De sancto Barnaba apostolo
The Meaning of Barnabas
The name Barnabas is interpreted through his apostolic virtues and his ordered interior life.
Barnabas is interpreted. as the daughter of the one coming, or the son of consolation, or the son of the prophet, or the son of the one concluding. The term 'son' is used in four ways, corresponding to the four modes of his sonship; for in Scripture he is called a son by reason of generation, instruction, imitation, and adoption. He was regenerated by Christ through baptism, instructed through the Gospel, imitated Him through martyrdom, and was adopted by Him through the heavenly reward. This applies to himself; as for others, he was one who arrives, consoles, prophesies, and concludes. He arrives by traveling and preaching everywhere, which is clear since he was a companion of Paul; he consoles the poor and the desolate—the poor to whom he brought alms, and the desolate to whom he sent a letter on behalf of the apostles; he prophesies, because he shone with the spirit of prophecy; he concludes, because he brought a great multitude into the faith and united them, as is clear when he was sent to Antioch. Regarding these four, Acts 11 says: he was a man—that is, a virile man—regarding the first; good, regarding the second; full of the Holy Spirit, regarding the third; and faithful, regarding the fourth. John compiled his passion, along with Mark, his cousin, and especially from the vision of John himself almost to the end, which Bede is believed to have translated from Greek into Latin. Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus by birth and one of the 62 disciples of the Lord, is praised and exalted in many ways by the history of the Acts; for he was excellently informed and ordered, and this in relation to himself, to God, and to his neighbor. Regarding himself, he was ordered according to three powers: the rational, the concupiscible, and the irascible. For he had a rational power illuminated by the light of knowledge, whence it is said in Acts.
A Life Ordered in God
Barnabas demonstrates holiness through his detachment from worldly goods, his obedience to God, and his pastoral care for his neighbor.
Acts 13: There were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch, among whom were Barnabas and Simon, etc. Second, he possessed a desire purified from the dust of worldly attachment, as mentioned in Acts. Acts 4: When Joseph, nicknamed Barnabas, had a field, he sold it, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Regarding this, the Gloss says: he proves that what one avoids touching must be cast aside, and he teaches that gold, which he places beneath the apostles' feet, is to be trampled upon. Third, he possessed a spirited nature, strengthened by the magnitude of his integrity; this was shown by his courageously undertaking difficult tasks, persevering in strong deeds, or constantly enduring adversity. He courageously undertook difficult tasks, as is clear from the fact that he accepted the great city of Antioch for conversion, as is also clear in Acts. Acts 9: Because when Paul had come to Jerusalem after his conversion and wanted to join the disciples, and everyone was fleeing from him as a lamb flees from a wolf, Barnabas boldly took hold of him and led him to the apostles. He perseveringly performed strong deeds, because he mortified his body and afflicted it with fasts, as mentioned in Acts. Acts 13, concerning Barnabas and certain others: as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, and so on. He constantly endured adversity, just as the apostles bear witness to him, saying: 'with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have surrendered their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Secondly, he was well-ordered in relation to God, deferring to God's authority, majesty, and goodness. Regarding authority: this is clear from the fact that he didn't usurp the office of preaching for himself, but wanted to receive it from God's authority, as is recorded in the Acts. In chapter 13, the Holy Spirit said: 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.' Secondly, regarding God's majesty, as is recorded in the Acts. In chapter 14, when some people wanted to attribute divine majesty to them and offer sacrifices to them as if they were gods—calling him Jupiter, as the elder, and Paul Mercury, as the prudent and eloquent one—Barnabas and Paul immediately tore their clothes and cried out: 'Men, what are you doing?' 'We are mortals just like you, announcing to you that you should turn from these vain gods to the living God.' Thirdly, regarding God's goodness, as is recorded in the Acts. In Acts 15, when certain converts from among the Jews wanted to restrict and diminish the goodness of God’s grace—by which we are saved freely and not by the law—asserting that this could not possibly suffice without circumcision, Paul and Barnabas stood against them manfully and showed that the goodness of God’s grace alone, without the law, is enough; furthermore, they brought the question to the apostles and obtained the apostles' letters against their error. Third, he was perfectly ordered in his relationship with his neighbor, because he fed his flock with the word, with kindness, and with his own example. Regarding the word: he preached the word of God with great care, as it says in Acts. Acts 15: Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord along with many others. This is also evident from the great multitude he converted in Antioch, so much so that it was there the disciples were first called Christians. Second, by his example, because his life was a mirror of holiness and a model of religious life for everyone. In every work he was manly, religious, and energetic; he was distinguished by the goodness of his character, full of every grace of the Holy Spirit, and outstanding in every virtue and in faith. Concerning these four things, it is written in Acts.
Mercy and Apostolic Discernment
Barnabas exemplifies the balance between the sweetness of mercy and the rectitude of zeal in his ministry and relationships.
15: They sent Barnabas to Antioch, and it follows: he encouraged everyone to remain in the Lord with a resolute heart, because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith; third, through his kindness, and this in two ways. For there is a twofold kindness or almsgiving: namely, the temporal, which consists in providing for necessities, and the spiritual, which consists in the forgiveness of offenses. Blessed Barnabas performed the first when he brought alms to the brothers in Jerusalem. As it says in Acts: When a great famine occurred under Claudius, just as Agabus had prophesied, the disciples decided, each according to his means, to send help to the brothers living in Judea; and they did this by sending it to the elders through the hands of Barnabas and Paul. He performed the second because he forgave the offense of John, who was called Mark: for when the aforementioned disciple had left Barnabas and Paul, Barnabas nevertheless showed him mercy when he returned and repented, and took him back as a disciple, whereas Paul refused to take him back as a disciple, and for that reason a separation occurred between them. Both acted from a pious cause and intention; Barnabas took him back out of the sweetness of mercy, while Paul refused to take him back out of the rectitude of zeal. As the Gloss says there in Acts. Because he had stood there in such a state of excessive fear, Paul rightly cast him off, lest the strength of others be corrupted by his contagion, as it were. That separation, however, didn't happen out of a surge of vice, but by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, so that they might be separated from one another and preach to more people, just as it happened afterward. For while Barnabas was in the city of Iconium with his cousin John, a man appeared who was splendid in appearance, saying, 'John, be constant, for from now on you won't be called John, but the Exalted.' When he reported this to Barnabas, he replied, 'Be careful not to reveal to anyone what you have seen; for the Lord also appeared to me in the same way this night, saying: "Be constant, Barnabas, for you will receive eternal rewards, because you left your own people and gave your soul for my name."' When Paul and Barnabas had preached for a long time in Antioch, an angel of the Lord also appeared to Paul, saying, 'Hasten to Jerusalem, for a certain brother is waiting for your arrival there.' When Barnabas wanted to go to Cyprus to visit his relatives, and Paul wanted to hurry to Jerusalem, they parted from one another as the Holy Spirit prompted them. However, when Paul told Barnabas what the angel had said, Barnabas replied, 'May the Lord's will be done; now I am going to Cyprus, and finishing my life there, I will not see you again.' And when he was weeping and humbly prostrating himself at his feet, Paul, feeling compassion for him, said: 'Do not weep, for this is the Lord's will; for the Lord also appeared to me this night, saying: "Do not prevent Barnabas from going to Cyprus, for he will enlighten many there and will complete his martyrdom."' Barnabas, therefore, setting out for Cyprus with John, carried the Gospel of Saint Matthew with him and, placing it upon the sick, healed many by the power of God.
The Martyrdom and Legacy
Barnabas concludes his earthly mission through martyrdom in Salamis, followed by the discovery of his relics.
After leaving Cyprus, they ran into Elymas the sorcerer, whom Paul had temporarily blinded; he opposed them and tried to keep them from entering Paphos. One day, Barnabas saw men and women running around naked, celebrating their festivals in that way; indignant, he cursed the temple, and suddenly a part of it collapsed, crushing many people. Eventually he arrived in Salamis, where that same sorcerer stirred up significant trouble against him; the Jews seized Barnabas, subjected him to many injuries, and hurried to hand him over to the city judge for punishment. However, when they learned that Eusebius, a great and powerful man of Nero's lineage, had arrived there, the Jews feared he might rescue Barnabas from their hands and let him go free; so, they tied a rope around his neck, dragged him outside the gate, and immediately burned him to death. Finally, still not satisfied, the wicked Jews enclosed his bones in a leaden vessel, intending to cast them into the sea; but his disciple John, rising up by night with two others, snatched them away and secretly buried them in a crypt, where, as Sigbertus says, they remained hidden until the times of the Emperor Zeno and Pope Gelasius, and until the year of our Lord 500, when they were discovered through his own revelation. The blessed Dorotheus says that Barnabas first preached Christ in Rome and was made Bishop of Milan.
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Barnabas interpretatur. filias venientis vel filius consolationis aut filius prophetae aut filius concludens. Quatuor vicibus ponitur filius propter quatuor modos filiationis ipsius ; dicitur enim filius in scriptura ratione generationis, eruditionis, imitationis et adoptationis, fuit enim a Christo regeneratus per baptismum, eruditus per evangelium, est ipsum imitatus per martirium et ab ipso adoptatus per coeleste praemium, et hoc quantum ad se, quantum vero ad alios, fuit adveniens, consolans, prophetans et concludens. Adveniens discurrendo et praedicando ubique: quod patet, quia fuit socius Pauli; consolans pauperes et desolatos: pauperes, quibus elemosinam detulit, desolatos, quibus ex parte apostolorum epistolam destinavit; prophetans, quia prophetiae spiritu claruit; concludens, quia magnam multitudinem in fide conclusit et adunavit, sicut patet, cum missus fuit in Antiochiam. De his quatuor Act, XI: erat vir, id est virilis, quantum ad primum, bonus quantam ad secundum, plenus spiritu sancto quantum ad tertium, et fidelis quantum ad quartum. Ejus passionem compilavit Johannes, qui et Marcus ejus consobrinus, et maxime a visione ipsius Johannis usque fere in finem, quam Beda de Graeco in latinum creditur transtulisse, Barnabas levites Cyprius genere, unus de LXII discipulis do mini ab hystoria actuum in multis extollitur et laudatur: fuit namque optime informatus et ordinatus et hoc quantum ad se et quantum ad Deum et quantum ad proximum. Quantum ad se ordinatus exstitit secundum tres vires, secundum rationabilem, oncupiscibibilem et irascibilem. Habuit namque rationabilem illustratam lumine cognitionis, unde dicitur Act.
XIII: erant autem in ecclesia, quae erat Antiochiae, prophetae et doctores, in quibus Barnabas et Symon etc. Secundo habuit concupiscibilem, purgatam a pulvere mundanae affectionis, unde dicitur Act. IV, quod Joseph, qui cognomimatus est Barnabas, cum haberet agrum, vendidit illum et attulit pretium et posuit ad pedes apostolorum, ubi dicit Glossa: destituendum probat, quod tangere devitat, et docet caleandum esse aurum, quod subdit gressibus apostolorum. Tertio habuit irascibilem, roboratam magnitudine probitatis et hoc velut viriliter aggredíendo ardua vel perseveranter agendo fortia, vel constanter sustinendo adversa. Viriliter aggrediendo ardua, sicut patet in hoc, quod illum maximam Antiochiam ad convertendum accepit, sicut eliam patet Act. IX, quia cum post conversionem Paulus Hierosolymam venisset et discipulis se jungere vellet et omnes eum tam quam lupum agni fugerent, Barnabas ipsum audacter apprehendit et ad apostolos duxit. Perseveranter operando fortia, quia corpus suum maceravit et jejuniis afflixit, unde dicitur Act. XIII de Barnaba et quibusdam aliis: ministrantibus autem illis domino et jejunan- tibus etc.
Constanter sufferendo adversa, sicut apostoli perhibent ei testimonium dicentes: cum carissimis nostris Barnaba et Paulo hominibus, qui tradiderunt animas snas pro nomine domini nostri Jesu Christi. Secundo fuit ordinatus quantum ad Deum deferendo Dei auctoritati, majestati et bonitati. Auctoritati, quod patet ex hoc, quod officium praedicationis sibi non usurpavit, sed hoc ex auctoritate Dei accipere voluit, sicut habetur Act. XIII: dixit spiritus sanctus, segregate mihi Barnabam et Paulum in opus, ad quod assumsi eos. Secundo Dei majestati, cum enim, nt sic habetur Act. XIII, majestatem divinam sibi quidam vellent attribuere et ei tamquam Deo hostias immolare, vocantes eum Jovem tamquam priorem et Paulum Mercurium , tamquam prudentem et eloquentem, continuo Barnabas et Paulus conscissis tunicis clamaverunt: viri, quid facitis? Et nos mortales sumus similes vobis, annuntiantes vobis ab his vanis Diis converti ad Deum vivum. Tertio Dei bonitate, Nam sicut habetur Act.
XV, cum bonitatem gratiae Dei, qua gratis et non ex lege sumus salvati, quidam conversi de Judaeis artare et deminuere vellent, asserentes hoc sine circumcisione nequaquam sufficere, Paulus et Barnabas contra eos viriliter restiterunt et solam bonitatem gratiae Dei sine lege sufficere ostenderunt; insuper et quaestionem ad apostolos detulerunt et contra illorum errorem apostolorum epistolas impetraverunt. Tertio fuit optime ordinatus quantum ad proximum, quia gregem suum pavit verbo, beneficio et exemplo. Verbo, quia verbum Dei sollicite evangelizavit, unde dicitur Act. XV: Paulus et Barnabas demorabantur Antiochiae docentes et evangelizantes cum aliis pluribus verbum dominl. Hoc etiam patet per illam maximam multitudinem, quam Antiochiae convertit, adeo ut ibi primo vocarentur discipuli christiani. Secundo exemplo, quia vita sua fuit omnibus speculum sanctitatis et exemplum religionis. Fuit enim in omni opere- suo virilis et religiosus et strenuus, omnium morum bonitate conspicuus, omni gratia spirifüs sancti plenus et omni virtute et fide praeclarus. De his quatuor habetur Act.
XV: miserunt Barnabam Antiochiam, et sequitur: hortabatur omnes proposito cordis permanere in domino, quia erat vir bonus, plenus spiritu sancto et fide, Tertio beneficio et hoc dupliciter. Est enim duplex beneficium sive elemosina, scilicet temporalis, quae consistit in necessariorum subministratione, et spiritualis, quae consistit in offensae dimissione. Primam habuit beatus Barnabas, quando elemosinam fratribus, qui erant in Jerusalem, detulit. Nam sicut dicitur Act. XI: cum facta esset fames maxima sub Claudio secundum quod prophetizaverat Agabus, discipuli, pront quisque habebat, proposuerunt in ministerium mittere habitantibus in Judaea fratribus: quod et fecerunt mittentes ad seniores per manus Barnabae et Pauli. Secundam, quia Johanni, qui cognominabatur Marcus, offensam dimisit: cum enim praedictus discipulus Barnabam et Paulum reliquisset, redeunti tamen et poenitenti Barnabas indulsit et iterum in discipulum resumpsit, Paulus autem ipsum iterum assumere in discipulum renuit et ideo inter eos separatio facta fuit. Uterque enim ex pia causa et intentione fecit, nam quod Barnabas ipsum assumpsit, hoc fecit ex dulcedine misericordiae, quod autem Paulus ipsum assumere noluit, hoc fecit ex fervoris rectitudine. Nam sicut ibidem dicit Glossa Act.
XV: quoniam in frontis facie se constituens nimis trepidus steterat,- merito ipsum Paulus abjecit, ne illius quasi contagione vires aliorum corrunperentur. llla autem separatio non est facta ex commotione vitii, sed ex instinctu spiritus sancti, ut scilicet ab invicem separarentur et pluribus praedicarent, sicnt et postmodum factum est. Nam cum esset Barnabas in Yconio civitate, praedicto Johanne ejus consobrino, vir quidam splendidus in visu apparuit dicens: Johannes constans esto, quia amodo non Johannes, sed excelsus vocaberis. Quod cum ille Barnabae retulisset, respondit ei: cave diligenter, ne cuiquam, quod vidisti, reveles: nam et mihi similiter dominus hac nocte apparuit dicens: constans esto, Barnaba, quia aeterna praemia percipies, eo quod gentem tuam reliquisti et animam tuam pro nomine meo tradidisti. Cum ergo Paulus et Barnabas diu in Antiochia praedicassent, angelus quoque domini Paulo apparuit dicens: festina venire Jerusalem, quia quidam frater adventum tuum praestolatur ibidem. Cum ergo Barnabas Cyprum vellet pergere et parentes suos invisere, Paulus autem Jerusalem properare vellet, sancto sic instigante spiritu ab invicem discesserunt, Verum cum Paulus Barnabae, quod sibi dixerat augelus, indicasset, respondit Barnabas: fiat voluntas domini, nunc autem Cyprum vado et ibidem vitam finiens te amplius non videbo. Et cum flens ejus pedibus se humiliter volutaret, compatiens ei Paulus dixit: noli flere, quia sic domini est voluntas nam et mihi dominus in hac nocte apparuit dicens: ne prohibeas Barnabam ire Cyprum, quia multos ibidem illuminabit et martirium consummabit. Pergens igitur Barnabas Cyprum cum Johanne evangelium sancti Matthaei secum detulit et super infirmos ponens multos Dei virtute sanavit.
Cum autem de Cypro exiissent, invenerunt Elymam magum, quem Paulus lumine oculorum ad tempus privaverat; qui iis restitit et Paphum intrare prohibuit. Die igitur quadam vidit Barnabas homines et mulieres nudas currentes et sic sua festa agentes, unde indignatus templo maledixit et subito pars ejus corruens multos oppressit. Tandem Salaminam devenit et ibidem contra eum praedictus magus seditionem non modicam excitavit, comprehendentes igitur Judaei Barnabam multis affectum injuriis trahebant et judici civitatis puniendum tradere festinabant. Comperto autem, quod Eusebius vir magnus et potens de genere Neronis illuc advenisset, timuerunt Judaei, ne ipsum de manibus eorum eriperet et sic liberum abire permitteret, ligantes igitur funem in collo ejus extra portam eum traxerunt et ibidem eum protinus combusserunt. Denique nec sic impii Judaei satiati ossa ejus in quodam vase plumbeo recluserunt in mare eadem praecipitare volentes, Johannes autem discipulus ejus cum duobus aliis de nocte consurgens ea rapuit et in quadam crypta occulte sepelivit, quae ibidem, ut ait Sigbertus, usque ad tempora Zenonis imperatoris et Gelasii papae et usque ad annum domini D latuerunt, sed tunc ipso revelante reperta fuerunt. Beatus autem Dorotheus sic ait: Barnabas in Roma Christum primum praedicavit, episcopus Mediolani factus,
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