Barnabas, St

views updated May 29 2018

Barnabas, St. A Jew of Cyprus who became a member of the earliest Christian church at Jerusalem and was the companion of Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 4. 36, 9. 27, 13. 2, etc.). Feast day, 11 June.

The Letter of Barnabas is an anonymous treatise seeking to attack Judaism by claiming the Old Testament for Christians alone.

Barnabas, St

views updated May 14 2018

Barnabas, St one of the earliest Christian disciples at Jerusalem; an Apostle, but not one of the original twelve (see Apostle1). A Jewish Cypriot and a Levite, he was originally called Joseph; the name Barnabas means ‘son of consolation’. He introduced Paul to the other apostles, and with him undertook the first missionary journey, which began in Cyprus. Later Paul and Barnabas quarrelled and separated; Barnabas returned to Cyprus and evangelized it. According to legend, he was martyred at Salamis in 61 ad. His feast day is 11 June. (See also Barnaby of Chancery.)

Barnabas, Saint

views updated Jun 08 2018

Barnabas, Saint Early Christian apostle, originally named Joseph, who was a companion of St Paul. He travelled with Paul on two proselytizing missions to Cyprus and the European mainland. His feast day is June 11.

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Saint Barnabas

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