The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Barnabas

The Lives of the Saints 42 Barnabas June 11 Before the Crucifixion, Barnabas was already numbered among the disciples of Christ. He hailed from Cyprus, a Jew of the Diaspora like Saint Paul, which might explain why he lent his support to the convert of Damascus while some apostles were still suspicious of him. Together they secured the decision that exempted converts from circumcision and the dietary prohibitions of Mosaic Law. It was with Saint Paul that he began to preach—at first in Asia Minor, and later in his own native island. Barnabas brought along the Gospel of Matthew, which he would use to heal the sick by touching it to their foreheads. On the other hand, Barnabas had no sympathy for those who obstinately clung to their pagan ways. According to The Golden Legend, one day Barnabas came upon a gathering of nude men and women in procession, celebrating the cult of their idols. So indignant was he at the sight that part of the pagan temple collapsed, “crushing a great many infidels. Barnabas spent the rest of his life evangelizing Cyprus, meeting with more hostility from the Jews of the Diaspora than from the pagan population. In Salamina, a town in the eastern coast of the island, he suffered his martyrdom, not by decision of the Roman power, but by action of the Jewish orthodox community that hastened to have him burned to death before the Roman authorities might free him. Paolo Veronese (alias, Paolo Caliari) (1528–1588) Saint Barnabas Curing the Sick Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen ...