Topical Encyclopedia
Barnabas, a significant figure in the early Christian Church, is introduced in the New Testament as a Levite from Cyprus. His original name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement" (
Acts 4:36). This name reflects his role and character within the early Christian community.
Early Life and ConversionBarnabas was a Jew from the tribe of Levi, born in Cyprus. His conversion to Christianity is not detailed in the Scriptures, but his actions and dedication to the early Church suggest a profound commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He is first mentioned in the Book of Acts, where he is noted for his generosity. Barnabas sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles to support the community (
Acts 4:37).
Role in the Early ChurchBarnabas played a crucial role in the acceptance and integration of Saul (later Paul) into the Christian community. After Saul's conversion, many disciples were wary of him due to his past persecution of Christians. Barnabas, however, vouched for Saul, bringing him to the apostles and recounting how Saul had seen the Lord and preached boldly in His name (
Acts 9:27).
Barnabas was also instrumental in the growth of the Church in Antioch. When news of the Gentile conversions reached Jerusalem, the Church sent Barnabas to Antioch. He encouraged the new believers to remain true to the Lord, and "a great number of people were brought to the Lord" (
Acts 11:24). Recognizing the need for assistance, Barnabas sought out Saul in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch, where they taught together for a year (
Acts 11:25-26).
Missionary JourneysBarnabas and Paul were set apart by the Holy Spirit for missionary work, marking the beginning of their first missionary journey (
Acts 13:2). They traveled to Cyprus and various regions in Asia Minor, preaching the gospel and establishing churches. Barnabas is often mentioned alongside Paul, indicating his prominent role in these missions (
Acts 13:43, 46).
A significant event during their missionary work was the Council of Jerusalem, where Barnabas and Paul defended the inclusion of Gentiles in the Church without the requirement of circumcision (
Acts 15:2, 12). This council was pivotal in shaping the early Church's approach to Gentile converts.
Separation from PaulDespite their successful partnership, Barnabas and Paul eventually parted ways due to a disagreement over John Mark, Barnabas's cousin. Barnabas wanted to take Mark on their next journey, but Paul disagreed because Mark had previously deserted them. As a result, Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and continued his missionary work (
Acts 15:36-39).
LegacyBarnabas's legacy is one of encouragement, generosity, and bridge-building within the early Church. His willingness to support and mentor others, such as Paul and John Mark, highlights his role as a leader who valued reconciliation and growth in the faith. His contributions to the spread of Christianity and the establishment of the early Church remain significant, as evidenced by his mention in several New Testament writings.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Barnabasson of the prophet, or of consolation
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Barnabas(son of consolation or comfort) a name given by the apostles, (Acts 4:36) to Joseph (or Jose), a Levite of the island of Cyprus, who was early a disciple of Christ. In (Acts 9:27) we find him introducing the newly-converted Saul to the apostles at Jerusalem. Barnabas was sent to Jerusalem, (Acts 11:19-26) and went to Tarsus to seek Saul, as one specially raised up to preach to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:17) He brought him to Antioch, and was sent with him to Jerusalem. (Acts 11:30) On their return, they were ordained by the church for the missionary work, (Acts 13:2) and sent forth (A.D. 45). From this time Barnabas and Paul enjoy the title and dignity of apostles. Their first missionary journey is related in (Acts 13:14) Returning to Antioch (A.D. 47 or 48), they were sent (A.D. 50), with some others, to Jerusalem. (Acts 15:1,36) Afterwards they parted and Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, his native island. Here the Scripture notices of him cease. The epistle attributed to Barnabas is believed to have been written early in the second century.
ATS Bible Dictionary
BarnabasSon of consolation, orJOSES, a disciple of Jesus, and a companion of the apostle Paul. He was a Levite, and a native of the isle of Cyprus, and is said to have sold all his property, and laid the price of it at the apostles' feet,Acts 4:36,37. When Paul came to Jerusalem, three years after his conversion, about A. D. 38, Barnabas introduced him to the other apostles,Acts 9:26,27. Five years afterwards, the church at Jerusalem, being informed of the progress of the gospel at Antioch, sent Barnabas thither, who beheld with great joy the wonders of the grace of God,Acts 11:20-24. He afterwards went to Tarsus, to seek Paul and bring him to Antioch, where they dwelt together two years, and great numbers were converted. They left Antioch A. D. 45, to convey alms from this church to that at Jerusalem, and soon returned, bringing with them John Mark,Acts 11:28-30 12:25. While they were at Antioch, the holy Ghost directed that they should be set apart for those labors to which he had appointed them, the planting of new churches among the Gentiles. They visited Cyprus and some cities of Asia Minor,Acts 13:2-14, and after three years returned to Antioch. In A. D. 50, he and Paul were appointed delegates from the Syrian churches to consult the apostles and elders at Jerusalem respecting certain questions raised by Jewish zealots; and having obtained the judgment of the brethren at Jerusalem, they returned with it, accompanied by Silas and Barnabas. At Antioch he was led into dissimulation by Peter, and was, in consequence, reproved by Paul. While preparing for a second missionary tour, Paul and Barnabas having a dispute relative to Mark, Barnabas' nephew, they separated, Paul going to Asia, and Barnabas with Mark to Cyprus,Acts 13:1-15Galatians 2:13. Nothing is known of his subsequent history. There is a spurious gospel, but evidently written by some other hand. The name of Barnabas stands high in the annals of the early church. When he gave all his estates to Christ, he gave himself also, as his life of generous self-devotion and missionary toil clearly shows. He was a beloved fellow-laborer with Paul, somewhat as Melancthon was with Luther, and a true "son of consolation" to the church.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Son of consolation, the surname of Joses, a Levite (
Acts 4:36). His name stands first on the list of prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch (
13:1). Luke speaks of him as a "good man" (
11:24). He was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He was a native of Cyprus, where he had a possession of land (
Acts 4:36, 37), which he sold. His personal appearance is supposed to have been dignified and commanding (
Acts 14:11, 12). When Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion, Barnabas took him and introduced him to the apostles (
9:27). They had probably been companions as students in the school of Gamaliel.
The prosperity of the church at Antioch led the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem to send Barnabas thither to superintend the movement. He found the work so extensive and weighty that he went to Tarsus in search of Saul to assist him. Saul returned with him to Antioch and laboured with him for a whole year (Acts 11:25, 26). The two were at the end of this period sent up to Jerusalem with the contributions the church at Antioch had made for the poorer brethren there (11:28-30). Shortly after they returned, bringing John Mark with them, they were appointed as missionaries to the heathen world, and in this capacity visited Cyprus and some of the principal cities of Asia Minor (Acts 13:14). Returning from this first missionary journey to Antioch, they were again sent up to Jerusalem to consult with the church there regarding the relation of Gentiles to the church (Acts 15:2:Galatians 2:1). This matter having been settled, they returned again to Antioch, bringing the decree of the council as the rule by which Gentiles were to be admitted into the church.
When about to set forth on a second missionary journey, a dispute arose between Saul and Barnabas as to the propriety of taking John Mark with them again. The dispute ended by Saul and Barnabas taking separate routes. Saul took Silas as his companion, and journeyed through Syria and Cilicia; while Barnabas took his nephew John Mark, and visited Cyprus (Acts 15:36-41). Barnabas is not again mentioned by Luke in the Acts.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BARNABASbar'-na-bas (Barnabas, "son of exhortation," or possibly "son of Nebo"): This name was applied to the associate of Paul, who was originally called Joses or Joseph (Acts 4:36), as a testimony to his eloquence. Its literal meaning is "son of prophecy" (bar, "son"; nebhu'ah, "prophecy"). Compare word for prophet inGenesis 20:7Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, etc. This is interpreted inActs 4:36 as "son of exhortation" the Revised Version (British and American), or "son of consolation" the King James Version, expressing two sides of the Greek paraklesis, that are not exclusive. The office of a prophet being more than to foretell, all these interpretations are admissible in estimating Barnabas as a preacher. Deismann (Bibelstudien, 175-78) considers Barnabas the Jewish Grecized form of Barnebous, a personal Semitic name recently discovered in Asia Minor inscriptions, and meaning "son of Nebo" (Standard Bible Dictionary in the place cited.).
He was a Levite from the island of Cyprus, and cousin, not "nephew" (the King James Version), of the evangelist Mark, the word anepsios (Colossians 4:10), being used inNumbers 36:11, for "father's brothers' sons." When we first learn of him, he had removed to Jerusalem, and acquired property there. He sold "a field," and contributed its price to the support of the poorer members of the church (Acts 4:36). InActs 11:24 he is described as "a good man and full of the Holy Spirit" (compareIsaiah 11:21 Corinthians 12:8, 11) "and of faith," traits that gave him influence and leadership. Possibly on the ground of former acquaintanceship, interceding as Paul's sponsor and surety, he removed the distrust of the disciples at Jerusalem and secured the admission of the former persecutor into their fellowship. When the preaching of some of the countrymen of Barnabas had begun a movement toward Christianity among the Greeks at Antioch, Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to give it encouragement and direction, and, after a personal visit, recognizing its importance and needs, sought out Paul at Tarsus, and brought him back as his associate. At the close of a year's successful work, Barnabas and Paul were sent to Jerusalem with contributions from the infant church for the famine sufferers in the older congregation (Acts 11:30). Ordained as missionaries on their return (Acts 13:3), and accompanied by John Mark, they proceeded upon what is ordinarily known as the "First Missionary Journey" of Paul (Acts 13:4, 5). Its history belongs to Paul's life. Barnabas as well as Paul is designated "an apostle" (Acts 14:14). Up toActs 13:43, the precedency is constantly ascribed to Barnabas; from that point, except in 14:14 and 15:12, 25, we read "Paul and Barnabas," instead of "Barnabas and Saul." The latter becomes the chief spokesman. The people at Lystra named Paul, because of his fervid oratory, Mercurius, while the quiet dignity and reserved strength of Barnabas gave him the title of Jupiter (Acts 14:12). Barnabas escaped the violence which Paul suffered at Iconium (Acts 14:19).
Upon their return from this first missionary tour, they were sent, with other representatives of the church at Antioch, to confer with the apostles and elders of the church at Jerusalem concerning the obligation of circumcision and the ceremonial law in general under the New Testament-the synod of Jerusalem. A separation from Paul seems to begin with a temporary yielding of Barnabas in favor of the inconsistent course of Peter (Galatians 2:13). This was followed by a more serious rupture concerning Mark. On the second journey, Paul proceeded alone, while Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus. Luther and Calvin regard2 Corinthians 8:18, 19 as meaning Barnabas by "the brother whose praise is spread through all the churches," and indicating, therefore, subsequent joint work. The incidental allusions in1 Corinthians 9:6 andGalatians 2:13 ("even Barnabas") show at any rate Paul's continued appreciation of his former associate. Like Paul, he accepted no support from those to whom he ministered.
Tertullian, followed in recent years by Grau and Zahn, regard him as the author of the Epistle to the He. The document published among patristic writings as the Epistle of Barnabas, and found in full in the Codex Sinaiticus, is universally assigned today to a later period. "The writer nowhere claims to be the apostle Barnabas; possibly its author was some unknown namesake of 'the son of consolation' " (Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, 239).
H. E. Jacobs
BARNABAS, EPISTLE OF
SeeAPOCRYPHAL EPISTLES.
BARNABAS, GOSPEL OF
SeeAPOCRYPHAL GOSPELS.
JOSEPH BARNABAS
SeeBARNABAS.
Greek
921.Barnabas --Barnabas, an Israelite companion of Paul... 920, 921.
Barnabas. 922 .
Barnabas, an Israelite companion of Paul. Part
of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Barnabas Phonetic
...3138. Markos -- Mark, a Christian
... Markos Phonetic Spelling: (mar'-kos) Short Definition: Mark Definition: Mark, who
also had the Hebrew name John, son of Mary, nephew ofBarnabas, coadjutor of...
2500. Ioses -- Joses, an Israelite name
... ee-o-sace') Short Definition: Joses Definition: (Hebrew), Joses (a) son of Eliezer,
(b) son of Mary, half-brother of Jesus, (c) surnamedBarnabas (also called...
2499. Iose -- Jose.
... of Joses Definition: (Hebrew), gen. case of Joses (a) son of Eliezer, (b) son of
Mary, brother of Jesus, (c) surnamedBarnabas (also called Joseph)....
Library
The Epistle ofBarnabas
The Epistle ofBarnabas. <. The Epistle ofBarnabas Barnabas. Table of Contents.
Title Page. Introductory Note to the Epistle ofBarnabas....
The Exhortation ofBarnabas
... THE EXHORTATION OFBARNABAS. [Footnote... Satisfied as to their true Christian
character,Barnabas sets himself to help them to grow. Now...
St.Barnabas
... II. THE CHRISTIAN YEAR St.Barnabas. [1050]280 O Son of God, our Captain
of salvation [1051]281 The son of Consolation!...
Barnabas
... Chapter VI.Barnabas.Barnabas [2364] the Cyprian, also called Joseph the
Levite, ordained apostle to the Gentiles with Paul, wrote...
Intercourse withBarnabas.
... Book I. Chapter X."Intercourse withBarnabas. While I was urging these
and similar arguments, a great excitement was stirred up...
Paul andBarnabas in Lystra.
... LECTURES LECTURE XV. PAUL ANDBARNABAS IN LYSTRA. Chap. xiv.8-18. ANTIOCH of
Syria was the first city, in which the gospel was publicly...
The Ordination of Paul andBarnabas; their Missionary Tour in Asia...
... CHAPTER V. THE ORDINATION OF PAUL ANDBARNABAS; THEIR MISSIONARY TOUR IN
ASIA MINOR; AND THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM. AD44 TO AD51....
Preaching ofBarnabas.
... Homily I. Chapter IX."Preaching ofBarnabas. And when I said that I wished
I could meet with some one of those who had seen Him...
Departure ofBarnabas.
... Book I. Chapter XI."Departure ofBarnabas. At length I said to him, "Only
expound to me the doctrine of that man who you say has...
Departure ofBarnabas.
... Homily I. Chapter XIV."Departure ofBarnabas. But it plainly appeared to
me that he was disconcerted. For when I said to him, "Only...
Thesaurus
Barnabas (33 Occurrences)... 11, 12). When Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion,
Barnabas took him and introduced him to the apostles (9:27). They
...Barnabas-judas (1 Occurrence)
Barnabas-judas. Bar-nabas,Barnabas-judas.Barnabas's .
Multi-Version ConcordanceBarnabas-judas (1 Occurrence). Acts...
Barnabas's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version ConcordanceBarnabas's (1 Occurrence). Colossians 4:10 Aristarchus
my fellow prisoner sends greeting to you, and so doesBarnabas's cousin Mark....
Lystra (6 Occurrences)
... so impressed the ignorant and superstitious people that they took him for Mercury,
because he was the "chief speaker," and his companionBarnabas for Jupiter...
Silas (22 Occurrences)
... He and Judas, surnamed Barsabas, were chosen by the church there to accompany Paul
andBarnabas on their return to Antioch from the council of the apostles and...
Decided (54 Occurrences)
... Acts 15:2 Between these new comers and Paul andBarnabas there was no little
disagreement and controversy, until at last it was decided that Paul andBarnabas...
Assembly (371 Occurrences)
... Acts 11:22 The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was
in Jerusalem. They sent outBarnabas to go as far as Antioch, (WEB DBY YLT)....
Disagreement (3 Occurrences)
... Acts 15:2 Between these new comers and Paul andBarnabas there was no little
disagreement and controversy, until at last it was decided that Paul andBarnabas...
Determined (89 Occurrences)
... Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul andBarnabas had no small dissension and disputation
with them, they determined that Paul andBarnabas, and certain other of them...
Mercurius (1 Occurrence)
... mur'-ku-ri, mer-ku'ri-us: The translation of Hermes, in Acts 14:12: "They called
Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker...
Resources
Should Muslims read the Gospel of Barnabas as the true story of Isa? | GotQuestions.orgWhat should we learn from the account of Paul and Barnabas? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the gospel of Barnabas? | GotQuestions.orgBarnabas: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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