheropolis | |
|---|---|
| Apostle of the Seventy, the Just | |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 30 October (Eastern Orthodox Church) 20 July (Roman Catholic Church) |
_with_two_of_their_sons_(SM_1398b).png)
In theActs of the Apostles,Joseph Barsabbas (Ancient Greek:Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καλούμενον Βαρσαββᾶν,romanized: Iōsēph ton kaloumenon Barsabban, also known asJustus of Eleutheropolis orJoseph the Just) was one of two candidates qualified to be chosen for the office ofapostle afterJudas Iscariot lost his apostleship when he betrayedJesus anddied by suicide. After thecasting of lots Barsabbas was not chosen, the lot instead favoringSt. Matthias to be numbered with the remaining eleven apostles.
The Englishproper nounJustus shares the same origin thanancient GreekIoustos (with the capital letter);[1]Saint Joseph, the father of Jesus, was named the "righteous" inMatthew 1:19, an English translation of the Greek honorific titledikaios, which occurs frequently in the Gospels.[2]
Both Joseph and Matthias had been followers of Jesus from the beginning ofJesus' public ministry after the baptism that he received fromJohn the Baptist. He had continued as a member of the larger company of disciples even to the time that Jesus wastaken up from them.
Further identification of Joseph is uncertain. In Christian tradition, he is numbered among theSeventy disciples mentioned inLuke 10:1–24, although the biblical text mentions no names. "After these things, the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." (10:1)
Biblical scholarRobert Eisenman has read the shadowy figure of "Joseph Justus" as either a not-so-subtle cover forJames the Just, or a cloned conflation who represents in a single figure all theDesposyni (Brothers of Jesus)—rejected, according to the author ofActs in favor of the otherwise-unknownMatthias.[3]Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says that he was “surnamed Justus” or who “was called Justus”: “This is a Latin name, meaning just, and was probably given him on account of his distinguished integrity.”[citation needed] The Anglican Bible scholarJ. B. Lightfoot “supposes that he [Joseph Barsabbas] was the son ofAlphaeus and brother ofJames the Less, and that he was chosen on account of his relationship to the family of the Lord Jesus.”[citation needed]
The fourth-century church historianEusebius reports a story he attributed to Papias from very early in the second century, which he had, in turn, learned in Hierapolis from the daughters of Philip the Evangelist. It was said "he drank poison but by the Lord's grace suffered no harm."[4] Whether this story might have inspired one feature in the secondary longer ending of Mark's Gospel - "These signs will accompany those who believe: ... they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all"[5] - is possible but unproved.
_Chapelle_Saint-Fiacre_Vitrail_de_la_Sainte_Parent%25C3%25A9_03.JPG)
In Christian tradition, this Justus went on to becomeBishop ofEleutheropolis, where he died amartyr and is venerated asSaint Justus of Eleutheropolis. The location provides a date for this legend, since the site of Eleutheropolis was a mere village called Betaris in the 1st century, whose inhabitants were slain and enslaved with others byVespasian in AD 68 (Josephus).[6] The site was refounded, as Eleutheropolis, in AD 200 bySeptimius Severus. The first historical bishop,Macrinus, can be found in the 4th century, when Eleutheropolis was an important city.[7]
The latest official edition of theRoman Martyrology commemorates Joseph called Barsabbas and also Justus under the date of 20 July,[8] but limits its comments to the facts set out in the Acts of the Apostles. TheEastern Orthodox Church venerates him on 30 October with the name of Justus as well as on 4 January with the other disciples.[9][10]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
