Barnabas: The Complete Series
Part 1 An Introduction
According to Acts of the Apostles, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew, a Levite. He travelled with Paul on his first mission.
Tradition has it, that he set up the Cypriot Orthodox Church and was martyred in AD 60.
From the end of the Epistle to the Colossians, it is believed Barnabas was the cousin of John Mark, one of the Gospel writers and a fellow missionary with Paul.
Son of Encouragement
In Acts 4, we first meet Barnabas. We are told his name was originally Joseph, but the Apostles changed it to Barnabas, meaning ‘son of encouragement’.
Acts 4 v 36
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”)
The word translated ‘encouragement’ is paraklésis. Depending on the context, this can mean encouragement, comfort and consolation. But also can be translated as exhortation or giving a warning.
Barnabas is an Aramaic name. Aramaic was the ‘language of Jesus’ and His disciples.
In Aramaic, ‘Bar’ translates as ‘Son of’ and ‘Nabas’ translates as ‘the prophets’. So in Aramaic, his name means ‘son of the prophets’.
This fits in with paraklésis, as a prophet’s role includes encouraging as well as giving warnings.
So this verse tells us Barnabas was not only of the tribe of Levi, but also from the line of the prophets.
Epistle of Barnabas
When the New Testament was eventually compiled, three books were left out. These were
1 Clement (written 97AD)
Shepherd of Hermes (written 2nd Century)
Epistle of Barnabas (written late 1st Century or early 2nd Century)
There are various reasons why the above books were not included in the Nee Testament. But in the case of the Epistle of Barnabas, it looks like St Barnabas did not write it. Evidence suggests it was written in Alexandria, possibly by someone else called Barnabas.
The Epistle discusses the symbolism of the law, delves into gematria (using the numerical value of words to hid deeper meaning, e.g. 666) and paraphrases and misquotes the Old Testament scriptures. This didn’t meet the high bar set for a book to be considered Scripture.
On a side note, one of the early Church fathers believed the Epistle to the Hebrews was written by Barnabas and not Paul.
Remembering St Barnabas
On this day, 11 June, the Church of England remembers St Barnabas. We recall how he supported Paul, journeyed with him and became a key member of the early Church.
In honour of St Barnabas, I will begin to unpack his story in this new series.
Part 2: Ananias and Sapphira
After we are introduced to Barnabas in Acts 4, we then meet Ananias and Sapphira. They are infamously known as the couple who tried to defraud God and the Apostles.
Because the way the chapters are structured, we may miss how the story of Ananias and Sapphira follows directly on from the previous chapter.
Originally, the books of the Bible were not written with chapters and verses, but as a continuous text. So to the early Christians, the stories of Ananias and Sapphira and Barnabas were linked.
One in Heart and Mind
Earlier in Acts 4, we see the early Church were ‘one in heart and mind’ and had all things in common. They shared everything they had.
There was a practice where some Christians who owned houses and land sold them and brought the money to the Apostles. It could then be redistributed to those in need.
Barnabas is mentioned as one who did this. He sold some land and gave the money to the Apostles.
Symbolically speaking, Barnabas (a Levite Jew) was acting as a priest, offering a gift to God. Luke, the writer of the Acts of the Apostles, seems to be showing how Christian should act. As a royal priesthood, Christians must act in the same manner when giving gifts to the God. Give in honesty, transparently and offering the gift freely.
What’s in a Name?
Ananias, or Hananiah (the Hebrew spelling), was a very common name amongst the Jews. We not only see a few Ananias mentioned in the New Testament, but many more in the Old Testament.
In the Book of Jeremiah (Ch 28), we see another Ananias. He was a false prophet who prophesied, lied and then died.
Another Ananias was one who ended up in the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel. This Ananias had his name changed to Shadrach in Daniel 1 v 7. Because Shadrach would not bow to the Golden Statue, he was thrown into a furnace. He resisted the temptation to compromise, God protected him through the test and he survived the flames.
I wonder whether Luke not only compared Barnabas to Ananias, but also to these other Ananias in the Old Testament.
Ananias lied and died like the false prophet in the Book of Jeremiah.
Ananias succumbed to temptation and died, while Shadrach survived his trial.
Unlike Barnabas, who made the right choice and held nothing back when gave all the money to the Apostles, Ananias and his wife allowed themselves to follow temptation and suffer the consequences of their sin.
Adam and Eve All Over Again
Another symbolic thread is the connection with Adam and Eve.
We are told that Satan tempted Ananias and his wife, and they kept some money back for themselves.
The Devil tempted Adam and Eve to eat the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve succumbed and through this, Adam brought death into the World by his actions.
Likewise, Ananias and Sapphira fell for the temptation, hid money from the Apostles and they died.
Adam and Eve were then covered in garments of skin and expelled from the Garden of Eden. The bodies of Ananias and Sapphira were covered in grave clothes and removed from the presence of the Apostles.
The garments of skin are associated with the coming of death. They are spiritual grave clothes, so to speak.
Maybe the shock from the community wasn’t just that the couple instantly died, but they also saw a connection to Adam and Eve.
Repeating Pattern
The pattern of Adam and Eve’s failure is repeated over and over throughout the Bible. When God sets up a new order, were it after the Flood, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai or the establishment of the early Church, corruption occurs soon after. Human failure and frailty is always with us, in this Age of Decay.
Part 3: On Meeting Saul
In Acts 9, Saul (the persecutor of the Church) was heading to Damascus to arrest Christians. While on the journey from Jerusalem, Saul encounters a vision of Jesus. This intense event left Saul blind for three days.
He is taken to Damascus. A Jew called Ananias (not the one who lied and died in Acts 5, that’s an interesting connection 🤔) meets him, prays for Saul’s sight to be restored and helps him regain his strength.
In the Epistle to the Galatians, we understand Saul then left Damascus and spent time in Arabia.
He returns and starts preaching. He antagonises the Jews in Damascus and flees, escaping by being lowered out of a window in a basket.
When he gets to Jersusalem, he tries to meet with the disciples, but all of them were too frightened to meet him, in case it was a trick. Barnabas finds Saul and brings him to see the Apostles.
Saul and Moses
In the story of Saul, there are several points which link his life with Moses.
Moses meets God in the Burning Bush and similarly, Saul meets Jesus in a blinding light. Their lives are both significantly changed by the encounter and it causes them to embark on a mission.
After Moses fights with the Egyptian guard, he runs away to Midian, in modern Saudi Arabia.
A contemporary map of the time, showed Arabia stretched from the Sinai Peninsula to Mesopotamia.
Reconstructed Pomponius Mela’s Map (AD 40)
Could Saul have journeyed to the area known as Midian (Northern Saudi Arabia today) in Moses’s time as well as going onto the Sinai?
Another surprisingly connection is when Saul returns to Damascus, he antagonises the Jews and needs to flee for his life. He is lowered in a basket from a window. This is reminiscent of Moses being placed in a basket amongst the reeds on the Nile to avoid being killed by Pharaoh’s men.
Moses is then discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter in the reeds, who gives him away to a Hebrew girl. She takes him back to his mother, who acts as a wet nurse for the baby.
In the case of Saul, he goes to Jerusalem and meets Barnabus, who takes him to see the Apostles. Barnabas acts like the Hebrew girl who takes Moses to the wet nurse. The Church and the Apostles act as the wet nurse, nourishing Paul.
Barnabas and Leadership
In Acts 4, we see Barnabas shows the early Church community how to give gifts to God.
In Acts 9, we see him exhibit leadership again. Barnabas shows the early Church how there is enough of God’s grace to embrace even the most reprehensible sinner who repents. And have the confidence to bring them into the community.
Even though some are called to leadership in the Church, all Christians are called to act like Barnabas and encourage friends, family and neighbours to join a community dedicated to Jesus.
Luke’s Narrative in Acts
Modern historical methods were developed in the 19th Century as part of the Enlightenment. Through this, much like other academic disciplines, the study of history was brought into the scientific worldview.
Ancient historians were different to their modern counterparts. They wrote to their contemporary audience to explain why and how the community came to exist. They were not trying to establish objective historical facts.
The crafted narrative was just as important as what objectively happened. The ancient writer would emphasise certain aspects of what occurred and then downplay or even omit other parts.
As we go further through Acts, Paul and Barnabas’s story seems to line up with that of Moses and Aaron.
Was Luke highlighting these aspects of Paul’s life to align him with Moses?
If so, Luke is revealing to the reader that Paul is a ‘Moses to the Gentiles’. And Barnabas, the Levite Jew, is like Aaron.
Admittedly, the events around Paul and Barnabas are not chronologically similar to Moses. But Luke seems to highlight these events on purpose. So a connection is most likely.
When we look back on Paul’s life and his writings, we see they are integral to the development of the Church. Much like how Moses was to the Israelites.
Part 4: With Saul on Cyprus
In my last post, I mentioned how parts of Saul’s story mirrors elements of the life of Moses and how Barnabas was similar to Aaron’s.
This symbolism continues on through Acts.
After Paul antagonises the Hellenistic Jews, he flees Jerusalem and goes to Tarsus. This is similar to Moses leaving Egypt after killing the Egyptian guard, while protecting the Hebrew slave.
After sometime, Barnabas, on hearing new converts have accepted Jesus in Antioch, he goes to find Paul in Tarsus. He brings him to Antioch to help build the local church.
In the story of the Exodus, we see Aaron is sent by God to get Moses and bring him to Egypt. This is echoed with Barnabas.
Exodus 4 v 27
The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
Saul and Barnabas go to Cyprus
After some time, Paul and Barnabas embark on their first missionary trip. They take John Mark, the writer of the Gospel, with them.
The first place their begin to preach is in Cyprus, Barnabas’s home island. They go straight to the local synagogues and then travel the whole island. It is likely that Barnabas, a Cypriot Jew, would have been known by the local synagogues.
Eventually, they come to Paphos and are summoned to meet the local Roman ruler, Sergius Paulus. He desires to hear the Gospel. In attendance with him, is a Jewish magician called Bar-Jesus. In the next verse, Luke refers to him as Elymas, the sorcerer.
It turns out that there is good archaeological evidence for Sergius Paulus and we can even chart is career.
Bar-Jesus, or ‘Son of the God who saves’, is clearly a false prophet, as only Jesus is the true Son of God. The definition of his other name, Elymas, is more complex to unpick.
Elymas does not appear to be a Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek name. The word has links to the Arabic word for ‘wise’, which might link to the word, sorcerer. But why would a Jew on Cyprus be named after an Arabic word.
My favourite theory is that ‘Elymas’ is a sarcastic phrase meaning, ‘If only he could!’. So this false prophet’s name would read, ‘Son of the god who saves, if only he could’.
Child of the Devil
Saul attacks Bar-Jesus, by accusing him of being a ‘Child of the Devil’ and full of deceit and trickery. He then prophesies that this false prophet will be blind for three days. Bar-Jesus instantly becomes blind.
This links to Moses’s story. Moses and Aaron meet with Pharoah and perform miracles in front of him. Pharaoh’s magicians copy the first two miracles, but are unable to replicate the others.
In Exodus 10, we see one of the miracles is darkness coming across the land for three days. This links in with the blindness of Bar-Jesus.
Also, whereas Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, Sergius Paulus was amazed by the apostle’s teaching.
Birth of a Goddess
Paphos was the birth place of Venus. In Roman culture, she was not only the goddess of love and fertility, but also victory.
We see in Exodus 12, how God explains the death of the first born was a judgement on the gods of Egypt.
Exodus 12 v 12
On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.
Was this place name mentioned by Luke to show God’s victory over the Roman gods?
The Victory of Salamis
Salamis was the place they first landed in Cyprus. Salamis was renowned in Greek history as the place where a great battle was fought and was the turning point of the war against the Persians. By mentioning they first landed at Salamis, Luke was announcing Christ’s victory. Educated Greek and Roman readers were probably more than aquatinted with the history of the 2nd Persian invasion of Greece and therefore would understand what Luke was intimating.
Saul to Paul
In this story, we see Saul addressed as Paul for the first time. There are several theories about why this happened. I personally believe that Saul was his Jewish name, but Paul was his Greco-Roman name. As Paul would now be engaging more with the Roman world, it would make more sense to use this name.
The Exodus and Acts Connection
We see the Exodus story is about how a new nation is born.
Equally, in Acts, God is making the Church in the same mould. Or as Peter describes it:
1 Peter 2 v 9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Part 5: Gods Amongst Men
After Cyprus, they travel north to Perga in Pamphylia. John Mark leaves them for Jerusalem, while Paul and Barnabas go on to Pisidian Antioch.
Perga was famous for its worship of Artemis. She was the goddess of the Moon, nature and the wilderness.
Pamphylia comes from the Greek word, pamphylos which literally means “of mingled tribes or races".
We see in Exodus 12, that a mixed multitude left Egypt with Moses and Aaron.
Exodus 12 v 38
A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.
By mentioning Perga and Pamphylia, Luke is indicating that after the events in Cyprus, where they performed miracles in front of the ruler, they moved to the ‘Wilderness’ (Perga) with the ‘mixed multitude’ (Palmphlya). This echoes the story of Moses, Aaron and the Children of Israel.
Pisidian Antioch
After Perga, the two head towards Pisidian Antioch.
There were many Antioches in the Empire. In Roman times, Pisidian was a fertile area which grew all kinds of fruit and vegetables.
In the Book of Numbers, 12 spies were sent into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, to scout out the area. But only only two came back with a good report.
After this the Children of Israel began to complain. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and gave a rallying cry to trust God by looking at what He had done for them in the past.
Paul and Barnabas followed the same pattern and lay out the history of Israel and use it to preach the Gospel.
Then the Jewish leaders stirred up trouble against them. This is similar to the rebellion of Korah later in the Book of Numbers. Where Korah rebelled by stirring up the community leaders against Moses and Aaron.
Iconium
The next town they visited was Iconium, which means the City of the Image or Icon.
There are two foundation myths associated with this town. From my perspective, the more interesting of the two is associated with the Gorgon, Medusa.
Medusa was a cursed women who had snakes for hair and whose gaze turned people to stone. Perseus cut off her head and used it as a weapon to conquer the region around Iconium.
The snake imagery associated with Iconium reminds me of the story of the Bronze Serpent near the end of the Book of Numbers. This is where snakes attack the camp, and only those Israelites who looked at the bronze serpent on the pole were saved.
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas preached and performed many signs and wonders. And as with the Israelites, ‘snakes came into the camp’. The local Jews poisoned the minds of the Gentiles and just as with the Israelites, the inhabitants of Iconium were split between those who looked to the Cross and accepted Christ and those who didn’t believe.
Lystra and Derbe
Paul and Barnabas fled for their lives and ended up in Lystra. They then heal a lame man and the locals say in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men”. The locals believed Paul to be Hermes and Barnabas to be Zeus.
The Lycaonian language probably meant that they sounded uneducated. Though Greek mythology says the first temple dedicated to the god Hermes was built by King Lycaon. Who Zeus then turned into a wolf.
The pagans then told the priest in the local temple to Zeus, who then arranged for a bull sacrifice.
Paul and Barnabas were upset.
This was probably the first time Paul and Barnabas had not begun a visit by meeting at the synagogue first. It is possible there was no Jewish meeting place in the area and this was the first time they had shared the Gospel directly with pagans. This may be the reason why Paul begins to preach about how God made all things and how He allowed creation to be a witness to all the nations.
Moses and Hermes
Throughout the story of Barnabas we see him and Paul link in with the events in the life of Moses and Aaron.
The connections are not always straightforward, but clearly something is going on. Whether Luke did this on purpose, whether Paul was mindful of it when retelling the stories of his trips or whether it the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I don’t know. But this next part is the strangest connection I’ve made.
Moses died looking over the Promised Land, on Mount Nebo. He never crossed over the River Jordan because when instructed by God to speak to a rock to produce a stream of water, he struck it twice with a staff.
Nebo, was an Assyrian/Babylonian god. His cult was popular in Egypt and known throughout the ancient world. Nebo was similar to the Roman God Mercury and the Greek God Hermes.
By connecting Paul with Hermes and by extension Nebo, Luke could be pointing to the death of Moses. After all, Paul is struck by stones and is presumed dead by the Lystrians. And Moses doesn’t reach the Promised Land because of the Stone he struck.
End of the First Mission
After Paul recovers, they go on to Derbe. This means ‘locked gate’. Therefore they can’t go further and must return the way they came. They turn round and revisit all the churches they had established on the trip and head back to Antioch in Syria.
Part 6: Council of Jerusalem
In 48 AD, a council of Christian leaders came together to discuss whether Gentile converts should be circumcised. This was a contentious issue. Jewish Christians from Judea journeyed to Antioch and we’re preaching that Gentile Christian men must be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to raise this with the Apostles and elders.
After much discussion, Peter stood up and said:
Acts 15 v 7-11
“Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
After this, Barnabas and Paul told them of all the signs and wonders they had seen amongst the Gentiles.
James spoke and quoted the prophet Amos.
Amos 9 v 11 - 12 (Septuagint version).
‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things, things known from long ago.’
James finished by saying the Gentiles should follow Noah’s Covenant with God.
This was agreed with the Council and a letter was sent to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia (an area of modern Southern Turkey).
God’s Covenant with Noah
The Mosiac Covenant was between God and the Children of Israel. The Abrahamic Covenant was between God and Abraham’s children, which included the Israelites, the Moabites and the Ishmaelites.
Only the Noachian Covenant (Gen 9) could be applied to all peoples as Noah was the father of all the nations.
By the time of Christ, the Noachian Covenant had developed to include the following elements:
Not to worship idols.
Not to curse God.
Not to commit murder.
Not to commit adultery or sexual immorality.
Not to steal.
Not to eat flesh turn from a living animal.
To establish courts of justice.
This Covenant was already applied to a group in 2nd Temple Judaism called the God-Fearers.
God-Fearers aligned themselves with the Hellenistic Jews, but did not want to be full converts. One of the main stumbling issues for Gentile men was circumcision. In the Greco-Roman world circumcision was seen as abhorrent.
By allowing the Gentile Christians to follow the Noachian rules, it opened the door for the God-Fearers to become full members of the religious community.
Circumcision and Water Baptism
This change in the importance of circumcision in the early Church meant water baptism came to fulfil a similar function.
Being circumcised meant a Jewish male became part of the community, and could then participate in its life.
Similarly with water baptism in the Church. It was a sign that showed a person participates in the life of the local church community.
Baptism developed out of Jewish washing rituals and by the 1st Century BC, it was used in a similar way to circumcision, but only for women. Jews did not practice female circumcision.
As circumcision only applied to males, for a woman to show she was part of the community, she would either have a circumcised father or marry a circumcised man.
With baptism replacing circumcision, women did not need a Christian husband to participate in the Church.
The role of baptism is more complex than I’ve intimated here, but I think the comparison with circumcision is interesting.
Gentiles in the Church
With the acceptance of the Gentiles into the Church, it reminds me of the mixed multitude joining the Children of Israel as they left Egypt.
In that case, the multitude were circumcised. And later in the Book of Numbers (Num 11), they caused dissent to occur amongst the Children of Israel.
In the New Testament, the Gentiles come into the Church. But instead of causing the Church to fall into dissent, it means the Good News could be carried to the ends of the Earth, on the lips of those previously excluded.
Part 7: End of the Journey
At the end of Acts 15, we see Barnabas and Paul part company. Paul wanted to return to Asia Minor to support the newly established churches. Barnabas wanted to bring Mark. Paul strongly disagreed and said it wasn’t wise to bring him as he deserted them in their first missionary trip.
Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus and Paul chose Silas to come with him.
Parting Ways
Barnabas and Paul had a disagreement about Mark. The text says the argument was ‘sharp’, which I assume means it was serious and both parties were upset.
The root of the Greek word here is used in secular texts to describe jabbing someone in order to provoke a strong emotional response. This was a painful falling out.
However, later in the Paul’s Epistles, we see him mention Barnabas. And in the Epistle to the Colossians, he even says Mark is with him. This likely means the relationship between them all had repaired.
Even today, in church communities, there can be some ‘sharp’ disagreements, but Paul and Barnabas show that when people fall out, it can be healed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Jacob and Easu
The story of Jacob and Easu reflects the right way in which to conduct a soured relationship between Christian ‘siblings’.
We see in Genesis 32, how Jacob is worried about meeting his brother. After all, he had swindled him out of his inheritance.
So he tries to make up with Esau by first sending his goods, servants and family across the river to meet Esau. He waits, remaining behind and cowering.
In this place of loneliness, Jacob meets God.
In the morning, Jacob makes his way across the river. Humbly, by himself, denuded of his trappings of wealth and status.
We then discover Esau’s response on seeing Jacob.
Genesis 33 v 4
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.
Esau had forgiven Jacob. Through humility and God’s love, any broken relationship can be restored.
The Unravelling
All things end. In fact, they in some sense, unravel.
The strands which brought something into being, over time can become disconnected and these individual strands fall apart.
This pattern of unraveling occurs throughout Scripture. Creation unravels between the Fall and the Flood. Israel unravels between the Conquest and the Exile. And Paul and Barnabas’s relationship unravels between Paul’s conversion, the first missionary journey and their disagreement.
We see this pattern also, in the Book of Revelation. We see Creation itself unravel before our eyes. But the good news is that the unraveled strands mean God can make something new.
At the end of the Book of Revelation, God creates a New Heavens and a New Earth.
Think about our own lives. Can we see instances where God unraveled us and from the isolated strands made something new?
For Christians, when a relationship unravels, maybe due to disagreements, misunderstandings or even death, God can use that situation to create something new.
All we need to do is trust Him, pay attention to what He is doing and then participate.
In the case of Paul and Barnabas, even though they left each other on bad terms, this meant two groups of missionaries were then spreading the gospel, not just one. Maybe the disagreement was part of God’s overall plan.
Final Words
In this series on Barnabas, we see a devoted disciple. A man of generous spirit, who reached out to Saul, the persecutor.
A missionary who was unafraid to preach Christ in an alien pagan world. A faithful and loyal friend. A courageous Christian. An encourager of the brethren. And fearless in the face of persecution.
Definitely someone for us to emulate.