St Peter’s Anglican Church

St Barnabas the Apostle - June 11

Barnabas is one of the most significant members of the early church outside the Twelve. He is regarded as the founder of the church on Cyprus.

Our information about him comes mainly from the Acts of the Apostles, with some further details from Paul’s letters. Luke tells us how in the early church in Jerusalem everything was held in common, and adds that Barnabas sold an estate and gave the proceeds to the church (Acts 4:36-37).

Barnabas was a Cypriot and a Levite. Like Paul, he was a Jew from the Hellenistic world, not Palestine.

Barnabas was warmly accepted by the church in Jerusalem and vouched for Paul to them when the latter joined the church (Acts 9:27). Further evidence of Barnabas’s good standing can be seen in the fact that he was able to stay on in Jerusalem when many of the Greek-speaking Christians were scattered (Acts 8:1). Read more...