Barnabas (961 words) Essay Example For Students

Barnabas (961 words) Essay BarnabasBarnabas was a native of the island of Cyprus. His birthplace makes hima Jew of the Diaspora, the dispersion of Jews outside Palestine or modern Israel. He was originally named Joseph but the apostles called him Barnabas, he probablyacquired this name because of his ability as a preacher. The name Barnabas wasunderstood by Luke to mean Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36). Barnabas was anapostle of the secondary group, companion of Paul on his mission to Cyprus andthe Pisidian mainland. Barnabas first appears in Lukes account of communal living in theJerusalem church, as a man of some means who gave to the church the proceedsfrom the sale of a piece land, Barnabas sold a field he owned and brought themoney and put it at the apostles feet (Acts 4:36-37). We will write a custom essay on Barnabas (961 words) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now After the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:54-8:1, the church was persecutedand scattered, On that day a great persecution broke out against the church atJerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea andSamaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began todestroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women andput them in prison Acts 8:1-3. In Acts 9:26-27, Saul tries to join thedisciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was adisciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told themhow Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him,and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. Barnabasthus belongs to the company of first converts in Jerusalem who were won by theapostolic preaching, if not by Jesus himself. Though not a native, Barnabas had the confidence of the apostles. Laterhe was sent to join the company of workers at Antioch, to preach to Jews,Hellenists, and Greeks (Acts 11:19-22). As the work of the Antioch churchexpanded and more workers were needed, Barnabas went over to Tarsus and broughtback with him Saul. It seems that Barnabas was the leader of the Antioch church,and the order which Luke gives, Barnabas and Saul, indicates the pre-eminence. It was Barnabas and Saul who carried relief funds from Antioch to the famine-stricken Jerusalem (Acts 11:30). Barnabas was commissioned by the Antioch church,along with Saul and John Mark, to undertake the missionary journey which ledthem to Cyprus and later to the provinces of the mainland. While on the islandof Cyprus, two major changes occur, Saul is now called Paul and the leadershiprole changes from Barnabas to Paul (Acts 13:9). Once on the mainland the groupwould be referred to as Paul and his company (Acts 13:13). In Lystra there wasa wave of enthusiasm on the part of the natives, and Barnabas was given thetitle Zeus, while Paul was only Hermes the spokesman (Acts 14:12). Thereason for the fanfare in honor of Barnabas and Paul was occasioned by anancient legend that told of a supposed visit to the same general area by Zeusand Hermes. They were, however, not recognized by anyone except an old couple. So the people of Lystra were determined not to allow such an oversight to happenagain. Leadership again changes back to Barnabas after the stoning of Paul inLystra and he and Barnabas left for Derbe (Acts 14:19-20). Lukes account ofthe conference at Jerusalem (Acts 15) again places Barnabas at the front,indicating that Barnabas was in better standing than Paul in Jerusalem. .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 , .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .postImageUrl , .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 , .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:hover , .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:visited , .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:active { border:0!important; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:active , .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8 .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u13c838d599671d6cdec382877d8c35d8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream EssayBarnabas and Paul made the report in the conference relating to the work whichhad been done among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12). The document which was sent bythe conference recommending Barnabas and Paul to the Syrian and Cilicianchurches again shows Lukes knowledge of the relative standing of the two men inJerusalem. The separation of Barnabas from Paul and their divergent missionaryactivity began in Antioch after the Jerusalem conference. The issue which Lukegives was the taking of John Mark on another journey (Acts 15:36). John Marksdefection at Cyprus (Acts 13:13) seemed to Paul to be sufficient grounds fordropping him from the party. Barnabas was extremely devoted to John Mark becausethey were cousins (Col 4:10), and leaving Paul, Barnabas took John Mark on aseparate mission again to Cyprus. Lukes cryptic words sailed away to Cyprus(Acts 15:39) are his farewell to Barnabas. The testimony of the later church gives Barnabas a role as writer. Tertullian assigned to him the authorship of the Letter to the Hebrews. BothClement of Alexandria and Origen gave him credit for the epistle which bears hisname and they gave it canonical standing because they rated its author as anapostle. However, the nature of both Hebrews and the Epistle of Barnabas is hardto reconcile with the conservative tendencies of Barnabas as indicated inGalatians, and the identification of Barnabas with Jerusalem in the book of Acts. Moreover, the Epistle of Barnabas seems to be dated A.D. 130 on internalevidence, and too late for our Barnabas. An exact date for the death of Barnabas was not found, Luke ends thebook of Acts around A.D. 67 so Barnabas must have died sometime after this. However, Barnabas died by martyrdom in Cyprus. Scriptures from the Holy Bible, The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962) 356. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, The NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids:Zondervan Publishing House, 1995) 1654. Scriptures from the Holy Bible, The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962) 356. BibliographyScriptures taken from the Holy Bible, The NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids:Zondervan Publishing House, 1995) 1654. Scriptures from the Holy Bible, The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962) 356. Religion Essays