BARNABAS, the surname given by the apostles (Acts iv. 36, possibly in distinction from Joseph Barsabbas, Acts i. 23) to Joseph, "a Levite, a man of Cyprus by birth," who, though not of the Twelve, came to rank as an apostle (Acts xiv. 4, 14, I Cor. ix. 6; see APOSTLE). The Greek rendering of this Semitic sobriquet means "son of consolation" (A.V.) or "son of exhorta tion" (R.V.), the latter best suiting his "prophetic" or inspired manner of speaking (Acts xiii. I) . Its etymology is not yet cleared up. But it seems best to assume some Aramaic form equivalent to the Greek. That Barnabas's "exhortation" was of the inspirit ing and cheering kind, and so "built up" faith (cf. Acts ix. 31, xv. 32, I Cor. xiv. 3, Phil. ii. I), is most probable (see Acts xi. 22 seq.) . His power lay in a loving heart ("a good man," xi. 24), with divinely sympathetic insight into persons (ix. 27) and true religion (xi. 23 seq.). His generous nature took effect also in meeting the bodily needs of his fellows (iv. 36 seq.).
Yet we must beware of regarding Barnabas merely as a fine character; he plays too big a part in the early Church for any such limitation. Only a man of insight and authority would have been sent by the Jerusalem Church to inspect and judge of the new departure at Antioch (Acts xi. 22), where momentous issues were involved. Ere long he called in the aid of his friend Saul to cope with the new and expanding situation (25 seq.) . Next, after their joint visit or visits to Judaea and Jerusalem (Gal. ii. I seq.; Acts xi. 30, xii. 25) (see PAUL), we get a glimpse of him as still chief among the "prophets and teachers" of the Antiochene Church, and as called by the Spirit, along with Saul, to initiate a yet wider mission of the Gospel, in regions beyond Syria (xiii. 1-3) . He led the way to his native Cyprus; but in the struggle with the magician, Bar-Jesus (xiii. 7 seq.), Saul came so decisively to the front, that henceforth he takes the lead (see xiii. 13, "Paul and his company," and note the turning back of Mark, the kins man of Barnabas). Barnabas's vacillation at Antioch (Gal. ii.
II seq., whether it preceded or followed the mission in Acts xiii. xiv.), shows that, while gifted with true intuitions, he was less strong in thinking out his position to all its issues on principle. But what he did see with full conviction, he was staunch in up holding; witness his support of Gentile freedom from the obliga tion of circumcision at the Jerusalem conference (Acts xv.).
When Barnabas sails away with Mark to resume work in Cyprus, the mists of history close about him. Only now and again do we catch fugitive glimpses of him and his work (I Cor. ix. 6, Col. iv. Io). Tradition, which early regards him as one of the Seventy (Clem. Alex.), carries him, plausibly enough, to Alex andria (Clem. Hom. i. 8, ii. 4; cf. the ascription to him of the Alexandrine Epistle of Barnabas), and even to Rome (Actus Petri Vercell. c. 4, Clem. Recog. 7, cf. Hom. i. 7) not to say Milan. The date of his death is uncertain, but probably fell before Acts was written (C. A.D. 75-80).
See W. Cunningham, Epistle of Barnabas, pp. xlvii.—lxii.; O. Brauns berger, Der Apostel Barnabas, sein Leben . . . (Mainz, 1876) ; articles s.v. in Ency. Biblica and Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible.
(J. V. B.)