Житие и страдание святого апостола Варнавы

The Holy Apostle Barnabas belongs to the ranks of the holy seventy apostles: his original name was Joseph, but then they began to call him Barnabas, as we will say about this in its place. He was born on the island of Cyprus 3836 from Jewish parents who came from a family of Levites; From his family of Levites came the ancient great prophets of God - Moses, Aaron and Samuel. The ancestors of Barnabas moved from Palestine to the island of Cyprus due to the wars that took place in Palestine. His parents were very rich and had their own village near Jerusalem, replete with gardens and various fruits and decorated with a large building, since here they had their home. For from the time when the holy prophet Isaiah wrote: “And they will build houses and live in them, for they will be a seed blessed by the Lord” (Is. 65:21-23), the Jews who lived in distant countries, not understanding the spiritual meaning of these words, tried to have their own houses in Jerusalem; for this reason, Barnabas’s parents also had their own house and their own village near Jerusalem. Having given birth to the one about whom our word is, they named him Joseph and raised him in book learning; when the boy came of age, they sent him to Jerusalem to the most famous teacher at that time, Gamaliel, so that he could teach Barnabas a more perfect understanding of the Jewish books and the entire law of God. Here Joseph had among his peers Saul, who was later named Paul; and they both studied under the same teacher Gamaliel, progressing in intelligence, understanding of books and in virtuous life. Joseph came to the Temple of Solomon every morning and evening and prayed here with zeal to God, spending the days of his youth in frequent fasting and great abstinence; Wanting to keep his virginity pure, he avoided meeting disorderly young men and in no case wanted to hear those words with which the young man’s mind could be darkened, but, carefully observing himself, he constantly studied the law of the Lord day and night. At that time, our Lord Jesus Christ, thirty years after His incarnation, having begun to reveal Himself to the world, came from Galilee; here He taught in the church, performed many glorious miracles; everyone marveled at Him; from all sides they flocked to Him in order to see His holy face and hear His Divine words, sweeter than honey and honeycomb. The young man Joseph also saw Him and, listening to the teachings coming from His most holy lips, was touched in his heart and greatly marveled at the miracles that He performed; Having seen how He healed the paralytic at the Sheep's font (John 5:1-15) with His word, having also seen many other wondrous deeds of Christ, Joseph was inflamed with heartfelt love for the Lord and, approaching Him, fell prostrate at His feet; at the same time, Joseph asked the Lord to bless him and accept him as one of His disciples. The Lord, who peered into the secrets of human hearts, seeing that Joseph’s heart burned with Divine love, kindly blessed him and did not forbid him to follow Him. Joseph first of all hurried to the house of his aunt, named Mary, the mother of John, later called Mark, and said to her: “Come and look at Him whom our fathers longed to see; for a certain prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee teaches in the church and performs great miracles, so that many consider Him to be the long-awaited Messiah.” As soon as the woman heard this, she immediately left everything and hurriedly headed towards the church; Seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, she fell prostrate at His feet and said with prayer: “Lord! If I have found grace before You, enter into the house of Your servant, so that by Your entry you may bless all my household.” Seeing her faith, the Lord came to her house and blessed her and everyone who was in her house. The Lord was received by Mary with great honor and with much joy and reverence; from that time on, the Lord always went with His disciples to the house of Mary when he came to Jerusalem. When the Lord went back from Jerusalem to Galilee, Joseph followed Him along with the other disciples. And when the Lord wanted to send His apostles to preach “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6), He saw that there were few of them, which is why He said: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37); For this reason, the Lord also revealed to the world other seventy disciples, whom he sent two before his face to every city and village (Luke 10:1). Among these seventy disciples of the Lord was one of the first and Saint Joseph, renamed by the holy apostles Barnabas, that is, the son of consolation, since with his preaching about the Messiah who came into the world, he consoled people who were eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Just as the sons of Zebedee were called the sons of thunder (Mk. 3:17), since they were supposed to thunder throughout the universe with their preaching like thunder, so this Saint Joseph was called the son of consolation, for his apostolic labors were supposed to bring great joy to God’s chosen ones. And Saint Chrysostom, explaining the reason for his renaming, says (Acts 11:1-30): “It seems to me that he received his name according to his deserts, for he was fully capable (of being a son of consolation”). After the Lord’s ascension into heaven, the holy apostles lived all together in Jerusalem, as it is written about this in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul; and no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything in common. There was no one in need among them; for all who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid them at the feet of the apostles” (Acts 4:32-35). At that time, Saint Joseph, called the Apostle Barnabas, sold the above-mentioned village, located near Jerusalem, which he inherited from his parents; He brought the proceeds to the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself, for he wanted to become rich in God, in whom he actually became rich, as evidenced by this: “he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). Barnabas often happened to see Saul, and he argued with him from the Scriptures about the Lord Jesus Christ and made every effort to convert Saul to the holy faith, but Saul was a very zealous zealot of the traditions of his fathers; therefore, he laughed at Saint Barnabas, as at a deluded man, and even spoke blasphemous words against the Lord Jesus Christ, calling Him the son of a carpenter, a man of simple rank, betrayed to a shameful death. When, after the murder of the holy protomartyr Stephen by the Jews, Saul began to persecute the church, “entering the houses of believers, dragging away men and women and putting them in prison” (Acts 8:3), then Saint Barnabas greatly mourned him and earnestly prayed to God, raising his clean hands, that He would enlighten the spiritual eyes of Saul so that he would know the truth; he really wanted to have Saul as a friend in the Christian faith, just as he had him as a friend in Gamaliel’s school. Barnabas' tears and prayers were not in vain; when the time of God's mercy came, Saul turned to Christ, being called by the voice of the Lord from above, on the way to Damascus 3837. And the wolf turned into a sheep; the blasphemer of the name of Christ began to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; formerly a persecutor, became a defender of the Church; for after receiving holy baptism, Saul immediately went to the meetings of the Jews and began to preach about Jesus, saying that He is the Son of God, also denouncing the Jews who lived in Damascus. When Saul returned to Jerusalem, he “tried to pester the disciples, but everyone was afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26). Then Saint Barnabas, having met him, said: “How long, O Saul, will you not cease to be a blasphemer of the great name of Jesus Christ and a persecutor of His faithful servants? How long will you resist the terrible sacrament, which was foretold by the prophets of old, but has now come true for the sake of our salvation? Saul, falling at his feet, answered with tears like this: “Forgive me, teacher of truth, Barnabas! Now I understand that everything you told me about Christ is the truth; The One whom I previously blasphemed, calling him the son of a carpenter, Himself I now confess to be the Son of God, the Only Begotten, co-eternal with the Father and co-originating, “being the brightness of the glory of the Father and the image of his hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3), in these last days he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), becoming a perfect man, being born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, having accepted free suffering and the cross; then He rose again on the third day, appeared to you, His apostles, ascended into heaven and sits on the right side of God the Father; He will come again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end.” Hearing such words from the former blasphemer and persecutor, Saint Barnabas was surprised; Tearing with joy and hugging Saul, he said: “Who taught you, O Saul, to speak these inspired words? Who convinced you to confess Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God? Where did you learn such perfect knowledge of the Divine dogmas?” Then Saul, with tears and a contrite heart, answered: “The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom I, a sinner, blasphemed and persecuted, He taught me all this; for He appeared to me like a monster, and now I still hear His Divine voice in my ears. When a wonderful light shone around me from above and I fell to the ground in fear, I heard a voice saying: “Saul, Saul! Why are you chasing me?” I, in fear and horror, said: He answered me with meekness and compassion: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Very amazed at His long-suffering and having prayed, I said: - “Lord, what do you tell me to do?” Then He taught me all that I told you (Acts 9:3-6). After these words, Saint Barnabas took Saul by the hand and led him to the apostles, saying: - The one who pursued us is now ours. He who opposed us now thinks with us about our Lord; the one who was previously our enemy is now our friend and co-worker in the vineyard of Christ. Here I present to you a gentle lamb, who was previously a fierce beast. At the same time, Saul told the apostles how he saw the Lord on the road, and what He said to him; He also spoke about how he labored in Damascus for the name of Christ. The apostles, hearing all this, were surprised, rejoiced and glorified God. And Saul was with them; together with them he entered and left Jerusalem, struggling for the name of Christ and courageously denouncing the Jews and Greeks. These latter were greatly amazed at how a man who had so recently persecuted everyone who called the name of Jesus, now himself preached Jesus; and sought to kill him. Having guessed about this intention of the infidels, the brethren took Saul from Jerusalem to Caesarea and released him to Tarsus 3838, to his fatherland, so that he could preach the Lord Jesus Christ there. At this time, in Syrian Antioch, a large and glorious city, the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ began to spread. For when the holy First Martyr Stephen was killed, a great persecution arose that day against the Church of Jerusalem, so that all the believers were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles; then some of those who were scattered reached “as far as Phenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one except the Jews” (Acts 11:19); but then they began to preach the Lord Jesus to the Greeks; “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21). The Jerusalem church heard about this; Therefore, the apostles sent Saint Barnabas to Syrian Antioch, so that he would learn in more detail about everything that happened there and would confirm the converts. He came there and, seeing the grace of God, rejoiced greatly and consoled everyone with the word of the Lord, exhorting everyone to remain with the Lord unceasingly. While Saint Barnabas preached there for an insufficient time, very many people joined the Lord. Since the disciples multiplied every day, but there were few teachers, so that the many harvests had no laborers, Saint Barnabas, leaving Antioch for a while, went to Tarsus, wanting to find his friend Saul here; having found him, he brought him to Antioch; and they both worked in converting human souls to Christ God, leading Jews and Greeks to faith in Christ. They stayed in Antioch for a whole year, gathering in the church and teaching the people. Here for the first time their disciples began to be called Christians. After a year, Barnabas and Saul decided to return to Jerusalem in order to tell the holy apostles about how the grace of God acted in Antioch. At the same time, each of the Antiochians, according to their condition, sent, together with Barnabas and Saul, everything needed by their impoverished and wretched brethren living in Judea, for then there was a great famine in Judea, according to the prophecy of Saint Agabus: this Agabus was also one of the seventy apostles 3839. Having collected sufficient alms, the Antiochians sent it to the elders through the mediation of Barnabas and Saul. When Barnabas and Saul, now called Paul, arrived in Jerusalem, they greatly rejoiced the Church, announcing the increase of believers in Antioch and bringing generous alms from them. At this time, great confusion suddenly occurred in the church of Jerusalem, for “King Herod raised his hands against some of those who belonged to the church” (Acts 12:1), and “killed James Zebedee, John’s brother, with the sword” (Acts 12:2). Noticing that the Jews liked this, he ordered Peter to be taken and imprisoned him, from which the Apostle Peter was led out by the holy Angel. All this time, until the confusion inflicted on the Church by the persecutors subsided in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul took refuge in the house of the aforementioned Mary, Barnabas’s aunt, to whom Saint Peter also came after an Angel led him out of prison. Then Barnabas and Saul, having completed their work in Jerusalem, returned again to Antioch, taking with them Mary’s son, named John, called Mark. After they had all spent a sufficient time in Antioch, laboring in fasting, prayer, serving the Divine Liturgy and preaching the word of God, it pleased the Holy Spirit to send them to preach to the pagans. The Holy Spirit said to the prophets and teachers who were in Antioch: “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then they, having fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, sent them away” (Acts 13:2,3). They first of all went to Seleucia 3840, from here they sailed to Cyprus and stopped in Salamis 3841. Wherever they went, they proclaimed the word of God; they had as their servant the aforementioned John, later called Mark, the son of Mary. Having passed the island to Paphos 3842, they met a certain sorcerer and false prophet of Judaism, named Ellima, under the anfipat Sergius, a very wise man. Here they enlightened Anfipat with the holy faith, but they blinded Ellim the sorcerer, who opposed them, with a word. Having left Paphos, they came to Perga Pamphylia. Their servant John, who is also Mark, having seen their great sufferings that they endured for the gospel of the name of Christ (for they were not at all afraid of death), was afraid to walk with them because of his young years; therefore, leaving them, he returned to Jerusalem to his mother. Barnabas and Paul, having passed through Perga, came to Pisidian Antioch (a city different from the great Antioch of Syria). Having been expelled from here, they shook the dust from their feet and arrived in Iconium 3843; but here too the Jews and pagans intended to stone them; Having learned about this, they hastily went to the cities of Lycaon 3844, Lystra and Derbe, and their surroundings and preached the gospel here. Here they healed one lame man, who had been ill since the time of his birth and had never walked; the apostles put him on his feet, so that he began to walk quite freely. The people, mistaking them for gods, set out to make sacrifices to them; at the same time, the people called Barnabas Zeus 3845, and Paul Hermes 3846, and the holy apostles barely persuaded the people not to make sacrifices to them. Then the same people, having been taught by the Jews, rebelled against the holy apostles: having stoned Paul, the people took him out of the city, thinking that he had died; but he got up and entered the city, and the next morning he and Barnabas left the city and went to Derbe. Having sufficiently preached the gospel to this city and converted many here to Christ, the holy apostles undertook the return journey to Syrian Antioch, heading through the same cities and villages. Everywhere along the way they strengthened the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to remain in faith and teaching them that through many sorrows we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Having ordained elders in all the churches and prayed with fasting, they left their disciples to the Lord, in whom they believed. Having been in Perga and proclaiming the word of the Lord here, the apostles set off from here to Attalia 3847, then sailed to Syrian Antioch, from where they were sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the word of the Lord to the pagans. Arriving in the city and gathering all the faithful, they told them everything that God had done with them, and how many pagans they had converted to Christ, and they stayed in Antioch for a considerable time. Soon after this, a dispute arose between the believing Jews and the Greeks about circumcision, for some of the Jews said that those who are not circumcised according to the law of Moses cannot be saved. Those among the Hellenes who believed considered circumcision a great burden for themselves. Barnabas and Paul opposed the Jews and defended the Greeks from circumcision. But since the dispute and bickering on this issue did not stop, it became necessary for Barnabas and Paul to go from the Antiochian church again to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders in order to ask them about circumcision. Barnabas and Paul, moreover, needed to tell the apostles that God had “opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 15:4). Barnabas and Paul, sent by the church (Antioch), passing through Phenicia and Samaria, everywhere proclaimed the conversion of the pagans, which the believers greatly rejoiced at. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received here with love by the holy apostles and elders; everyone listened with joy to Barnabas and Paul, who announced all the wondrous signs and wonders that God had wrought by their hand among the pagans. Regarding circumcision, the apostles, having consulted with the council, decided to abolish it forever for believers not only among the Hellenes, but also among the Jews, as unnecessary under the new grace. At the same time, the apostles considered it necessary to send some Christians from themselves, along with Barnabas and Paul, to Antioch, to the believing Greeks; For this purpose they chose Judas, called Barsabas, and Silas, men most famous among the brethren, and wrote this: “Apostles and elders and brethren, to the Gentile brethren who are in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: rejoice. Since we heard that some who went out from us troubled you with their speeches and shook your souls, saying that you should be circumcised and keep the law, which we did not charge them with, we, having gathered together, unanimously decided, choosing men, to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who gave their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will explain the same things to you verbally. For it pleases the Holy Spirit and us not to place any more burden on you, except for this necessary: ​​to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and blood, and things strangled, and fornication, and not to do to others what you do not want to do to yourself. By observing this, you will do well. Be healthy” (Acts 15:23–29). With such a message, the holy apostles Barnabas and Paul set off on their journey, and with them Judas and Silas, heading from Jerusalem to Antioch. At this time, the said John, called Mark, the son of Mary, Barnabas' aunt, not daring to approach Saint Paul, approached his uncle, Saint Barnabas, with repentance and tears, regretting that he had been separated from them when they were preaching to the pagans: John began to ask Saint Barnabas to take him with him again, promising to go without fear to all suffering and even death for the Lord: Barnabas took him as his nephew. Together they all reached Antioch. Having gathered the faithful, the apostles gave them the message; After reading it, everyone rejoiced greatly. Judas and Silas comforted the brethren with their words and confirmed them in the Lord. After some time, Judas returned to Jerusalem, but Silas continued to remain there. Paul and Barnabas lived in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord to others. Some time after this, Paul said to Barnabas: “We must visit our brethren again; we must go through all the cities in which the name of the Lord was preached, in order to see how the brethren live.” Saint Barnabas gave his consent to this. At the same time, Barnabas wanted to take with him John, called Mark, his nephew; Paul did not want this, saying: “Why do we take with us the cowardly young man who previously left us in Pamphylia, not wanting to go with us to the work for which we were sent and, having left us, returned to his relatives?” There was a quarrel between them, since Barnabas wanted to take John, but Paul did not want to; so they parted from each other, each intending to go his own way. All this happened at the discretion of God, so that they, going apart, would save a greater number of souls. It was quite enough for one great teacher to preach where two great teachers intended to go; each, preaching separately, would make a significant gain for the Church - one in one country, the other in another, converting various peoples to the faith of Christ. Saint Paul, taking Saint Silas with him, went to Derbe and Lystra, and Saint Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with his nephew John 3848. Having reached the island of Cyprus, his homeland, Saint Barnabas undertook considerable labor, for he converted many people here to Christ. Having increased the number of believers in Cyprus, Barnabas went to Rome and, as some say, was the first to preach Christ in Rome. Then, having founded and established the episcopal throne in the city of Mediolan 3849, Barnabas again returned to Cyprus. When he taught here about Christ, in the city of Salamis, some Jews from Syria came here and began to oppose him and outrage the people, saying that everything preached by Barnabas was contrary to God and the law of Moses; These Jews blasphemed the honorable name of Varnavino with many blasphemies and plotted to kill him, stirring up many against him. The Apostle, foreseeing his martyrdom, summoned all the faithful who lived in that city; having sufficiently taught them in faith and good deeds and convinced them to be courageous in confessing the name of Christ, he performed the Divine Liturgy and communed all the Mysteries of Christ. Then, taking Mark, his companion, separately, he said to him: “On this day I will end my life, accepting death from the hands of the unfaithful Jews, as the Lord told me; But you, taking my body, which you will find outside the city on the western side, bury it and go to my friend, the Apostle Paul; tell him everything that you know about me.” Saint Barnabas had with him the Gospel of Matthew, written in his own hand; he bequeathed to Saint Mark to bury him along with that Gospel. Then, having given his last kiss to his relative Saint Mark, Barnabas went to the Jewish congregation. When he began to speak here from the books of the prophets about Christ, the Jews who came from Syria rebelled against him, outraged other Jews and, laying their murderous hands on him, took him out of the city to the western side and stoned him here; then, having built a fire, they threw the body of the holy apostle onto it for burning. But when Saint Mark, along with the other brethren, subsequently came here secretly from everyone, he found the body of the holy Apostle Barnabas unharmed, completely unharmed by the fire; Having taken him, he buried him in a cave, five furlongs from the city, and, according to the apostle’s will, he placed the Gospel 3850 on his chest. Then he went in search of the Apostle Paul; having found him in Ephesus 3851, he told him everything about the death of the holy Apostle Barnabas; Saint Paul mourned the death of Barnabas, but kept Mark with him. After the murder of Saint Barnabas, a great persecution arose from Jews against believers in the city of Salamis; Therefore, everyone fled from this city and hid wherever they could. From that time on, the place where the honorable relics of the Apostle Barnabas were laid fell into oblivion. Many years later, when the faith of Christ spread to all ends of the earth, when the Greco-Roman kingdom was ruled by Christian kings and when the island of Cyprus shone with piety and orthodoxy, the Lord was pleased to glorify the place on which the relics of the Apostle Barnabas rested. Many wondrous miracles began to happen at this place. So initially one sick person who spent the night in that place received health. The same thing happened to another patient. When the believers found out about this, they deliberately came to that place, spent the night here and received healing from their ailments. Thus the place became known everywhere; therefore, many weak and paralytic people were brought here; everyone here received complete healing from their ailments and returned to their homes healthy. Those possessed by demons were also brought here, and immediately the unclean spirits ran away from the people with loud screams. Here the lame received walking, the blind received their sight, and in general, anyone who was possessed by any illness received healing here. The inhabitants of the city of Salamis were very happy about this, although they did not know why such great miracles were performed at this place, for no one knew anything about the relics of the apostles; That’s why the place was called “The Place of Health.” But it is necessary to know how the honest relics of the holy apostle were found. A certain evil heretic, Peter the whitewasher, nicknamed Knatheus, an opponent of the IV Ecumenical Council of the Holy Fathers 3852, which took place in the city of Chalcedon 3853, and a defender of the Eutychean heresy, as well as an accomplice of the evil faith of Apollinarius 3854, during the reign of Zeno 3855, by cunning seized the throne of Antioch patriarchate and brought very great harm to the Church of Christ with his wrong teaching. But he was not content with the Antioch diocese assigned to him, in which he persecuted and persecuted Christians, subjecting them to many torments; he wished to seize under his power the island of Cyprus, which had been free since ancient times, in order to sow his false teachings in it and persecute everyone who would oppose him (it should be noted that the Cypriots, being devout Christians, rejected his wrong wisdom that a deity suffered on the cross). But he tried in every possible way to attract them to his side, saying this: “Since the word of God came to Cyprus from Antioch, for this reason the Cypriot church must submit to the Patriarch of Antioch.” Because of all this, the Archbishop of Cyprus, named Anthimus, fell into great sadness, for he knew that that Peter, using the king’s mercy, could very easily achieve whatever he wanted. And indeed, soon a royal order came to Cyprus, commanding the Archbishop of Cyprus to come to Constantinople to answer at the council before the Patriarch of Antioch, who demanded the subordination of the island of Cyprus to the diocese of Antioch. The archbishop did not know what to do, for he did not dare to disobey the royal command, and was afraid to go to Constantinople. Although he led a holy life, he did not have the gift of eloquence and was afraid that he would be defeated in a dispute by his opponents. Therefore, he began to fervently fast and pray, asking with tears for help, protection and useful advice from God Himself. Once at night, when Anthimus dozed off from great prayer work, a certain Divine man appeared before him in a bright sacred robe, illuminated by heavenly rays. The one who appeared said: “Why are you, archbishop, so sad and grieved? Do not be afraid, for you will not suffer at all from your opponents.” Having said this, the husband who appeared suddenly became invisible. The archbishop, awakening from sleep, was filled with horror; then he prostrated himself on the ground in the shape of a cross to pray and began to pray with many tears, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God! Do not abandon Your Church, but give it help for glory for the sake of Your holy name. If this vision was from You, then arrange it so that I see it again, I pray, and a third time, so that I, a sinner, can finally be convinced that You, my Helper, are with me!” The next night the archbishop had the same vision; the same bright man appeared to him and said: “I have already told you that you will not suffer at all from your opponents, so, without fearing anything, go to Constantinople.” Having said this, the one who appeared became invisible. Archbishop Anfim, again thanking God and not telling anyone anything about what he had seen, added prayer to prayer and tears to tears, that he might be worthy of this vision for the third time, and that it would be revealed to him who was the one who appeared. On the third night, the same husband appeared and said: “Until when will you not believe my words, which will come true in the coming days? Go without fear to the reigning city, for from there you will return with glory, having not suffered at all from your opponents; God Himself, for the sake of me, His servant, will be your protector.” Then the archbishop dared to say to the one who had appeared: “I beg you, my lord, tell me who you are who speaks these words to me?” He answered: “I am Barnabas, a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Holy Spirit sent along with His chosen vessel, the holy Apostle Paul, to preach the word of God to the pagans. In order for you to be convinced of the truth of my words, here is a sign for you: go out of the city to the western side five furlongs and in that place called the “Place of Health” (for there for my sake God miraculously gives health to the sick), dig up the ground under the tree growing horns: there you will find a cave and a shrine in which my relics are placed; You will also find the Gospel, written by my own hand, which I copied from the holy evangelist Apostle Matthew. And when your opponents, intending to subjugate this church to their power, begin to say that Antioch is the apostolic throne, you object to them and say: “and my city is the apostolic throne, for I have an apostle resting in my city.” When Saint Barnabas said this to the archbishop, he immediately became invisible. The archbishop, filled with great joy and greatly thanking God, called the clergy, the leaders of the city and all the people and told everyone about the threefold appearance that had happened to him and the speeches of the holy Apostle Barnabas; then he went with psalmody to that place in the presentation of the Honorable Cross. When they reached the indicated place, they began to dig up the ground under the tree, as the apostle said in the vision; Having dug up the ground from above, they found a cave covered with stones; Having removed the stones, they saw the reliquary and felt a great and indescribable fragrance; Having opened the shrine, they saw in it the honest relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas, intact and undamaged, and they also saw the Gospel lying on his chest 3856. Everyone, in great joy and joy, gave glory to God and reverently bowed to the honorable relics, touching them with faith and love. At this time, many miracles happened: everyone, no matter who was possessed by any illness, received health after touching the honest relics. Then Archbishop Anfim, not daring to take the shrine containing the apostle’s relics from that place, sealed it with tin and ordered that spiritual rites be maintained at the shrine and that the usual psalmody be performed at the apostolic tomb day and night. He himself went to Constantinople; Having presented himself to the council, he answered his opponents as he was taught by the Apostle Barnabas. Emperor Zeno rejoiced greatly that such a great spiritual treasure had been acquired during the days of his reign, and immediately ordered that the island of Cyprus should not be subject to the patriarch, but should be independently governed by its archbishop; He also ordered that the Archbishop of Cyprus be supplied with his own bishops. Such freedom was granted to the island of Cyprus for the sake of the relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas: from that time on, the throne of the Cypriot bishopric began to be called the apostolic throne, like other patriarchal thrones. Blessed Anthimus, Archbishop of Cyprus, was awarded great honors from the king and from the entire spiritual council. The king asked for the Gospel found on the apostle's chest: having accepted it, he decorated it with gold and precious stones and placed it near the royal chamber of his church; He gave the archbishop a lot of gold to build a beautiful church on the very spot where the honorable relics of the Apostle Barnabas were found. Thus, the archbishop returned to himself with glory and honor and soon built a great and beautiful church in the name of the apostle; He placed the honorable relics of the holy apostle in the holy altar, on the right side, and established the celebration of the memory of the holy apostle Barnabas on the eleventh day of the month of June (on which day his honorable relics were found), to the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and to endless ages. Amen. You were the all-true servant of the Lord, and you were the first of the Apostles in the seventies: you and Paul illuminated your preaching, proclaiming Christ the Savior to everyone: for this sake, we perform the hymn of your Divine memory of Barnavo. The island of Cyprus was located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. The story of Saul's conversion is told in Acts 9:1–19. The city of Damascus lies northeast of Palestine, at the eastern foot of Anti-Lebanon. Tarsus was a large city in ancient times, located in the Asia Minor region of Cilicia. The remains of this city have survived to this day. The famine predicted by the prophet Agav actually happened in Palestine in the 44th year, under Caesar Claudius (Acts 11:28). Many secular writers of that time, such as Josephus, Suetonius, Tacitus and others, testify to the severe famine that was raging in Palestine at that time. Subsequently, during the stay of the ap. Paul in Caesarea, he also predicted his imprisonment (Acts 21:10–11). Memory of St. the prophet Agave is performed by St. Church on April 8. Seleucia is a seaside city in Syria on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, near the mouth of the Orontes River, 25 miles from Antioch. This city was founded by the Syrian king Seleucus Nicator 300 years BC. The city of Salamis was located on the eastern side of the island of Cyprus. Its ruins are located near the village of Famagusta. The city of Paphos was located on the opposite coast of Salamis on the island of Cyprus. Paphos was the main city of the island and the residence of the proconsul. Iconium is a city in Asia Minor. Now Konia. Lycaonia is a region of Asia Minor. Zeus, or Jupiter, is the supreme god of the Greco-Roman religion. Hermes or Mercury was considered the patron of trade and industry by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The city of Attalia was located in the Asia Minor province of Pamphylia, near Perga, not far from the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Nowadays there is a town called Antali with 800 inhabitants. Acts 15:36–41, 16:1. Some suggest that the holy Apostle Barnabas, after preaching on the island of Cyprus and other places, again joined St. the Apostle Paul and shared his preaching works; They also think that it was Barnabas who was the brother sent by the apostle. Paul together with Titus to the Corinthians, who, according to St. Paul, is glorified throughout all churches for his gospel (2 Cor. 8:18). Mediolan or Milan is an Italian city located in the province of Lombardy. In the history of the Christian Church it is known as the place of archpastoral activity of St. Ambrose, the most famous father and teacher of the Western Church, who lived in the 4th century. His memory is committed to St. Church on December 4. Death of St. the Apostle Barnabas followed approx. '62 Ephesus is a city in Asia Minor, lying between Smyrna and Miletus, near the Caistra River, not far from its confluence with the Icarus Sea. The IV Ecumenical Council took place in 451 and was convened to expose the heresy of Archimandrite Eutyches of Constantinople, who argued that in Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the deity, and therefore recognized in him only one nature - divine. Chalcedon, or Calchedon, was originally a Megarian colony on the shores of the Propontis (Sea of ​​Marmara). Under Christian emperors, Chalcedon was the capital of the Asia Minor province of Bithynia. Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea, unjustly taught that the Son of God, having become incarnate, did not take on full human nature, but only a human soul and body, while His human mind was replaced by divinity. This heresy was condemned at the Second Ecumenical Council, which took place in Constantinople in 381. Zeno reigned from 474 to 491. Honest relics of St. Apostle Barnabas were found between 485 and 488. You might be interested in: