A generous man, Barnabas was originally named Joseph, but the apostles gave him the name Barnabas, which means “the one who encourages and inspires.”
Newsroom, June 11, 2025, Gaudium Press – Barnabas was born in Cyprus. He sold some land he owned there and gave the money to the apostles for the work of evangelization. He quickly realized that the convert Saul would become a great instrument of God.
Apostle Barnabas: One of the Pillars of the Early Church
The Apostle Barnabas is one of the great figures of the early Church. His importance is enhanced by the fact that he was one of the “discoverers” of the Apostle Paul. He is also called an apostle—even though he was not one of the Twelve—because that is how the Acts of the Apostles refers to him. He was very likely one of the 70 disciples of Christ mentioned in Scripture.
He Did What the Rich Young Man in the Gospel Did Not
A generous man, Barnabas was originally named Joseph, but the apostles gave him the name Barnabas, which means “the one who encourages and inspires.” The Acts of the Apostles say he was “a Levite, a native of Cyprus. He owned a field, sold it, and brought the money and placed it at the feet of the apostles.” His act of total generosity contrasts with the attitude of the rich young man in the Gospel.
He is said to be one of the “discoverers” of the Apostle Paul because, after Paul’s conversion in Damascus, when he went to Jerusalem, Christians still distrusted him because of his past and fled from him. But Barnabas brought him to the apostles, testified to the sincerity of his conversion, and introduced him into the inner circle of the Christian community.
Paul later had to flee Jerusalem as his former allies now wanted to kill him, and he took refuge in his hometown of Tarsus.
Antioch: A Key City for Barnabas’ Apostolic Work
Meanwhile, Christianity was making great strides in Antioch, north of Jerusalem. There, the teachings of Jesus were being shared with pagans, and the sacraments were being administered to them with great success, bringing widespread joy. Barnabas became one of the chief apostles in Antioch.
But moved by God, Barnabas went to Tarsus to invite Paul to join this apostolate, which Saul accepted with joy. They spent a year evangelizing in Antioch, bearing abundant fruit by the grace of the Holy Spirit. It was there, in Antioch, that the disciples of Christ were first called “Christians.”
One day, while the Christians in Antioch were praying, the Holy Spirit spoke through a prophet and said: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul” for a special mission. Thus began the missionary journeys of the great Apostle to the Gentiles.
They first went to evangelize Cyprus, Barnabas’ homeland, where their efforts were so fruitful that even the governor, Sergius Paulus, converted.
Afterward, Barnabas and Paul went to cities in Asia Minor. They were in Pisidian Antioch and Iconium, from which they had to flee due to a conspiracy by Jews. In Lystra, Paul miraculously healed a paralyzed man, and the locals wanted to honor Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes, but the apostles stopped them. Soon after, Jews from Iconium came and incited the people, leading to Paul being stoned. He miraculously survived the attack.
Paul and Barnabas Defend the Gentile Converts
Upon returning to Antioch, Barnabas and Paul found a division among the Christians: some believed that all converts, including pagans, must be circumcised and follow all the Mosaic laws; others believed that converts only needed to observe the main commandments and embrace the teachings of Christ.
To resolve this, Barnabas and Paul were sent to Jerusalem to consult Peter and the other leaders, an event later known as the first Church council—the Council of Jerusalem. It was decided there that pagans should not be required to follow all Mosaic laws. The apostles and the Christian community also rejoiced at the accounts of Barnabas and Paul’s missionary work among the Gentiles.
Barnabas Returns to Cyprus
Upon their return to Antioch, Barnabas and Paul took different apostolic paths. Barnabas returned to evangelize Cyprus, and Paul began his second major missionary journey.
Some attribute the authorship of the Letter to the Hebrews to Barnabas.
Apocryphal writings claim that Saint Barnabas also traveled to Rome and died in Salamis around the year 70, stoned to death by Jews.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj with information from EWTN and Catholic.net
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