Barnabas

An apostle (Acts 14:14) and colleague of Paul on his first missionary journey. He was a Levite from Cyprus, who having sold his property, gave all his money to the apostles. Barnabas was his surname, and his original name was Joses or Joseph (Acts 4:36-37).

Barnabas persuaded the Jerusalem community to accept Paul. The apostles were suspicious of Paul and did not believe that he was a disciple. Barnabas declared that Paul had seen the Lord and that he had preached at Damascus in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:26-27). The Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to Antioch to assist the rapidly growing group of believers (Acts 11:22ff) and he brought Paul from Tarsus to Antioch (Acts 11:25). The community in Antioch supported the Jerusalem church financially and gave their contribution to Barnabas and Paul (Acts 11:29-30), who took it to Jerusalem during the famine. On their return to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were selected to visit cities to preach the Gospel (Acts 13:1ff). They went from Antioch to Selecuia and Cyprus, preaching in the synagogues (Acts 13:4-6). In Antioch of Pisidia they taught in the Jewish community, until some of the Jews became envious of their success and they were expelled (Acts 13:14-50). After they returned to Antioch, a controversy broke out concerning the obligations of exilic Christians to undergo circumcision and Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to discuss the question with the council (Acts 15:1-2). On their journey, Barnabas refused to eat with the Gentiles (Gal 2:12) but at the Jerusalem discussion, Barnabas agreed that Jewish observances should not be imposed on Christians. When they returned to Antioch Paul prepared his second missionary journey but objected to taking Mark along on the grounds that he had already left them once on their first journey. As a result Paul and Barnabas separated, each going his own way. Paul chose Silas, while Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus (Acts 15:36-40).

Concordance
Acts 4:36; 9:27; 11:22,25, 30; 12:25; 13:1-2, 7, 43,46, 50; 14:12,14, 20; 15:2,12, 22, 25, 35-37, 39. I Cor 9:6. Gal 2:1,9, 13. Col 4:10