TWP CIVP6C672)LIOS 2 Cor. viii. 19).
In Colos. iv. to, and Philemon, ver. 24, Paul men tions Mark as his fellow-labourer ; and at a still later period, 2 Tim. iv. II, he refers with strong approbation to his services, and requests Timothy to bring him to Rome ; but of Barnabas (his re lationship to Mark excepted) nothing is said. The most probable inference is, that he was already dead, and that Mark had subsequently associated himself with Paul. For the latter years of Bar nabas we have no better guides than the Ada et Passio Barnaba in a forgery in the name of John Mark, and, from the acquaintance it dis covers with the localities of Cyprus, probably written by a resident in that island ; and the legends of Alexander, a Cyprian monk, and of Theodore, commonly called Lector (that is, an avaypcoo-njs, or reader) of Constantinople : the two latter belong to the sixth century. According to Alexander, Barnabas, after taking leave of Paul, landed in Cyprus, passed through the whole island, converted numbers to the Christian faith, and at last arrived at Salamis, where he preached in the synagogue with great success. Thither he was fol lowed by some Jews from Syria (the author of the Acta names Barjesus as their leader), who stirred up the people against him. Bamabas, in anticipa tion of his approaching end, celebrated the Eucha rist with his brethren, and bade them farewell. He gave his nephew directions respecting his inter ment, and charged him to go after his decease to the Apostle Paul. He then entered the synagogue, and began as usual to preach Christ. But the Jews at once laid hands on him, shut him up till night, then dragged him forth, and, after stoning him, en deavoured to burn his mangled body. The corpse, however, resisted the action of the flames ; Mark secretly conveyed it to a cave about five stadia from the city ; he then joined Paul at Ephesus, and afterwards accompanied him to Rome. A violent persecution, consequent on the death of Barnabas, scattered the Christians at Salamis, so that a knowledge of the place of his interment was lost. This account agrees with that of the pseudo Mark, excepting that, according to the latter, the corpse was reduced to ashes. Under the emperor Zeno (A.D. 474-491), Alexander goes on to say, Peter Fullo, a noted Monophysite, became patri arch of Constantinople. He aimed at bringing the Cyprian church under his patriarchate, in which attempt he was supported by the emperor. When the bishop of Salamis, a very worthy man, but an indifferent debater (ParcrrOs St rpos at,:iXeEtY), was called upon to defend his rights publicly at Con stantinople, he was thrown into the greatest per plexity. But Barnabas took compassion on his fellow-countryman, appeared to him by night no less than three times, assured him of success, and told him where he might find his body, with a copy of Matthew's gospel lying upon it. The
bishop awoke, assembled the clergy and laity, and found the body as described. The sequel may be easily conjectured. Fullo was expelled from An tioch ; the independence of the Cyprian church acknowledged ; the manuscript of Matthew's gospel was deposited in the palace at Constantinople, and at Easter lessons were publicly read from it ; and by the emperor's command a church was erected on the spot where the corpse had been interred. These suspicious visions of Barnabas are termed by Dr. Cave, ' a mere addition to the story, designed only to serve a present turn, to gain credit to the cause, and advance it with the emperor.' Neither Alexander nor Theodore is very explicit respecting the copy of Matthew's gospel which was found with the corpse of Barnabas. The former represents Bamabas as saying to Anthemius, 4frei: ray aio' ua droacerag, Kai dary4XL0v iSo5xeipov i‘SAapov aro MaTeatotr—` There my whole body is deposited, and an autograph gospel which I received from Matthew.' Theodore says, (xov 6s 1 CT7)0017S Kara Mareaiov etlary1Xcov, at6-ypwOov rev Bapvdpa—' Having on his breast the Gospel according to Matthew, an autograph of Barnabas.' The pseudo Mark omits the latter circumstance. If we believe that, as Alexander reports, it was read at Constantinople, it must have been written not in Hebrew, but in Greek. The year when Barnabas died cannot be determined with cer tainty ; if his nephew joined Paul after that event, it must have taken place not later than A.D. 63 or 64. Chrysostom,' it has been asserted, ' speaks of Barnabas as alive in A. D. 63.' The exact state , ment is this : in his Eleventh Homily On the Epistle to the Colossians he remarks, on ch. iv. 10, ing whom ye received commandments, if he come unto you receive him'—lcrws imp& Bapvdpa ivroXas exaftov—` perhaps they received commands from Barnabas.' There is a vague tradition that Barnabas was the first bishop of the church at Milan, but it is so ill supported as scarcely to deserve notice. It is enough to say that the celebrated Ambrose (b.A. a d. 397) makes no allusion to Barnabas when speaking of the bishops who preceded himself (v. Hefele, Das Sendschreiben des Apostels Barna bar, PP. From the incident narrated in Acts xiv. 8-1z Chrysostom infers that the personal appearance of Barnabas was dignified and commanding. When the inhabitants of Lystra, on the cure of the impo tent man, imagined that the gods were come down to them in the likeness of men, they called Barna bas Zeus (their tutelar deity), and Paul, Hermes, because he was chief speaker : 4,to2 8oxii Kai art) 7-Cis 4tor peri2s dm= o Bapycipas (In Act.
Apart. Horn. xxx.)