Who Was Barnabas?

A New Testament missionary who traveled with the apostle Paul, Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus. Although people called him Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement" in Hebrew, his real name was Joseph. He was generous and faithful, loved others, and greatly encouraged everyone - especially Paul.

When we first meet Barnabas, we hear that he sold a field he owned, brought the money, and put it at the apostles' feet. [Acts 4:36-37]

When Saul, later called Paul, met Jesus Christ on the road as he was going to Damascus to persecute believers, the news reached Jerusalem. At first, however, the church there did not believe that Saul had truly been converted.

Barnabas told the disciples in Jerusalem how on his journey to Damascus Saul had seen the Lord, and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus Saul had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. Thus it was through Barnabas that Paul gained acceptance as a follower of Christ. [Acts 9:27]

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." The Christians there laid their hands on them and sent them off. [Acts 13:1-3] F The book of Acts documents that for years afterwards, "Paul and Barnabas" were a team and traveled everywhere together. However, halfway through the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas had a sharp dispute over the behavior of Barnabas's cousin, John Mark (who later wrote the gospel of Mark). They separated and journeyed by different ways, though later they reconciled. We have additional references to Barnabas in the epistles of Paul: 1 Corinthians 9:6, Galations 2, and Colossians 4:10.