having taken up and lifted upon our shoulders the victorious weapon of the life-giving Cross, which was given to us from heaven for the stilling of all wrath, let us, as is our custom, cry out the angelic hymn to God: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us." Holy Trinity, incomprehensible, uncircumscribed, beyond expression, consubstantial, sharing one throne, one time, and one glory, have mercy on us, and be propitious to our sins for the sake of Thy holy name, and grant us to find mercy and compassion in that day of Thy just retribution. For Thou art our God, and to Thee, the Father, and to the Son, and to the Spirit, is due glory, majesty, power, and authority before all ages, and now and unto all the eternal ages. Amen.
THE LAUDATION OF THE APOSTLE BARNABAS BY ALEXANDER THE MONK
(From the *Vitae Sanctorum*, 11 June, p. 169.)A I. The greatest subject for a discourse, while we labor under the poverty of speech, you have proposed to me, excellent Father, moved certainly by your ancestral zeal and affection, and most provokingly to those who are distinguished in the exercise of virtue. For you have proposed for us to praise a divine and most blessed man, an illustrious apostle, a son of consolation, the face of the whole world—Barnabas, I say, celebrated by the proclamations of many praises. But I, comparing my own ignorance with the magnitude of the subject, and shuddering at this undertaking, have for a long time refused to obey your commands. For what speech could be sufficient for recounting the deeds of such a perfect apostle, when such a task is of such a nature that it not only completely exceeds my powers, but could well bring difficulty to all others? I believe, therefore, that all are inferior to the task of B recounting the deeds of Barnabas. And if anyone were to attempt to say anything about him, however wise, skilled, and most excellent in the faculty of speech he might be, he would nevertheless be left far behind at a great interval, existing as far inferior to what the dignity of the apostle demands, and he would be utterly submerged in the sea of his praises. One perhaps from the number of righteous men has obtained some one gift from the Holy Spirit; but the apostles themselves all received the treasures of divine graces, and showed themselves to possess all virtues. How then shall I, a wretched man oppressed by infinite disturbances, be able to traverse the sea of apostolic virtue? For I am of thin and slow tongue (that I may speak of myself as is written in the divine Letters 1), nor am I so eloquent that I can fittingly recount the divine and admirable virtues of the apostle Barnabas. For this man so perfectly practiced every virtue that no one else has progressed as he did in any single virtue. Wherefore this task you have laid upon me, I have hitherto refused to undertake, since I knew my weakness to be unequal to the recounting of the glorious deeds of so great a man.
B II. But when I recalled to memory what I have read written in the divine Letters, that the man who does not keep obedience suffers destruction, while he who is truly obedient is free from destruction: then, fearing much for that which you commanded, I have made the attempt, judging it better to be accused in that very thing—that my discourse might be lacking—than to fall into the crime of contumacy. This one thing, therefore, I ask of you, that you pray with me that the most holy Barnabas might be a helper to me in this discourse; and as for the very man whom we shall praise, I do not doubt that it will be pleasing to him that this is said by us, who are nothing: for we read that even the two mites, once offered C by the widow and poor little woman, once pleased his Lord 2. For it is not the magnitude of the things that are offered that is so pleasing and acceptable to God Himself, as the mind itself and the fair spirit which he who offers something shows, whether it be small or great. When, however, we praise Barnabas, then we also praise the sacred college of all the apostles; for their calling was one, and their glory is the same; and their order is one, and their dignity is the same; whose struggles were equal, of them the crowns are not diverse; whose rule of instruction, finally, is common, of them the rewards are equally honored. Now, however, let us bring Barnabas himself into the midst by our discourse, and let us compose the proclamations of his praises as best we can, for I am a most ardent lover of this man. I know, however, and I persuade myself, that the name of this apostle itself is most pleasant to your ears. Therefore, let us honor him, in as much as we are able to speak of him, with an equal spirit
1 Exod. iv, 10. 2 Luc. xxi, 2 seqq.
A [III]. Let that great apostle Barnabas, therefore, be praised by us who are lowly. Let the son of consolation be celebrated by those men who have believed in Christ. Let him be extolled by every man, he who was honored by the Father Himself, called by the Son, and perfected by the Holy Spirit. Barnabas, I say, the great orator of the Church, that trumpet of evangelical preaching, the great voice of Christ, the cithara of the Holy Spirit, the plectrum of divine grace. Barnabas, the most robust soldier in the wars waged for Christ: he who, moving with the army of the apostles, most valiantly struck down the incorporeal enemy with his body; he who stood forth as a religious teacher of good disciplines, and a certain guide of the Christian flock, and a rational paradise of the highest God, containing within himself the flourishing of all virtues: he who was a certain distinguished sprout of faith, a rose of charity, emitting the sweetest odor, an incorrupt flower of hope, the most joyful fruit of divine grace, a most fruitful branch of that vine which provides life to all, a cluster of immortality, dripping honey, a firm and immovable fortress of patience, a follower of continence so strong that he bore the cross and was an intrepid leader of the militia against the killers of Christ, a sprout of Christ crucified extended even unto heaven. Barnabas, the son of consolation, teacher of piety, column and pinnacle of faith, a firm and immovable tower, a stable foundation and an indissoluble base, an unmoved rock, a very tranquil harbor for the fluctuating, a faithful and prudent steward, a most noble architect: he who held the celestial path on earth and led a life equal to the angels: he who was the patron of the churches, a helper of the poor, abundantly nourishing the needy, the consolation of widows, and a most diligent caretaker and father of orphans. Barnabas, the treasury of the mysteries of Christ, the minister of the dogmas of the orthodox Church of God, a liberal physician of the sick, gladdening healthy and strong men with a firm and certain joy of spirit, the most vigilant guardian of the Christian flock, remaining on earth while dwelling in the heavens in life and institution: he who in the world preached the dogmas of piety with a clear and high voice, and in the heavens received an everlasting crown: he who was a guide of the gentiles, leading them to God, and a most blessed herald of the churches of God, a field most full of the fragrant flowers of Christ, a certain garden of roses breathing the celestial odor of virtues, a most fertile field of Christ's graces: he who passed a very sincere and pure life on earth, living on earth as rightly as the angels themselves live in heaven. The same man, distinguished in the exercise of virtues, excelling in contemplations and miracles, a certain precious pearl of virginity, and a most choice beryl of chastity, a most pure gem of temperance, having Christ speaking within himself, an elect vessel of God, who B abandoned the world and all things that are in it, and deemed them as vanities, so as to win Christ alone, the King of the ages. He carried his own cross without any hesitation, and as a true disciple followed Christ with a ready spirit: he who drove away demons and inflicted wounds upon the devil: he who traveled through the four ends of the earth with a firm and constant step, and as a holy and good man, and a most loving minister of his Lord, converted all nations to the faith of Christ through the preaching of the Gospel. He offered himself as a prepared dwelling in which the Trinity, sharing in the same essence, might dwell, and became a temple of the highest God: Barnabas, I say, the distinguished ornament of the Cypriots, and an inexpugnable defender of the world, who loved Christ himself in a marvelous way, and daily exposed his own soul for him: who now reigns together with him in the heavens, and will reign for all ages.
[IV] Our speech is weary, while it desires and strives to extol the admirable, divine, and most desirable apostle Barnabas with praises, and—what is wonderful—it has not yet reached the beginning. For the praises of this admirable man are greater than our speech can reach. Therefore, omitting the discourse of these, as being too great for our orations, I shall set forth to you, venerable auditors, a few things about his life and martyrdom, repeated from the author of the *Stromata*, Clement, and the writings of other ancient men, and thus I shall put an end to this narration, conceding to the divine Scriptures, so that they may crown the head of this ever-sung and most celebrated man with that magnificent proclamation: *Barnabas was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith.* What is equal to this proclamation, or what was ever like it?
[V] This most blessed man took his origin from that most laudable tribe of Levi, from which Moses and Aaron, those great prophets of God and leaders of the people, took their origin, of which lineage the prophet Samuel was also a participant. Now his ancestors, having migrated to the Cypriot region for the sake of wars, dwelt there with a calm mind. But they were most religious men, revering the law of God, and very rich: for which reason they possessed many properties in Jerusalem, and a field near that city that was most beautiful, not only elegant with fruit-bearing trees of all kinds, but also very illustrious for the size of its buildings. From the time, moreover, that the prophet Isaiah left it written: *Blessed is he who has seed in Sion, and a house in Jerusalem*; the sons of the Hebrews interpreted this prophecy of his in a corporeal sense, and every very rich man took pains to possess something in the city of Jerusalem. When, however, this man of whom we write was born in the region of the Cypriots, and his parents had seen the elegant boy, they immediately named him Joseph, honoring their boy with the appellation of that patriarch. It came to pass, indeed, that with the appellation of the name, the nobility of character also...
A came: for if anyone interprets this word, Joseph, he will find it signifies the same as "addition of God"; for this just man was added by God to the company of the apostles and the sacred fellowship of the saints. Furthermore, we can interpret this same word as "glory of God." Nor should anyone think that this term was spoken for the sake of hyperbole, but let him know that it is taken from the divine Scriptures. For Paul says: "A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God." A But if that most excellent apostle called any man whatsoever the image and glory of God, what shall we say of this man who was most perfect in divine matters?
VI. But when Barnabas himself had grown up, his parents brought him to the city of Jerusalem and handed him over to Gamaliel to be diligently taught the law and the prophets; he also had Paul, then called Saul, as a fellow student. But daily Barnabas progressed more, both in doctrine and in every virtue, although he had not yet been aggregated to the order of the Levites, because he was not of the age that this required: for he was still numbered among the youths. Yet he did not depart from the temple, as he was involved in fasts and prayers day and night. And he proclaimed the laws and the rest of the divine scriptures by memory in such a way that he had no need of written records, and he held silence itself so dear that he deemed it the mother of temperance. He abhorred the pernicious customs of men and vehemently fled them, B keeping himself so pure and intact from vices that he was a sort of specimen of virtue. Wherefore he flourished in estimation and glory among all.
VII. But it happened that at that time the Lord Jesus Christ came to Jerusalem and healed the paralytic at the sheep pool, and performed many other signs and wonders in the temple. When Barnabas had seen all these things, he was stunned, and immediately threw himself at the feet of Christ, and besought him to bless him. But Christ, who examines the hearts and minds of men, having a grateful reception of Barnabas's faith, received him kindly and made him a participant of his divine association: wherefore he was the more inflamed unto the charity of Christ. But as soon as he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was later called Mark: which Mary was said to be his maternal aunt, for C which reason they also called Mark the cousin of Barnabas. When he had come to her: "Come," he said, "O woman, come and see what our fathers longed to see: for behold, a certain Jesus, a prophet from Nazareth of Galilee, is in the temple, performing certain magnificent miracles, who to many seems to be the Messiah who was to come." When that admirable woman had heard these things, leaving all the things she had in her hands, she went to the temple of God: where, when she had seen Jesus the Lord of the temple, she threw herself at his feet and thus entreated him: "If I have found grace, O Lord, in thy sight, come to the house of thy handmaid, that by your entrance you may bless your servants." The Lord Christ assented to her request; whom that woman, greatly moved with joy, received into her upper room. From that day forward, as often as the Lord had come to Jerusalem, he would lodge there together with his disciples, with whom he also celebrated the Passover there, and where he taught those same disciples the sacraments of the mysteries. For a certain tradition transmitted by the Fathers has reached us, that he who was carrying the jar of water, whom the Lord himself instructed his disciples to follow, was that blessed Mary's son. But that the Lord did not name him, but said: "Go to a certain man"; this was done by a certain providence, D just as the holy Fathers, interpreting this place, have said, so that by a thing obscurely stated he might teach us this, that the Lord Jesus lodges with whoever offers himself as prepared. Therefore, in that very upper room the Lord ate the Passover, in it he appeared to the apostle Thomas when he had risen from the dead; thither, after Jesus was taken up into heaven, the disciples with the rest of the hundred and twenty brethren, among whom were Barnabas and Mark, gathered from the Mount of Olives; thither the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost; there is now situated the great and most holy Sion, the greatest of all Churches.
VIII. But then Barnabas followed the Lord returning from Jerusalem into Galilee. But when many from everywhere were gathering to the Lord, and following his faith, he said to his disciples: "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few." Therefore he designated those seventy disciples, of whom the first leader and chief was the great Barnabas. But let no one, hearing that the apostles imposed this appellation on that man, think that it was done rashly and without divine counsel: for Peter himself imposed this name upon him, he, I say, Peter, who through the revelation of the holy Spirit learned the theology of the Son of God. And just as James and John were called sons of thunder on account of their virtue, so also Barnabas was called the son of consolation on account of his virtue, inasmuch as he was—by reason of the excellence of his holiness—a consolation to all.
IX. When he also heard the Lord teaching: "Sell what you possess, and give alms, and make for yourselves purses which do not wear out, a treasure never failing in the heavens"; he, without delay, immediately sold all his precious property left to him by his dead parents, and distributed it to the needy: but for himself, he reserved only one field, from which he might be supported. But after the Lord had suffered the cross and risen from the dead, and had sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples, then the divine Barnabas, more inflamed by the charity of Christ, sold even that field, and when he had received much money for its price, he deposited all that money at the feet of the apostles, and reserved nothing at all for himself.
A it for himself, and by his own example drawing all the disciples to the same virtue. He disputed also with Saul, whom he desired to lead to the faith of Christ the Lord. But Saul, who relied diligently and accurately upon the institution of the Law, mocked Barnabas himself as one deceived, and casting curses upon Christ, called Him the carpenter’s son, an unlearned and rustic man, whom he also derided as having been taken away by a violent death. But when he saw the miracles which were wrought by the apostles, and the multitude of the people flowing together day by day to the preaching of the faith, he was tormented in his soul; and when, together with the Libertines, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, he had attacked that great orator of the Church, Stephen, and could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit that spoke through Stephen, seized by much madness and fury, he stirred up the unruly people against Stephen. When he was killed, he stirred up a great persecution against the Church that was in Jerusalem.
X. But when he was proceeding in such a disorderly manner to Damascus to vex and afflict the faithful, Christ the Lord cast him down and struck him to the ground supine. And when he was prostrate, he at length recognized Him whom he was persecuting, and though blinded in corporeal sight, he lifted the vision of his mind altogether to the height of heaven. But when he had returned to Jerusalem, he endeavored to attach himself to the disciples of Christ, yet all of them, fearing his great cruelty, fled from him. But the great Barnabas, meeting him, said: “How long, Saul, will you continue to be Saul? Why do you so petulantly persecute Jesus, the author of your benefits? Cease to attack that horrible mystery, which was once announced in a clear voice by the prophets themselves, but in our times has been made manifest for our salvation.” When Saul had heard these things, he cast himself at the feet of Barnabas, and with many tears and cries: “Forgive me,” he said, “O Barnabas, leader of light and master of truth; for I have experienced and known by the very fact that the things you have said are true. For Him whom I, in my malice, persecuting, called the carpenter’s son, I now confess to be the only-begotten Son of the living God, the participant of the same essence, glory, and throne, coeternal and B the beginningless principle: who, since He is the brightness of the glory and the character of the invisible substance of God, in these last days for us and for our salvation emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, that is, He made Himself a perfect man from the holy Virgin and Mother of God, Mary, having suffered no confusion, no conversion, nor division, or separation, and being found in figure as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross: who also rose from the dead on the third day, and appeared to you His apostles, and was taken up into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
XI. When the divine Barnabas had heard these things from that blasphemer and persecutor, he was astonished, and his face was bathed in tears with joy, like some flower with the morning dew; and when he had embraced and kissed him: “Who,” he said, “O Saul, taught you to utter such divinely inspired words? Who persuaded you to confess Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God? From where did you learn such perfect knowledge of celestial dogmas?” Then he, with downcast face, and shedding tears, and being indeed greatly pricked in heart, answered: “The Lord Jesus Himself, whom I, a sinner, have assailed and persecuted with curses, taught me all these things. For He appeared to me as to one untimely born, whose divine and pleasant voice my ears have still ringing; for He followed me in His singular and altogether greatest kindness, inasmuch as, when I was prostrate and lying miserably, He, defending Himself rather than being angry with me, said: ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ And I, trembling and afraid, answered: ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then He, pursuing me with much gentleness and pity, said: ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’ On that account, I, marveling at His singular patience, and praying to Him, said: ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ Then He immediately instructed me in all these things which I have said, and in more than these.”
XII. Having heard these things, the great Barnabas took Saul by the hand and led him to the apostles, and said to them: “Why do you flee from the shepherd, thinking him a wolf? Why do you repel the governor as a pirate? C Why do you execrate the excellent warrior as a traitor? Why do you reject Him who brings the Spouse of Christ, as a ravager of the bridal chamber?” (For the Church of God is the spiritual bridal chamber.) “The Lord has chosen him for Himself as shepherd, governor, and champion.” Then Paul told them all the things that had happened to him on the way, and that he had seen Christ the Lord, and heard Him speaking with him, and how, in the city of Damascus, he had preached the name of Christ with free speech. And so, together with them, he exercised the preaching of Christ in the city of Jerusalem. But he was very troublesome and hateful to the Jews themselves, because he who, yesterday and the day before, had persecuted Jesus, he himself, having changed his mind, was then preaching that same Jesus to be the Son of God. The Jews therefore entered into a council concerning killing Paul. And when the apostles had learned this, they sent him that he might preach the Gospel in his own country.
XIII. But when it had been heard by those who were in Jerusalem concerning those who, on account of the slaughter and distress of Stephen, had scattered and come to Antioch and had preached the Gospel of Christ, the apostles sent the blessed Barnabas, a great and powerful man, to feed the most holy Church which was there, and the flock of Christ. And when he had arrived there, he was of great aid to the men who were following the faith of Christ: for by his divine preaching and doctrine it came to pass that a great accession of the people was made to the D
Lord. But when Barnabas, led by the divine Spirit, had departed from the city of Antioch, he traversed every city and region, spreading the Gospel of Christ far and wide, and he did not cease until he had come to the city of Rome, the greatest of all. For he was the first of all the disciples of Christ to preach the Gospel in the city of Rome. And when many came to the faith of Christ and honored Barnabas himself most highly, he, having rejected human glory, fled secretly and departed from Rome. For that blessed man so surpassed all men who were in those times in submission of mind and modesty, that he reached the peak of this virtue. This is declared by his history. For when the divine Scriptures everywhere name and praise this man among the first, he himself, granting the first place to others, embraced the second part, diligently imitating his Lord, who said: *Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart.* A
XIV. Afterward, when the same Barnabas had come to Alexandria, a city of Egypt, and had preached the word of God there, he went out from thence, traversing in turn all the cities until he came to Jerusalem. From whence also setting out, he returned to Antioch. In which, when he saw that the Church had become much more numerous through the grace of God, he rejoiced greatly. From thence departing, however, he came to Tarsus, 25 seeking Paul; whom, having found, he brought to Antioch. There, when they had spent a whole year and had brought a great multitude to the discipline of Christ, and when there for the first time they had called the disciples of Christ Christians, and from there had received from the Church what they might distribute to the poor, they ascended again to Jerusalem in the fourteenth year after the Lord Jesus bore the cross, just as Paul writes, when he says: *Then fourteen years after, I went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas.* 26 But when they had completed the ministry, and had received the right hand of fellowship from the apostles, so that they might go to the Gentiles, while those who were with Peter preached to the circumcised, they descended to Antioch, having Mark as their minister. 27 Sent, moreover, by the Holy Spirit from the city of Antioch, they came into Cyprus, and traversed the whole island, preaching the Gospel as far as Salamis and Paphos, and working miracles: at which time they struck Elymas blind and enlightened the proconsul Sergius Paulus with the faith. 28
XV. But after they had converted many to the discipline of Christ, departing from Cyprus, they came to Pamphylia. But when Mark himself saw the apostles undergoing dangers for the preaching of the Gospel, and not studying for honor, but abandoning this brief and fleeting glory, and hastening to undertake battle against the infidel B men, he himself began to falter in undergoing dangers, inasmuch as he was a fearful youth and weaker than he could sustain to contemn death. Having therefore left the apostles, he returned to Jerusalem to his mother. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul had finished the work for which they had been sent, and had endured infinite struggles for Christ, they came to Antioch, whence they had been sent by divine grace to the Gentiles. 29 But it was necessary to depart again to Jerusalem to the apostle Peter on account of those false apostles who were teaching the disciples that they ought to be circumcised and keep the law. 30 But when Mark saw them honored by all, and that they had become stronger after those many beatings and dangers, and endowed with whole bodies: accusing his own weakness, he grieved at what had been done by him, and he was ashamed to approach Paul himself, but he approached Barnabas weeping: and when he had cast himself at his feet, he begged him that he might obtain pardon for his previous error, and that he might become more steadfast in the future through his prayers, promising that he would be ready to suffer all kinds of death for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, with a prompt mind. At these many tears, that great man, adorned with virtues, Barnabas is moved, and having exhorted him, that he might cease from mourning: Fiat, he said, (let it be done) what God wills, provided you be prepared to perform what you have promised.
XVI. But when they had received the writings which had been decreed by the Apostles in the city of Jerusalem, they descended to Antioch, and rejoiced together with the brethren. But Mark followed them with a spirit little confident. After these things it seemed good to Barnabas and Paul to traverse all the cities, and visit the brethren. Then Barnabas begged Paul that he would permit Mark to come with them; inasmuch as he was prepared to sustain the struggle for the faith of Christ even unto death. Paul, on the contrary, begged Barnabas that they should not have Mark with them. Hence a certain occasion was born, that the apostles were separated from one another, divine Providence usefully permitting it. For God himself was about to create Mark a pastor and teacher of many peoples and nations. 31 C
XVII. But let no one imprudently measure by his own feeling what is in the holy history of the Acts of the Apostles, in which place it is narrated concerning Paul and Barnabas: *And there arose a dissension, so that they departed one from another.* For the apostles of Christ were not moved to this by an affection of anger or fury (let us not think this possible); for they who crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, who with a loud voice thus admonished all who believe in Christ: *Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamor, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice*; 32 how can it be that they themselves fell into such an affection? But we know, and from the divine Scriptures we have known the diversity of dissensions, and that this word parody (paryxysmos) is accustomed to be taken in a good sense, as when the Apostle says: *Let us consider one another to provoke unto charity, and to good works.* 33 Such was also D
the motive for the Apostles’ dissension, that is, the zeal of God. For Paul required a rigorous examination, suitable to the apostolic profession; but Barnabas was more inclined toward humanity; wherefore, taking Mark with him, he sailed to Cyprus. A
XXVIII. And when he had traversed that whole island, he converted many peoples to the faith of Christ, and came to Salamis, where he stayed for a while, performing miracles and preaching the kingdom of God: in which place many crowds came to the faith of Christ. He disputed, moreover, with the Jews in the synagogue on all Sabbaths, proving by the testimonies of the divine Scriptures that Jesus Christ was He whom God had promised. But all revered Barnabas because of a certain divine dignity which flourished in his aspect. For he was very grave in the appearance of his face, and in his habit and vesture quite modest, such as is the way of those who, rejecting delights, occupy themselves in the exercise of virtue. He had eyebrows contracted, and eyes presenting a cheerfulness, not something stern, but rather possessing a certain gravity in themselves, and looking downward with great reverence. The honesty of his mouth and his comely lips, distilling the sweetness of honey, were present in that same countenance. For he never spoke anything that was superfluous. His gait was composed and alien to ostentation, and, in short, on all sides the apostle Barnabas was as a certain upright column of God, an illustrious splendor of all virtues.
XIX. While he was teaching the preaching of Christ in the city of Salamis, certain Jews came from Syria, who, hurling curses at him and opposing the things said by him, incited the crowd against him, accusing him that nothing of truth was said by him: but that whom he himself said was Jesus Christ, he was a certain deceitful man, and contrary to God Himself, rejecting the Law, the prophets, and the observance of the Sabbath. The same, too, watched for the opportunity to kill Barnabas. But the holy apostle of Christ, Barnabas, when he had gathered all the brothers: You know, he said, how I have lived among you at all times, admonishing and exhorting each one that you may remain constant in the grace and faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and observe His precepts, and restrain your mind and your hands from every evil work. For it behooves all of us to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ 35, that each one may receive what he has done in his own body, whether good or evil: for the figure of this world passeth away, and the Lord is to come from heaven to judge the living and the dead. Do not, therefore, be negligent, knowing that at an hour you do not think, our Lord will come 36. Bear your toils and labors willingly, confirming your hearts with the hope that the coming of the Lord is near. Remember what I have often said to you, that the things of this present life, whether they be prosperous or adverse, are brief and fleeting, and all these things B are to pass away: but the good things of that future age are to remain always in the same state, eternal and having no end. For neither will the kingdom of heaven be able to pass away at any time, nor will that judgment have an end; but it will always be, bringing immortal punishment to those who have passed through life by sinning, and that which will have no end. Make an effort, therefore, that you may be found in that final day without sin and flaw, lest you fall into everlasting hell. Keep in memory how many signs and wonders God Himself has wrought among you through me, His servant, and pray to God for me. For I am even now ready to be offered, and the time is near at hand in which I am to be dissolved from this body, just as our Lord Jesus Christ has signified to me. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: now there is laid up for me a crown of justice, and not only to me, but also to all those who, for the sake of the confession of Christ, have sustained the struggle 37.
XX. When he had said these things, he prayed to God along with everyone: and there was much weeping of the people; because that Apostle had said that the time was near in which he was to be dissolved from the body. But Barnabas, when he had taken the bread and the chalice, and had finished the whole order of divine ministry, became a partaker of the mysteries of the Eucharist along with the brothers. Which being done, and having Mark with him, he withdrew, and said to him apart: Today it is necessary for me to be perfected by the hands of the faithless Jews: but you, depart outside the city toward the west, and when you have found my body, and buried it, leave Cyprus, and set out to Paul, and be with him, until the Lord has disposed of your affairs: for it is to be that my name be spread abroad throughout the whole world. C
XXI. After these things, Barnabas entered into the synagogue, and taught the Jews themselves, studying to persuade them that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But those Jews who had come there from Syria, moved by fury, rose up from the synagogue, and having laid hands upon him, kept him in a certain dark cell of that synagogue until late at night. And when they had led him out, and had afflicted him with many tortures, finally those wicked men stoned him, and having kindled a certain great pyre, they cast the blessed body of Barnabas into it, that no remains of him might survive. But by Divine Providence, it was brought to pass that the body of the Apostle remained integral, and was not harmed even by the fire itself. Mark, therefore, as Barnabas had commanded, went out of the city toward the west with certain brothers, secretly took away the relics of the holy Barnabas, and buried them in a certain cave, distant about five stadia from the city. Soon they returned to the city, and followed him with wailing and tears. D
XXII. At that time, a great persecution was stirred up against the Church of the city of Salamis, and all
were dispersed, each in a different direction. Thus the tomb of the holy apostle Barnabas was thereafter unknown. Accordingly, when Mark had sailed from Cyprus, he came to Paul, who was at Ephesus, and informed him of the martyrdom of Barnabas. When he heard this, he wept, and kept Mark with him. Later, however, when the apostle Peter was commanded by divine revelation to set out for Rome, he took Mark with him, whom he had in a way begotten as a son to himself. When they were in the city of Rome, Mark wrote the Gospel, which the apostle Peter read, and recognized and approved as written by the Holy Spirit. Therefore he ordained Mark himself by the laying on of hands, and as most suitable, sent him to the city of Alexandria in Egypt, and to Libya and the Pentapolis. When Mark had come thither, he preached the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in those regions, so that many were converted to the faith of Christ. But when Mark had taught the faith of God in that region for nine years, he met his end by martyrdom in the city of Alexandria.
XXIII. But a long time afterwards, when the Christian faith had been spread more widely, and Christian emperors held the Roman empire, God Himself brought about certain great miracles in that place where the relics of the holy apostle and noble martyr Barnabas had been deposited. For when many men possessing unclean spirits passed through that place, the spirits themselves cried out with a loud voice and departed. Many paralytics also, and the lame, and those vexed by various diseases and torments, traveled to that place and spent the night; all of whom were cured: and for that reason the city of Salamis was filled with great joy. But that a certain divine power was working miracles in that place, this indeed all recognized; yet as to what was the cause of that grace being so abundant, they could by no means understand. The inhabitants, moreover, called that region a place of healing. A
XXIV. But when blessed Martianus had died, Leo, of holy memory, succeeded to the empire. He had a son-in-law, Zeno, an Isaurian by birth, who after Leo himself also became emperor. At that time, in the religious monastery of the Acoemetae, there existed a certain monk who, like Judas among the apostles, imitated the ways of the devil. His name was Peter, who practiced the craft of a fuller, but he abhorred the holy synod celebrated in the city of Chalcedon, and was a champion of the Eutychian dogma. Such a man, as a corrupter and a pestilential fellow, and a most bitter enemy of the apostolic dogmas, the men of that place expelled from the monastery. Driven from thence, he set out for Constantinople, and imitating the life of sycophants, he went about from one house to another, a slave to his belly and his gullet: and when he had found certain men endowed with honor who were partakers of his execrable heresy, he began to cling to them, through whom he also came to the notice of him who was the emperor's son-in-law, a patrician and count of the excubitors: for so was he called who presided over the guards. B Peter, having disguised himself under the appearance of religion, was indeed constantly with Zeno, the emperor's son-in-law, yet he did not dare to reveal his own impiety. But that same fuller followed this same Zeno as he was setting out for the regions of the East, even as far as the city of Antioch: where, having found many of Apollinaris' followers, he practiced rashness against the patriarch with them, inciting against him every most seditious man, and reviling the Chalcedonian synod, and calling the patriarch himself a Nestorian.
XXV. Since, therefore, the city of Antioch was disturbed by much sedition and tumult, that Peter approached Count Zeno by craft: Unless, he said, the bishop of this city is changed, it cannot be that the people live in peace. Furthermore, he proposed to him a great sum of gold, if he could obtain from him what he asked—for he had revealed to him his counsel, which he had previously concealed. Then he took with him certain infamous and wicked men, who felt the same things as he did, by his persuasions, and falsely alleged very grave crimes against the patriarch, and reported them to the emperor. But his malice profited nothing, since the emperor was a champion of the apostolic dogmas. But after Leo himself left the earthly empire, and was translated to that immortal kingdom, Zeno succeeded to the empire. The Antiochenes, however, whom we mentioned above, offered a supplication to the emperor, asking that that fuller, Peter, be created bishop for them. This was done, with gold itself persuading all who were in the royal court, so that they took up the patronage of Peter the Fuller. Therefore, immediately as that Peter was ordained bishop, he anathematized the holy Chalcedonian synod. C And when he studied to please the followers of Apollinaris, who were called Theopassians, because they said that God Himself had suffered, he devised a certain most wicked novelty, so as to add this also to that hymn which is called the Trisagion: "Who wast crucified for us." When the holy bishops and our Fathers had heard these things, they set out to repress his perverse opinion with a ready and prompt mind; and first indeed they attempted to recall him from the abyss of impiety by letters. But when they saw him resisting and being carried away with greater audacity and rashness against the orthodox faith, all the bishops who are in the world, having pronounced judgment, expelled him under anathema. D
XXVI. In this part of the oration I would willingly address those who, not from vice, but from a certain levity of mind, rashly embraced this novelty, with these words: "What cause, brethren, has brought you to abandon the doctrine of our Fathers, which thought rightly, and to follow a novelty lately devised by heretics? You should have perceived how our holy Fathers, not following fictions, handed down to us this hymn to be sung not in such a way, but taught by a certain divine revelation, which not to one or another, nor in some part of the earth...
A but at midday in the clearest light, became manifest to the whole population of the city of Constantinople, which is most loving of Christ, at the time when the most blessed Father, the bishop and teacher Proclus, who was approved above many, presided over the see of Constantinople. But whatever has been divinely revealed to us by the prompting of divine grace, that is in no part lacking, but is altogether perfect and suitable for salvation, not needing the inventions of human argument, nor any addition or subtraction, as the divine Scriptures teach, when they say: *The word, which I command thee this day, see that thou observe it well, neither add any thing, nor diminish any thing from it* [Deut. 12:32], since truly to add or take away from the divine utterances is dangerous, he says, and brings great destruction upon those who do these things: for we are not those who can correct Christ, but those who ought to be subject to Christ and obey Him. These things, and many others, though it be permitted to say on this matter to our own people who think thus, whom we desire to be taught, it is of the utmost ignorance to admit the innovation of a heretical man. Let them therefore cease from this point on to think with a heretical man.
XXVII. Therefore, when that Peter had been condemned by all the bishops under anathema (as we have said) and Zeno had fled from the empire on account of the invasion of Basiliscus, he himself also fled and took himself to certain unknown places. But after Zeno returned to the empire, he sought out Peter the Fuller and restored him as bishop of the Church of Antioch, although he had not yet been freed from the anathema: but he relegated the blessed Patriarch Calendio into exile in the Oasis, with that Fuller seizing the bishopric of the Antiochian see by force. And he, as an impious man, and having no hope left, exercised that very tyranny with impunity, or rather wickedly, killing, proscribing, and putting to flight all those who did not wish to communicate in his impiety. But I shall pass over these things, since they are many and require their own history. Our discourse, however, shall direct itself to that which is more urgent, so that we may make the grace of the holy apostle Barnabas known to all, and declare with what care and kindness he pursues his own fatherland.
XXVIII. Since Peter the Fuller was not yet content with those countless evils with which he afflicted the parts of the East, he laid hands even upon those provinces which pertained in nothing to him. For when he had purchased for himself the leniency of the emperor, and of those who were influential with the emperor, with gold, he subsequently despised the very law of God, and conceived a plan to harass in every way the Cypriot men, lovers of God and the faith, and of upright mind, because the inhabitants of that island, keeping the piety handed down from their fathers, refused to communicate in his impiety. And so, that most holy see of Cyprus, and from the beginning even from the time of the apostles free, he set out to seize and subject to himself, and reported this to the emperor, falsely accusing and saying: Since the word of God B spread from the city of Antioch to the island of Cyprus, for that reason the Church of Cyprus ought to be under the patriarch of the Antiochian see, since it is an apostolic and patriarchal see.
XXIX. This did that deserter of the right faith and opinion contend, when nevertheless he was not ignorant of those things which that holy synod in the city of Ephesus, with Cyril presiding, had defined as being violated and corrupted by him. But the herald of piety and most holy apostle Barnabas, assisting his own fatherland at an opportune time, refuted the folly, or rather the malice, of that Peter. For when the bishop of Salamis had been ordered to betake himself to the royal city, and to plead his cause before the patriarch against the Antiochenes, he was numbed with fear, suspecting the snares of that Fuller. At that time the bishop of the city of Salamis was Anthemius, a man most admirable, as far as pertained to the right faith and the innocence of his life, but he was little capable of sustaining a dispute with adversaries. When, therefore, he fluctuated in anxious thought, and did not have certainty as to what he ought to do, namely whether he ought to depart for Constantinople or not: in the night during his sleep, a certain one stood by him, bearing a divine appearance, and shining with much brightness of light, and clothed in a lucid garment, and decorous in sacred habit, who also said these things: Why art thou so sad now, O bishop? How has such great slothfulness seized thee? Why does thy countenance fall so? Thou shalt suffer no evil from thy adversaries. When he had said these things, he departed from Anthemius; who, having awakened, and being terrified with fear, the bishop prostrated himself on his face and with many tears prayed to God thus: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, help this Church. I know, however, that Thou dost help it. If this vision has proceeded from Thee, do, I beseech, that it be shown to me again, and a third time, so that I may be able to know for certain that Thou art with me.
XXX. Meanwhile, that bishop remained attentive C to divine prayers, removed from the gathering of all men. But on the night that followed, when that same man stood by him in the same form and habit in which he had been seen before: Already, he said, I told thee that thou wouldst suffer no evil from those things which thy adversaries threaten against thee. Therefore, suspecting nothing, come with a ready spirit to the city of Constantinople. When he had said these things, he departed. The bishop, however, again gave thanks to the Lord and did not say anything to anyone, but still awaited a third revelation. On the following night, therefore, the same man appeared, who, rebuking him more severely: How long, he said, dost thou not wish to believe my words, which are to be fulfilled in these days? Set out for the royal city with a prompt and cheerful spirit: for there thou shalt return with glory, nor shall thou have suffered any evil from thy adversaries, since thou hast God Himself as thy combatant for thy sake, because of me, His servant. Then the bishop: I beseech thee, he said, my lord, tell me, who art thou, thou who speakest these things with me? Then he said: I am Barnabas, the disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, set apart by the Holy Spirit, that together with the apostle Paul, the vessel of election, I might exercise the apostolic office among the nations. Have this as a sign of this matter: Go forth D
A five stadia outside the city toward the west, into that region which is called the Place of Health (for God himself works miracles for me in that place), and dig under the Karob tree: for you shall find a cave and a chest, because my whole body is buried there, as well as the Gospel written with his own hand that I received from the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew. But since your adversaries are confusing all things, high and low, and by citing certain laws are disputing with you, contending that the see of Antioch is apostolic, and you, in turn, oppose your right to them: 'And my see,' you say, 'is apostolic; for I also have an apostle in my native land.' Having said these things, Barnabas departed.
XXXI. The bishop, having awakened, adored God, and having gathered the entire clergy and the Christ-loving people, went out to that place which he had learned of through the revelation, with much preparation, and with the cross itself carried in front. And when he had sent up prayers to God, he ordered the place to be dug: and after they had dug a little, they found a cave obstructed by stones. When these were removed, that chest appeared, and having opened it, they found the venerable relics of the holy and venerable apostle Barnabas, breathing forth a sweet odor of spiritual grace; they also found the Gospel placed above the breast of Barnabas. They sealed that chest with a leaden seal. And when they had prayed to God and worshipped, they departed, with religious men appointed by the bishop himself in that place, to praise God with evening and morning hymns. Therefore, having with him the more distinguished bishops, he came into the royal city, Constantinople, and was conducted to the patriarch's house. When the emperor had heard of his arrival, he ordered the patriarch himself, with the synod that had gathered there, to hear the controversy of all parties and to decide what he saw fit. When the council had gathered and that case was being argued, the adversaries brought forward their rights, as they seemed to them, that the Antiochene see was an apostolic and patriarchal see: and for that reason they contended that other provinces must needs be subject to them. B
XXXII. When they asserted these things, they seemed to those present to be speaking in accordance with reason. But the blessed Anthemius, having waited a little, opposing them, said, "And my see was apostolic from the beginning, and honored with liberty, I who also have an apostle in my native land, standing in his whole body, the most blessed, I say, that Barnabas, most famous for the laudations of holy praise." When Anthemius had offered this, no room was left for the adversaries, since the bishops who were present had confirmed the speech of Anthemius with their silence. The adversaries themselves, suffused with blushes, remained mute, struck by that reply which was so just. When the emperor heard these things, he ordered the bishop of Cyprus to be summoned to him, and inquired diligently of him concerning the revelation of the holy apostle Barnabas. He hid nothing of what he had known to be true, but narrated the whole matter in order to the emperor. C Hearing these things, he was very glad, D admiring the riches of divine grace, that in the times of his empire so great a miracle had been wrought by God, such that he might know it.
XXXIII. Then he expelled the bishop of the city of Antioch from there, and ordered that, for the future, he should be no trouble at all to the bishop of Cyprus, as far as that matter pertained. But he asked the blessed bishop Anthemius thus: "Since in the times of your holy pontificate it has pleased our Lord Jesus Christ to reveal his holy apostle Barnabas, order, I pray, that that Gospel which was found be quickly brought to us. If you do this, it will be most pleasing to me, your son; for you shall have me henceforth, father, as one obedient to you in all things." The bishop agreed to his petition, and sent one of those whom he had with him, together with a most faithful minister of the emperor, who brought that Gospel into the city of Constantinople. The books were, moreover, tablets composed of citrus wood. The emperor took that Gospel into his hands and kissed it, and having adorned it with much gold, he placed it in his palace, where it is kept to this very day, and on the great fifth day of Easter, annually, the Gospel from that book is read in the palace oratory. But he followed bishop Anthemius with great honors, and having gifted him with much money, sent him back to the island of Cyprus, and commanded him to erect a temple to the holy apostle Barnabas in that place where his venerable relics had been found. Many of the number of the nobles contributed money for the building of that temple.
XXXIV. He, therefore, having returned to Cyprus, collected many craftsmen and laborers, gave no small effort to the construction, and built a very large temple for the apostle Barnabas, notable both in its architecture and in its much and varied ornamentation. But at that part of the temple which faces toward Libya, he composed a certain hall, having four porticos, and built cells on this side and that, opposite one another in the hall, so that the monks who celebrated divine offices in that temple might be able to dwell in those cells. Furthermore, he caused an aqueduct to be diverted from a distant region, and in the middle of the atrium he built a very beautiful basin, into which that water might flow, so that both those who lived in that place and those who had traveled from abroad might be able to enjoy those waters in abundance. He also built many other hostels there, in which pilgrims and guests might be refreshed, so that whoever had seen that place would think he saw the likeness of a small and pleasant city. Then he placed that chest, in which the relics of the apostle Barnabas were stored, in the right part of the holy altar, which place was adorned with much silver and marble columns. Now the feast day upon which the memory of the blessed apostle and noble martyr Barnabas was to be celebrated, the Fathers determined should be held every year on the Ides of June, as the Romans count: but as the Cypriot Constantienses, on the eleventh day of the month, which is called *Msores* by them, and is counted the tenth;
Asiatic men, or the Paphian, count it as the nineteenth of the month which is called Phthipatus, and it is numbered as the ninth. At this time of the year, therefore, a great many Gentiles assemble in that place and celebrate divine offices to the glory of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, to whom glory is due for ever and ever. Amen.
XXXV. The revelation of the relics of the holy apostle Barnabas occurred as we have said. But if anyone wished to write down the miracles that daily flow in abundance from his most holy tomb, he could not, I think, encompass them even in many volumes. We, therefore, returning to the memory of those things which we have said above, let us follow this man—who for the sake of piety performed all contests with excellence and was therefore gifted with a heavenly crown—with divine hymns, and let us celebrate the same blessed one, proclaiming his praises. For he, like a certain fruit-bearing olive tree planted in the house of God, daily offers to God himself fruits breathing a sweet scent. He is the glory of emperors, the joy of priests, the exultation of peoples, the consolation of those who are pressed by straits, the refuge and refreshment of the afflicted, the hope and helper of the desperate, the rest of pilgrims, the medicine of the sick, the guardian of the healthy, the fountain of spiritual graces, the wall of the Church, the bulwark of the orthodox, the defense of faithful men, the ornament of the whole world. Yet so many and so great are thy praises, O most blessed apostle of Jesus Christ Barnabas, that they surpass the mind and speech of all men. Nevertheless, hold our small and meager poverty—yet certainly accepted by thee—as a petition to Him whom thou hast loved, Christ, the only-begotten Son of God and the Word, so that thou mayest not be loath to intercede for us, that He may snatch us from this present and laborious age, and grant that we may attain the remission of sins, clemency, and much mercy on that terrible day when He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
XXXVI. And pray to God for your successor, who governs your holy see, firm and immovable—of which you were also the champion—zealously maintaining the faith with the same understanding, a legitimate and true teacher of the orthodox truth, an imitator of our Savior, our pastor and Father, who is present and manifests clearly the illustrious memory of you, that He may preserve him in health for many cycles of years upon your most holy see, ruling His people in peace and tranquility, that he may also direct the doctrine of truth with all holiness and justice. Furthermore, we pray that with the same care with which you have always pursued your fatherland, you may pursue it even now, and guard it with your holy prayers before God, and deliver it from the scandals of those who work iniquity, so that we may lead a life in this age in peace, modesty, and piety, and, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, may be able to arrive at that eternal life of which we all desire to become partakers, by the grace, mercy, and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.