Barnabas

Barnabas was an early Christian mentioned in the New Testament. According to Acts 4:36, his original name was Joseph (although the Majority Text calls him Joses, the Aramaic version of Joseph), and he was surnamed by the apostles (in Aramaic) Barnebhuah, which is explained by the Greek huios parakleseos ("son of exhortation," not "of consolation," see Acts 11:23) and denotes a prophet in the primitive Christian sense of the word (see Acts 13:1; 15:32). His feast day is June 11.

Related Topics:
New Testament - Acts - Majority Text - Aramaic - Apostle - June 11

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Another theory is that the name "Barnabas" comes from the Aramaic Bar - son of, and Nabas - Prophet, implying that Barnabas, or the Son of the Prophet was either Jesus' son or was another reference to Jesus himself.

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In many English translations of the Bible, including the New International Version (NIV), King James Version (KJV), and New American Standard Bible (NASB), Barnabas is called an apostle. In Acts 14:14 of these translations, he is listed ahead of Paul, "Barnabas and Paul," instead of "Paul and Barnabas;" both men being described as apostles. Whether Barnabas was an apostle was debated in the Middle Ages.

Related Topics:
New International Version - King James Version - New American Standard Bible

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