The meaning of barnabas, the apostle in the orthodox encyclopedia tree. Life of the Apostle Barnabas Barnabas the Apostle from 70

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 1 from Jewish parents descended from the Levites; the ancient great prophets of God - Moses 2 , Aaron 3 and Samuel 4 - also came from his family of Levites.

The ancestors of Barnabas moved from Palestine to the island of Cyprus because of the wars that took place in Palestine. His parents were very rich and had their own village near Jerusalem, abounding in gardens and various fruits, and adorned with a large building, since they had their home here. For ever since the holy prophet Isaiah 5 wrote: And I will build houses and live in them, for they shall 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, the parents of Barnabas had their own house and their village near Jerusalem.

Having given birth to the one about whom our word is, they named him Joseph and brought him up in book learning; when the youth came to perfect age, they sent him to Jerusalem to the most famous teacher of that time, Gamaliel, so that he would teach Barnabas a more perfect understanding of the Jewish books and the whole law of God. Here Joseph had among his peers Saul, who was later called Paul; and they both studied under the same teacher Gamaliel, excelling in reason, understanding of books and in a virtuous life.

Joseph came every morning and evening to the temple of Solomon 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 acquaintance with disorderly youths and in no case did he want to hear those words that could darken the mind of a young man, but, carefully observing himself, he constantly learned in 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 temple, worked many and most glorious miracles; all marveled at him; from all sides 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 that proceeded from His holy lips, he was touched by his heart and greatly marveled at the miracles that He worked; seeing how He healed the paralytic at the Sheep’s font (John 5:1-15) with His word, seeing also 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 despised the secrets of human hearts, seeing that Joseph's heart burned with divine love, graciously blessed him and did not forbid him to follow Him. First of all, Joseph hurried to the house of his aunt, named Mary, the mother of John, later named Mark, and said to her: “Come and see the One whom our fathers very much wanted to see; for a certain prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee teaches in the temple and performs great miracles, so that many consider Him to be the expected Messiah."

As soon as the woman heard this, she immediately left everything and hurriedly headed towards the temple; Seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, she fell on her face at His feet and prayed, “Lord!

Seeing her faith, the Lord came to her house and blessed her and all who were 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), then he saw that they were few, and therefore he said:" the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few"(Matt. 9:37); for this reason, the Lord revealed to the world and other seventy disciples, whom He sent two in front of His face to every city and village (Luke 10: 1). Among these seventy disciples of the Lord, he was one of the first and Saint Joseph, renamed by the holy apostles Barnabas, that is, the son of consolation, because by his sermon about the Messiah who had come into the world, he comforted people who with great impatience awaited the coming of the Messiah, just as the sons of Zebedee were called the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17 ), since they were to thunder through the universe with their sermon like thunder, so this Saint Joseph was called the son of consolation, for his apostolic labors were to bring great joy to the elect of God. And holy Chrysostom, explaining the reason for renaming him, says (Acts. 11): "It seems to me that he deserved his name, for in order (to be a son of comfort) he was quite able."

After the ascension of the Lord into heaven, the holy apostles lived all together in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul; 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 it at the feet of the Apostles "(Acts 4:32,34,35). At that time, Saint Joseph, who was called the Apostle Barnabas, sold the aforementioned 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 desired to become rich in God, in whom indeed he was enriched, as is testified to: " 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 fatherly traditions; therefore, he laughed at Saint Barnabas as if he had been deceived, and even spoke blasphemous words against the Lord Jesus Christ, calling Him the son of a carpenter, a man of a simple rank, given over to a shameful death. entering the houses of believers, dragging 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 eyes of Saul's soul, so that he would know the truth; he very much desired to have Saul as a friend in the Christian faith, just as he had him as a friend in Gamaliel's school.

The tears and prayers of Barnabas 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 6 . And the wolf turned into a sheep; the blasphemer of the name of Christ began to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; former persecutor, became the defender of the Church; for after receiving holy baptism, Saul immediately went to the Jewish assemblies 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, and tried to pester the students, but everyone was afraid of him, not believing that he was a student"(Acts 9:26). Then Saint Barnabas, meeting 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, foretold of old by the prophets, but at the present time come true for the sake of our salvation?

Saul, falling at his feet, answered with tears like this: “Forgive me, teacher of the truth, Barnabas! Now I understand that everything you told me about Christ is the truth; I now confess myself to be the Son of God, the Only Begotten, co-eternal with the Father and co-eternal, This one, being the radiance of the glory of the Father, and the image of his hypostasis"(Heb. 1:3), in last days these humiliated" Himself, taking the form of a slave"(Philippians 2:7), having become a perfect man, having been born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, having accepted free sufferings and the cross; then He rose 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 a former slanderer and persecutor, Saint Barnabas was surprised; shedding tears of joy and embracing Saul, he said:

"Who taught you, O Saul, to speak such inspired words? Who persuaded you to confess Jesus the Nazarene as the Son of God? Where did you learn such a perfect knowledge of 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 from above shone on me and I fell to the ground for fear, I heard a voice saying: Saul, Saul! why are you chasing me?"But I, in fear and horror, said:

- "Who are you, Lord?"

He answered me with meekness and generosity: I am the Jesus you are persecuting".

I was very surprised at His long-suffering and after praying, I said:

- "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

Then He taught me everything I told you (Acts 9:3-6).

After these words, Saint Barnabas took Saul by the hand and led him to the apostles, saying:

Here is the one who pursued us, now ours. He who opposed us now thinks with us about our Lord; he who was our enemy before is now our friend and co-worker in the vineyard of Christ. Here I present to you the meek lamb, which was formerly a ferocious 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 amazed, rejoiced, and glorified God. And Saul was with them; together with them he entered and left Jerusalem, striving for the name of Christ and courageously denouncing Jews and Greeks. These latter marveled greatly at how a man who had so recently persecuted all 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 let him go to Tarsus 7, to his fatherland, so that he would preach the Lord Jesus Christ there.

At this time in Syrian Antioch, a great and glorious city, the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ began to spread. For when the holy Protomartyr Stephen was killed, on that day a great persecution arose against the Church of Jerusalem, so that all the believers were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles; then some of those scattered came " as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews"(Acts 11:19); but then they began to preach the gospel of 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 more about everything that had happened there and confirm the new converts. He, having come there and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced greatly and comforted everyone with the word of the Lord, admonishing everyone to abide with the Lord unrelentingly. While Saint Barnabas preached there for an insufficient time, a very large number of people joined the Lord. Since the disciples multiplied every day, there were few teachers, so that many harvests did not have laborers, then Saint Barnabas, leaving Antioch for a time, went to Tarsus, wishing to find his friend Saul here; finding him, he brought him to Antioch; and both of them labored in the conversion of human souls to Christ God, leading the Jews and Greeks to faith in Christ They stayed in Antioch for a whole year, gathering in the temple and instructing the people, where 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 proclaim to the holy apostles how the grace of God acted in Antioch. At the same time, each of Antioch, according to his condition, sent, together with Barnabas and Saul, everything needed to his brothers living in Judea, who were impoverished and miserable, for then there was a great famine in Judea, according to the prophecy of St. Agab: this Agav was also from among the seventy apostles 8 . Having collected sufficient alms, the Antiochians sent them to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.

When Barnabas and Saul, now called Paul 9, arrived in Jerusalem, they greatly rejoiced the Church, announcing the multiplication of believers in Antioch and bringing generous alms from them.

At this time, a great confusion suddenly occurred in the church of Jerusalem, for " King Herod raised his hands on some of those who belonged to the church"(Acts 12:1), and" killed James Zebedee, the brother of John, with the sword "(Acts 12: 2). Noticing that the Jews liked it, he ordered Peter to be taken and put him in prison, from which the apostle Peter was led out by a holy angel. All this time, until the embarrassment inflicted on the Church by the persecutors subsided in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul hid in the house of the aforementioned Mary, the aunt of Barnabas, to whom Saint Peter also came, after the angel brought him out of prison.Then Barnabas and Saul, having finished their work in Jerusalem, returned again to Antioch, taking Mary's son with them, after they had all spent a sufficient time in Antioch, ascetic 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 Gentiles. to the prophets and teachers: "Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, having fasted and prayed, and laying hands on them, they let them go" (Acts 13:2,3). They first of all went to Seleucia 10, from here they sailed to Cyprus and stopped at Salamis 11. 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 12, they met a certain sorcerer of a false prophet of the Jews, by the name of Ellima, with Sergius the anthipat, a very wise man. Here they enlightened the enthipat with the holy faith And they blinded Hellim the sorcerer, who resisted them, with a word. And leaving Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia. And their servant John, who is also Mark, seeing their great sufferings, which they endured for proclaiming the name of Christ, (for they did not at all feared death), was afraid to go with them because of his youth, so leaving them, he returned to Jerusalem, to his mother.Barnabas and Paul, having passed through Perga, came to Antioch in Pisidia (a city different from the great Syrian Antioch). having been expelled from here, they shook off the dust from their feet and arrived in Iconium 13; but here also Jews and Gentiles intended to stone them; but they, having learned about this, went with haste to the cities of Lycaon 14, Lystra and Derbe, and in their vicinity, and preached the gospel here. Here they healed a lame man who was in his infirmity from the time of his birth and 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 offer them sacrifices; while the people called Barnabas Zeus 15 , and Paul Hermes 16 , and the holy apostles barely persuaded the people not to offer sacrifices to them. Then the same people, having been taught by the Jews, raised a rebellion 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 having converted many here to Christ, the holy apostles undertook the return journey to Syrian Antioch, heading through the same cities and villages. Throughout their path, they strengthened the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to remain in the faith and teaching them that we must enter the kingdom of heaven through many tribulations. Having ordained presbyters in all the churches and having 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 17, then sailed to Antioch in Syria, from where they were sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the word of the Lord to the Gentiles. Arriving in the city and gathering all the faithful, they told them everything that God had done with them, and how many pagans they converted to Christ, and they stayed in Antioch for quite a while.

Shortly thereafter, a dispute arose between the believing Jews and the Greeks about circumcision, for some of the Jews said that those who were not circumcised according to the law of Moses could not be saved. Those who believed among the Greeks considered circumcision a great burden for themselves. Barnabas and Paul resisted the Jews and protected the Greeks from circumcision. But since the dispute and wrangling on this issue did not stop, it became necessary for Barnabas and Paul to go from the Church of Antioch again to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders in order to ask them about circumcision. Barnabas and Paul, in addition, it was necessary to proclaim to the apostles that God " opened the door of faith to the Gentiles"(Acts 15:4). Barnabas and Paul, sent by the church (Antioch), passing through Phoenicia and Samaria, everywhere announced the conversion of the Gentiles, which the believers rejoiced over.

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 wonderful signs and wonders that God had done by their hand among the Gentiles. Regarding circumcision, the apostles, having consulted a council, decided to abolish it forever for believers, not only among the Greeks, but also among the Jews, as superfluous with 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 thus: “Apostles and presbyters and brethren who are in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia to the brethren from the Gentiles: rejoice. Because we heard that some who went out from us, confused you with their speeches and shook your souls, saying that they should be circumcised and keep the law, which we did not entrust to them: then we, gathered together, decided with one accord, having chosen men, to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, people who betrayed souls ours for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will explain the same to you in words. For it is pleasing to the Holy Spirit and us not to place any more burden on you than this necessary one: to abstain from things offered to idols, and blood, and strangled and fornication, and not to do to others what you do not want to yourself. Observing this, you will do well. Be healthy "(Acts 15:23-29).

With such a message, the holy apostles Barnabas and Paul, and with them Judas and Silas, set off on their journey from Jerusalem to Antioch. At this time, the aforementioned John, called Mark, the son of Mary, Barnabas's aunt, not daring to approach St. Paul, approached his uncle, St. Barnabas, with repentance and tears, regretting that he had gone away from them when they were preaching to the pagans: John began to ask Saint Barnabas to take him with him again, promising without fear to go to all suffering and even death for the Lord: Barnabas took him as his nephew. Together they all reached Antioch. Gathering the faithful, the apostles gave them a message; when they read it, they all rejoiced greatly. Judas and Silas comforted the brethren with their words and confirmed them in the Lord. Some time later, Judah returned to Jerusalem, but Silas remained 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 again visit our brethren; 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; But Paul did not want this, saying: "Why should we take with us a cowardly young man who had previously left us in Pamphylia, not wanting to go with us to the work to which we were sent and, having separated from us, returned to his relatives?"

There was a strife between us, since Barnabas wanted to take John, but Paul did not; so they parted ways, 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 enough to preach to one great teacher where two great teachers intended to go; each, preaching separately, would have made a special 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.

Having reached the island of Cyprus, his fatherland, Saint Barnabas undertook considerable labors, for here he converted many people to Christ. Having multiplied the number of believers in Cyprus, Barnabas went to Rome and, as some say, he was the first to preach Christ in Rome. Then, having founded and approved the episcopal throne in the city of Mediolanum 19, 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 revolt the people, saying that everything preached by Barnabas is contrary to God and the law of Moses; these Jews blasphemed the honest name of Varnavino with many blasphemies and planned to kill him, inciting many against him. The apostle, foreseeing his martyrdom, called together all the faithful who lived in that city; having sufficiently instructed them in faith and good deeds and persuaded them to be courageous in confessing the name of Christ, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and communed all the Mysteries of Christ. Then, taking separately Mark, his companion, he said to him: “On this day I will end my life, accepting death at the hands of 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 all 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 the last kiss to his kinsman, Saint Mark, Barnabas went to the Jewish assembly. When he began to speak here from the books of the prophets about Christ, the Jews who came from Syria rose up against him, stirred up other Jews, and laying their murderous hands on him, brought him out of the city to the western side and stoned him here; then, having made a fire, they threw the body of the holy apostle on it to be burned. But when later Saint Mark came here secretly from everyone, along with other brethren, he found the body of the holy Apostle Barnabas unharmed, completely unaffected by the fire; taking him, he buried him in a cave, five stadia distant from the city, and, according to the will of the apostle, laid the Gospel on his chest 20 . Then he went in search of the Apostle Paul; finding him in Ephesus 21, he told him everything about the death of the holy apostle Barnabas; St. Paul mourned the death of Barnabas, but Mark kept to himself.

After the murder of Saint Barnabas in the city of Salamis, a great persecution arose from the Jews against the believers; so everyone fled from that city and hid where they could. Since that time, the place where the honest relics of the Apostle Barnabas were laid in oblivion has fallen 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 where 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 with 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 who were weak and paralyzed were brought here; all received here complete healing of their ailments and returned to their homes healthy. The demon-possessed were also brought here, and immediately the unclean spirits ran away from the people with loud cries. Here the lame received their walk, the blind received their sight, and in general, anyone who was possessed by any ailment 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 on this place, for no one knew anything about the relics of the apostles; therefore the place was called the "Place of Health". But it is necessary to know how the honest relics of the holy apostle were obtained.

A certain evil heretic, Peter the Belizer, nicknamed Knafei, an opponent of the IV Ecumenical Council of the Holy Fathers 22, which took place in the city of Chalcedon 23 , and a defender of the heresy of Eutychius, as well as an accomplice of the evil faith of Apollinarius 24 , in the reign of Zeno 25 , by cunning seized the throne of the Patriarchate of Antioch and brought very great harm to the Church of Christ with his wrong teaching. But he was not satisfied with the diocese of Antioch assigned to him, in which he persecuted and persecuted Christians, betraying them to many torments; he wished to seize under his rule the island of Cyprus, which had been free from 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 orthodox Christians, rejected his wrong philosophizing about what suffered on the cross deity).

But he tried in every possible way to win them over to his side, saying this: "Since the word of God came to Cyprus from Antioch, for this reason the Cypriot church must obey the patriarch of Antioch."

Because of all this, the archbishop of Cyprus, named Anthim, fell into great sorrow, for he knew that that Peter, using the favor of the king, could very easily achieve whatever he wanted. And indeed, soon a royal order came to Cyprus, commanding the Archbishop of Cyprus to arrive in Constantinople to answer at the council in front of 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 king's command, and he 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 fast and pray diligently, asking with tears for help, protection and useful advice from God Himself.

One night, when Anfim dozed off from a great prayerful labor, a certain divine man appeared before him in a bright sacred robe, illuminated by heavenly rays. The one who appeared said: "Why, archbishop, are you 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 his sleep, was filled with horror; then he prostrated himself on the ground crosswise for prayer and began to pray with many tears, saying this: “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God! so that I can see him again, I pray to You, and the third time, so that I, a sinner, will finally make sure 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 already told you that you will not suffer at all from your opponents, so, fearing nothing, go to Constantinople."

Having said this, the one who appeared became invisible.

Archbishop Anfim, again giving thanks to God and saying nothing to anyone about what he had seen, added prayer to prayer and tears to tears, may he be vouchsafed this vision a third time, and may it be revealed to him who was who appeared.

On the third night, the same man appeared and said: “How long will you not believe my words, which will come true in the coming days? me, His servant, will be your protector."

Then the archbishop dared to say to the one who appeared: "I beg you, my lord, tell me, who are you, speaking 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, His holy Apostle Paul, to preach the word of God to the Gentiles. beyond the city to the western side for five stades, and in that place which is called the "Place of Health" (for there, for me, God miraculously gives health to the sick), dig out the ground under a tree that grows horns: there you will find a cave and a shrine in which the relics are laid you will also find the Gospel, written by my own hand, which I copied from the holy evangelist Apostle Matthew. 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 highly thankful to God, called together the clergy, the city leaders and all the people and told everyone about the threefold apparition 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 honest cross. When they reached the indicated place, they began to dig up the earth under a tree, as the apostle said in a vision; having dug up the earth from above, they found a cave covered with stones; having removed the stones, they saw the cancer and felt a great and inexpressible fragrance; opening the shrine, they saw in it the relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas intact and intact, they also saw the Gospel lying on his chest 26 . All in great joy and joy gave glory to God and reverently bowed to the honest relics, touching them with faith and love. At this time, many miracles happened: everyone who was obsessed with any illness received health after touching the honest relics. Then Archbishop Anfim, not daring to take the reliquary with the relics of the apostles from that place, sealed it with tin and ordered the spiritual order to remain with the reliquary and to perform the usual psalmody at the apostolic sepulcher day and night. He himself went to Tsargrad; presenting himself to the council, he answered his opponents in the way he had been taught by the Apostle Barnabas. Emperor Zeno rejoiced greatly that during the days of his reign such a great spiritual treasure was found, and immediately ordered that the island of Cyprus should not be subordinate to the patriarch, but would be independently ruled by its archbishop; also ordered that the archbishop of Cyprus be appointed by his own bishops.

Such was the freedom 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 bishopric of Cyprus began to be called the apostolic throne, like other patriarchal thrones. Blessed Anfim, 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 chest of the apostle: accepting it, he decorated it with gold and precious stones and placed it in the royal chamber of his church; he gave the archbishop a lot of gold to build a beautiful temple on the very spot where the honest relics of the apostle Barnabas were found.

Thus, the archbishop returned to himself with glory and honor, and soon built a great and beautiful temple in the name of the apostle; he laid the holy 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 for eternity. Amen.

Kontakion, tone 3:

You were the all-true servant of the Lord, but you appeared to the Apostles of the seventy first: you illuminated your preaching with Paul, proclaiming Christ the Savior to everyone: for the sake of singing your divine memory Barnabo, we perform.

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1 The island of Cyprus was located in the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea.

2 Moses is the famous leader and legislator of the Jewish people, the first sacred writer who lived in the XV centuries BC. On Mount Sinai, he received the 10 commandments from God and was able to see the glory of God. Everything received from God, commandments and regulations, as well as the initial history of the Jewish people, he outlined in the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch of Moses). His memory is celebrated by St. Church on September 4th.

3 Aaron - the first high priest of the people of Israel, the brother of the prophet Moses (Exodus 7:7).

4 Samuel - a prophet and judge of the people of Israel, who lived for the XI centuries AD. His life and work are described in 1 book. Kingdoms. His memory is celebrated on August 20.

5 Isaiah - the famous Jewish prophet, who lived and acted for the VIII century. BC under the four kings of the Jews; Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Isaiah's prophecies relating to Jesus Christ are so clear and definite that the prophet Isaiah is rightly called "the Old Testament evangelist." His memory is celebrated by St. Church on May 9th.

6 The story of Saul's conversion is given in Acts 9:1-19. The city of Damascus lies to the northeast of Palestine, at the eastern foot of Anti-Lebanon.

7 Tarsus - a large city in ancient times, located in the Asia Minor region of Cilicia. The remains of this city have survived to this day.

8 The famine predicted by the prophet Agav really took place in Palestine, in the 44th year, under Caesar Claudius (Acts 11:28). Many secular writers of that time, such as Josephus Flavius, Suetonius, Tacitus, and others testify to the severe famine that raged at that time in Palestine. Subsequently, during the stay of ap. Paul in Caesarea, he also predicted his imprisonment in chains (Acts 21:10-11). Memory of St. Prophet Agave is performed by St. Church on April 8th.

9 The history of the life and work of St. Apostle Paul is set forth in the book. Acts of the Apostles. See also St. Apostle Paul, below, on the 29th.

10 Seleucia is a seaside town in Syria on the Mediterranean Sea, not far from the mouth of the Orontes River, 25 versts from Antioch. This city was founded by the Syrian king Seleucus Nicator 300 years before Christ.

11 The city of Salamis was on the eastern side of the island of Cyprus. Its ruins are indicated near the village of Famagusta.

12 The city of Paphos was on the coast of the island of Cyprus opposite Salamis. Paphos was the main city of the island and the seat of the proconsul.

13 Iconium is an Asia Minor city. Now Konya.

14 Lycaonia - Asia Minor region.

15 Zeus, or Jupiter, is the supreme god of the Greco-Roman religion.

16 Hermes or Mercury was considered by the ancient Greeks and Romans as the patron of trade and industry.

17 The city of Attalia was located in the Asia Minor province of Pamphylia, near Perga, not far from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Now here is the town of Antali with 800 inhabitants.

18 Acts 15:36-41; 16:1. Some suggest that the holy apostle Barnabas, after preaching on the island of Cyprus and elsewhere, again joined St. the apostle Paul and shared his preaching work; they also think that it was Barnabas who was the brother sent by St. Paul together with Titus to the Corinthians, who, according to St. Paul, is glorified in all the churches for the gospel (2 Corinthians 8:18).

19 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 the archpastoral activity of St. Ambrose, the most famous father and teacher of the Western Church, who lived in the 4th century. His memory is celebrated by St. Church on December 4th.

20 Death of St. Apostle Barnabas followed ca. 62

21 Ephesus is a city of Asia Minor, lying between Smyrna and Miletus, at the river Kaistra, not far from its confluence with the Icarus Sea.

22 IV The Ecumenical Council took place in 451 and was convened to denounce the heresy of Archimandrite Eutyches of Constantinople, who claimed that in Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the deity, and therefore recognized in him only one nature - divine.

23 Chalcedon, or Calchedon, was originally a Megarian colony on the coast of Propontis (Sea of Marmara). Under the Christian emperors, Chalcedon was the capital of the Asia Minor province of Bithynia.

24 Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea, unjustly taught that the Son of God, when incarnated, did not take on a full human nature, but only a human soul and body, while the divinity replaced the human mind with Him. This heresy was condemned at the Second Ecumenical Council, which took place in the city of Constantinople in 381.

Holy Apostle Barnabas was born on the island of Cyprus in a family of wealthy Jews and was named Joseph. He received his education in Jerusalem, being brought up together with his friend and peer Saul (the future) with Gamaliel, the famous teacher of the law at that time. Joseph was pious, often visited the temple, strictly observed the fasts, kept himself from youthful hobbies. At that time, our Lord Jesus Christ began a public sermon. Seeing the Lord and hearing His Divine words, Joseph believed in Him as in the Messiah, kindled love for Him and followed Him. The Lord chose him among the 70 disciples. Among the followers of the Lord, Joseph received a second name - Barnabas, which in Hebrew means "son of comfort." After the Ascension of the Lord to Heaven, he sold the land that belonged to him near Jerusalem and brought money to the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself ().

When Saul, after his conversion, came to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples of Christ, everyone feared him as a recent persecutor. Barnabas came with him to the apostles and told how the Lord appeared to Paul on the way to Damascus ().

On the instructions of the Apostles, Saint Barnabas went to Antioch to confirm those who believed: “Arriving and seeing the grace of God, he rejoiced and urged everyone to hold on to the Lord with a sincere heart” (). Then the apostle Barnabas went to Tarsus, and then he brought the apostle Paul to Antioch, where the people taught in the temple for about a year. Here the disciples first began to be called Christians. On the occasion of the onset of famine, taking generous alms, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. When King Herod killed the Apostle James Zebedee and, to please the Jews, took the Apostle Peter into custody, the holy apostles Barnabas and Paul, led out of prison by the Angel of the Lord, hid in the house of Barnabas' aunt, Mary. And as soon as the persecution subsided, they returned to Antioch, taking with them the son of Mary, John, called Mark. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophets and teachers who were there ordained Barnabas and Paul and released them to the work to which the Lord called them (). After staying in Seleucia, they sailed to Cyprus and in the city of Salamis in the Jewish synagogues they preached the Word of God. In Paphos they found a sorcerer, a false prophet named Variesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius. Desiring to hear the Word of God, the proconsul invited the holy apostles to his place. The sorcerer tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith, but the apostle Paul denounced the sorcerer and, according to his word, he suddenly became blind. The proconsul believed in Christ (). From Paphos, the Apostles arrived in Perga Pamphylia, and then preached to Jews and Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch and throughout that country. The Jews rebelled and expelled Paul and Barnabas. The apostles came to Iconium, but, having learned that the Jews wanted to stone them, they withdrew to Lystra and Derbe. There, the apostle Paul healed a man who had not been able to use his legs from birth. The people mistook them for the gods Zeus and Hermes and wanted to sacrifice to them. The apostles barely persuaded not to do this ().

When the question arose whether converted Gentiles should be circumcised, the apostles Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem. There they were received with love by the apostles and presbyters. The preachers told "what God did with them and how He opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (). After a long discussion, the Apostles collectively decided not to place any burden on the pagans, except for the necessary - to refrain from sacrificial idolatry and blood, strangled and fornication and not to do to others what they do not want for themselves (). The message was sent with the apostles Barnabas and Paul, and they again evangelized in Antioch, and after some time decided to visit the cities where they had previously preached. The apostle Barnabas wanted to take Mark with him, but the apostle Paul did not want to, since he had previously lagged behind them. There was a disagreement, and the Apostles parted. Paul took Power with him and went to Syria and Cilicia, and Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus ().

Having multiplied the number of believers in Cyprus, the apostle Barnabas went to Rome, where, perhaps, the first preached Christ.

The Apostle Barnabas founded the episcopal see in Mediolan (Milan), and upon his return to Cyprus continued preaching about Christ the Savior. Then the bitter Jews stirred up the pagans against the Apostle, took him out of the city, stoned him, and built a fire to burn the body. Later, having come to this place, Mark took the unharmed body of the Apostle and buried it in a cave, placing on his chest, according to the will of the Apostle, the Gospel of Matthew rewritten by his own hand.

The Apostle Barnabas died about the age of 62, at the age of 76. Over time, the burial place of the Apostle in the cave was forgotten. But numerous signs were revealed in this place. In 448, under Emperor Zeno, the Apostle Barnabas appeared three times in a dream to the Archbishop of Cyprus, Anthimus, and showed him the burial place of his relics. Starting to dig in the indicated place, the Christians found the incorruptible body of the Apostle and the holy Gospel lying on his chest. From that time on, the Cypriot Church began to be called apostolic and received the right to independently elect a primate. Thus, the Apostle Barnabas defended Cyprus from the claims of the enemy of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the heretic Peter, nicknamed Knafei, who seized the patriarchal throne in Antioch and sought power over the Cypriot Church.

*Published in Russian:

Message / Per. Iv. Chuprovsky // Christian reading. 1830. XXXVII. S. 3 sl. The same / From input. and approx. priest P. A. Preobrazhensky // Writings of the Apostolic Men. M., 1860 (Monuments of ancient Christian writing in Russian. Lane. T. 2. appendix to the journal "Orthodox Review"). *

The name of St. Barnabas shone in the constellation of 70 apostles. The Holy Church sings this church star as the first among the seventy. Annunciator of the Word of God-St. Apostle Barnabas is called the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church and the first archbishop of Cyprus. To the northern part of the island of Cyprus (now-self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) pilgrims depart to visit all the places associated with apostolic activity, martyrdom, the acquisition of holy relics and the construction of a monastery in honor of the Apostle Barnabas.

1. Icon of St. Apostle Barnabas

Among the ruins of ancient Salamis

Today, the Mediterranean coast not far from the ruins of the ancient port city of Salamis, which for centuries had the palm in Cyprus, does not remind of its glorious past. According to reference books, "an excellent harbor with many ships" was once built here. The well-fortified city of Salamis, on the east coast of the island, was known as a thriving commercial center with a population of about two hundred thousand people. Stone ruins destroyed by Arab raids in the 7th century. and then ceased to exist, Salamina, for many years served as building material for another port city of Famagusta, located a few kilometers north of it.

Approximately in the spring of the year 45 [ 1 ] the Apostle Barnabas sailed from Seleucia to Salamis on a ship. This was his first missionary trip to Cyprus with the Apostle Paul (Acts 13:5). Barnabas (Bar-Naba) literally means "son of consolation." Barnabas - this name was given by the apostles to the Christian Josiah (Joseph), a Cyprian Jew who came from a wealthy family and was a member of the Jerusalem church. From a young age, he was distinguished by piety, attended the temple, kept fasts and kept himself from various youthful hobbies. He was a generous and kind-hearted man who set a good example of a Christian giving to the needs of his fellow men. After the Ascension of the Lord to Heaven, he sold the estate that belonged to him near Jerusalem and laid all the proceeds at the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself (Acts 4:36,37). Barnabas stood up for the newly converted Paul: when he came to Jerusalem, Barnabas warmly received him and then led the apostles into the midst (Acts 9:26,27). Around the year 34-35, the apostles attracted Barnabas to missionary activity, which began after the stoning of the First Martyr Stephen. First, the Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to Antioch to help the new Christians (Acts 11:22-26). The island of Cyprus also belonged to Antioch.

Stepping from the ship to the coast of Salamis, Barnabas, accompanied by his nephew John Mark, undertook considerable efforts here to convert the Hellenes and Jews to Christ. Having multiplied first in this city, and then in other places of Cyprus, the number of believers, Barnabas and Paul went to Asia Minor.

After successfully carrying out missionary activity for a number of years in various cities, the apostle Barnabas decided to return to Cyprus again to continue preaching about the teachings of Christ.

For the second time, the Apostle Barnabas arrived in the city of Salamis around 57 (according to other sources - c. 61/62). At that time he was already 76 years old [2]. Outwardly, the apostle probably looked the same as he is depicted on the icons: a man of advanced years, with dark hair or gray hair and a beard of medium length [3]. During this visit to the island, the city of Salamis became the place of the last sermons and the martyrdom of the apostle. This is reported in the apocryphal work “The Journey and Torment of the Apostle Barnabas” (Acts of the Apostle Barnabas; 5th century), attributed to the Apostle Mark [4], and in the theological work “Encomium to Saint Barnabas” by Alexander of Cyprus [Salami], who lived in the 6th century. The last days of the earthly life of the Apostle Barnabas in Salamis are also narrated in the exposition of St. Demetrius of Rostov. The zealous preaching of the apostle set the Jews living in Salamis against him. They resisted him in every possible way, blasphemed his good name, and then, setting many townspeople against him, decided to kill him. Foreseeing his death, Barnabas called the believers together, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, gave them communion, gave the last instruction, and said goodbye to the believers forever. At the same time, he instructed his companion Mark to take his body after death, which he would find "outside the city on the western side", bury him and later tell the Apostle Paul about everything. Barnabas also bequeathed to put with him in the coffin the Holy Gospel of Matthew, which he himself had once copied, which he never parted from. Further, the Apostle Barnabas himself partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and fearlessly appeared in the synagogue where a meeting of the Jews was taking place and began to preach the teachings of Christ to those assembled. The embittered Jews rushed to Barnabas, took him out of the city and stoned him. After that, they built a fire and wanted to burn the holy body, but it remained intact and unharmed. Subsequently, Mark, who secretly came to the place of burning, was convinced of this. Taking the body of the apostle, he buried it "in one cave, which was five stages away from the city." The time of the martyrdom of the Apostle Barnabas is attributed to the year 57 [6].

After the murder of the apostle, the Jews of Salamis began to persecute all the followers of Christ in the city. The believers fled from Salamis and hid in many places. From Cyprus, Mark went in search of the Apostle Paul and, meeting him in Ephesus, told him about the martyr's crown of the holy Apostle Barnabas. The Apostle Paul mourned the death of Barnabas.

Some additional information about the last hours of Barnabas's life is contained in the work of Alexander of Cyprus, who said that the apostle "was seized during a sermon in the synagogue", and before being stoned he was subjected to "long torment." Not only Mark, but also “other Christians” participated in the “secret burial” of the Apostle Barnabas.

The “Walking and Torment of the Apostle Barnabas” tells that “two days” after the arrival of the Apostle Barnabas in Salamis and the beginning of his preaching activity in the local synagogue, “the Jewish magician and pseudo-prophet Variesus-Elim” also arrived in the same city. He succeeded in restoring the Jews against Barnabas. They seized the apostle and wanted to bring him to trial before the governor of the city, but then, changing their plans, they decided to execute him in secret. At night, in the synagogue, they put a lasso around his neck and led him first to the hippodrome and further beyond the city walls, where they were burnt. The ashes of the apostle "were gathered in a shroud and, having sealed it with lead, they decided to throw it into the sea." Meanwhile, Mark “together with Timon and Rodon managed to steal the ashes at night” and bury him in one of the caves near the city, where “the Jebusites first settled” (the Jebusites are a people who lived in Canaan even before the arrival of the Israelites and founded at the end of the 3rd millennium BC the city of Jerusalem and originally inhabited it. - Note A.Kh.). After the funeral, "Mark, Timon and Rodon hid from the Jews in a cave for three days, and then went to Limnit." Over time, the burial place of the Apostle Barnabas near Salamis was forgotten for a long time.

The locality of Igias, where the holy relics of the apostle were found Barnabas

At the beginning of the IV century. Salamis became the place of execution of the holy martyrs Aristoklius of Salamis (Cyprus), Dimitrian and Athanasius. During the open confession of the Christian faith during the reign of Emperor Maximian (c. 306), they were beheaded with a sword. Since the reign of Constantine the Great, Salamis has become the ecclesiastical center of Cyprus [7]. In 332 and 342 years. two strong earthquakes occurred on the island, completely destroying Salamis. In the last century (1952-1974), archaeologists discovered on its territory the ruins of several small early Christian and Byzantine temples and stone pools, where baptisms were probably performed. The Roman Emperor Constantius II (son of Constantine the Great), who ruled from 337-361, rebuilt the city after the destruction and renamed it Constance. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Cyprus in 395 became part of Byzantium.

Four centuries after the martyrdom of Barnabas, the Lord glorified (c. 488) that hidden place near Salamis, where the holy remains of the apostle were located. This was the time when the Christian faith had already spread throughout Cyprus, but historians attribute the complete Christianization of the population of the island only to the beginning of the 5th century [8]. It was also a tense time for the island, when the question of the autocephaly of the Cypriot Church was finally resolved. Attempts to annex it to his diocese were made by the Patriarch of Antioch Peter Gnafevs [9]. Back in 431, Cypriot Christians turned to the Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council with a request to confirm the autocephaly of the Cypriot Church and received a positive decision from the Council. In 478, the archbishop of Constantia and all of Cyprus, Anthemius, again addressed the Byzantine emperor with the same request.

Miracles and healings from the relics of St. Barnabas revealed to the people the place where the tomb of the apostle was located. It was discovered in a shallow cave located about one kilometer from the city of Constantia (Salamis), in an area called Igias ("Place of Health"). Here, before the eyes of many people, miracles were often performed, the rumor of which spread throughout the island. Now this "Place of Health" is located near the Cypriot village of Engomi (Enkomi, also - Tuzla). According to legend, the cave with the tomb was located under an evergreen tree with a wide crown, called "carob". It has been known since ancient times and as "John's breadfruit". In Russia, its fruits were called "Tsaregradsky pod". Dried sweet brown pods were very fond of poor people who rested under a tree that had another name among the people - “chocolate”.

In Igias, in the place where this amazing tree grew, many wondrous miracles took place. So, travelers who were sick or tired from a long journey, who spent the night under a carob tree, received “health” and a surge of new strength by the morning of the next day. Having learned about such miracles, believers specially came to this unusual place, spent the nights here and received healing from various ailments. Over time, the "Place of Health" became very famous in Cyprus, and here the inhabitants of the surrounding villages brought many infirm and relaxed people. According to legend, the demon-possessed were healed here, the lame corrected their gait, the blind became sighted.

A legend has also been preserved that tells how the honest relics of the holy apostle were found in Igias.

According to the Encomius to Saint Barnabas, Archbishop Anthemius was thrice seen in a dream by the Apostle Barnabas, who indicated where to look for his burial place. In the text of Dimitry of Rostov we find the following lines: “...Here you [i.e. Archbishop Anthemius] a sign: go out of the city to the western side for five stages and in the place called the “Place of Health” (for there, for my sake, God miraculously gives health to the sick), dig the ground under a tree that grows horns: there you will find a cave and the shrine in which my relics are laid; you will also find the Gospel written by my own hand” [10].

And on June 11, filled with joy, Archbishop Anthemius told the assembled people about the threefold appearance and speeches of the Apostle Barnabas, and after that he led with psalmody procession towards Igias. In the indicated place, they dug up the earth under a tree, found a cave closed with stones, and in it - a shrine. All those present at the moment of opening the shrine felt a “great and inexpressible fragrance” and saw in it the whole and intact relics of the holy apostle Barnabas, as well as the Gospel. At the hour of the uncovering of the relics, many miracles took place throughout the island of Cyprus. The shrine with the relics of the apostle was sealed with tin and it was decided not to transfer it to another place. By order of Archbishop Anthemius, they began to perform psalmody day and night at the apostolic tomb.

History testifies that thanks to the acquisition of the relics of the Apostle Barnabas and the discovery of a valuable Gospel, the island of Cyprus was later granted freedom, and its Church managed to achieve autocephaly. Archbishop Anthemius went to Constantinople, taking with him on the road the discovered Gospel and part of the relics of the holy apostle. The Byzantine emperor Flavius Zeno rejoiced at the fact that it was during the days of his reign in Cyprus that such a great spiritual treasure was found. Archbishop Anthemius, who handed over to the emperor the Gospel and part of the relics of the apostle, was awarded great honors from the emperor and from the entire spiritual council. The emperor favorably reacted to the request of Archbishop Anthemius for the need for autocephaly of the Cypriot Church. By his own order, a Synod was convened in Constantinople, which determined the status of the autocephaly of the Cypriot Church. Having approved this decision, the emperor ordered that the island of Cyprus no longer be subordinate to the patriarch and received the right to independently elect a primate. However, the autocephaly of the Cypriot Church was finally approved only in 691-692. .

The gospel and part of the relics of the holy apostle were placed in the church of St. Stephen in the Great Palace of Constantinople. Archbishop Anthemius received a lot of gold as a gift from the emperor for the construction of a temple on the site of the discovery of the honest relics of the Apostle Barnabas.

Engomi, where there is a monastery in the name of the holy apostle Barnabas

Archbishop Anthemius returned with glory and honor to Cyprus and soon (c. 488) built a large temple in the form of a three-nave basilica at the expense of the Byzantine emperor Flavius Zeno and with his own savings. There is also an opinion that the original Byzantine basilica had a gable wooden roof. At the temple, the monastery of the Holy Apostle Barnabas was founded.

2. The building of the monastery in honor of St. Apostle Barnabas

Now this inactive monastery is located three kilometers from Salamis, not far from the village of Engomi. Those who have followed in the footsteps of the Apostle Barnabas in Cyprus know that the monastery rises not at all on the site of the alleged acquisition of the relics of the apostle, but at some distance from it. According to legend, the shrine with the relics of the apostle was moved from the cave and installed in a new temple. Archbishop Anthemius established to celebrate the memory of the holy Apostle Barnabas on the day of finding his honorable relics - on the eleventh day of the month of June.

During the Arab raids in the 7th century. the temple and all the buildings of the monastery were destroyed. The same fate befell the ancient Salamis (Constance), whose inhabitants moved to the neighboring city of Famagusta. In 1674, the temple was rebuilt in Engomi. Modern look the building of the monastery was acquired only after its reconstruction in 1757. The icons for the iconostasis were painted in the 17th-18th centuries. .

3. The iconostasis of the temple in honor of St. Apostle Barnabas

The number of brethren in the monastery was quite small: for example, in 1917 - three, after 1965 - 7 people. In 1974, all the monks were expelled by the Turks, and the monastery church was looted. Currently, the monastery is an Archaeological Museum, where collected from Orthodox monasteries and temples of northern Cyprus, icons and various Christian relics, as well as various archaeological finds.

By long tradition On June 11, on the day of memory of the Apostle Barnabas, festive markets were held on the square in front of the monastery, but in the mid-70s, due to political events on the island, they were interrupted. Since 2005, the situation has changed towards the revival in Engomi of a holiday in honor of the Apostle Barnabas and an organized pilgrimage to places apostolic ministry apostle in the north of the island. Orthodox priests periodically come to the monastery from the churches and monasteries of southern Cyprus, where in 1974 they transferred parts of the relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas.

4. Chapel "Place of Health" above the crypt

The modern chapel at the site of the uncovering of the relics in Igias, adjacent to the village of Engomi, was built in 1954. Over the centuries, this chapel above the crypt was repeatedly destroyed and restored. Cypriots traditionally call it the "Place of Health". There are 14 steps leading from the chapel to the stone-carved tomb. In a cave illuminated by electricity on the ground and on the walls, pilgrims leave icons as a gift, and also light lamps and candles near the place where the shrine with the relics of the Apostle Barnabas was located. The place of the tomb is covered with a shroud.

5. In the cave where there was a shrine with the relics of St. Apostle Barnabas

A eucalyptus alley, approximately 80 meters long, leads from the chapel to the monastery building.

On the relics of the holy apostle Barnabas

Information about when and where the relics of the holy apostle were transferred from Cyprus can be gleaned from The Orthodox Encyclopedia. The publication, citing Western sources, reports that "the main part of the relics" of the Apostle Barnabas was transferred from Cyprus to Milan, "from where the head of the saint came to Toulouse." This information today can be refreshed with new facts. Only in Italy alone there are several versions about the places where the relics (head) of the apostle are stored. So, one dome is in the monastery church “St. Rosa da Lima”, which after its closure (1866) became part of the hotel complex “St. Rosa da Lima" in the Italian village of Conca dei Marini (Conca dei Marini; province of Salerno). It is known that these relics were donated to the Dominican monastery by the Bishop of Pozzuoli, Gerolamo Dandolfi (Landolfi; 1722-1789).

Another chapter is kept in the parish church of the village of Endenna (commune of Zogno in the Lombardy region). The third chapter is allegedly located in Naples, in the church of Gesu Nuovo (Gesu Nuovo), namely, in the chapel of the Catholic saint Giuseppe Moscati, where the local parish of St. Andrew the First-Called (Moscow Patriarchate) conducts pilgrimage excursions. Of course, not all of these cases can be talking about the authentic relics of the apostle.

According to Italian sources, the relics (part of the hand) of the Apostle Barnabas are kept in the Basilica of St. Barnabas (Basilica di San Barnaba a Marino) in the city of Marino (region - Lazio; province of Rome), as well as in Milan and Padua. In Western Europe, particles of the relics of the apostle are kept in Prague, Cologne, in the Belgian city of Namur, in the Bavarian monastery Andeks.

In 1974, after the Turks occupied the northern part of Cyprus, particles of the relics of the Apostle Barnabas were taken to the southern part of the island. Here, valuable relics are stored in the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God (Kikk Monastery), in the stauropegial monastery Mahera (Maheras) and in the monastery of Stavrovouni (Holy Cross).

In all these Cypriot monasteries, as well as in various European cities and abbeys where the relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas rest, a lot of evidence has been recorded that over the centuries these relics have been the source of many miracles and therefore they are honored with special love by Eastern and Western Christians.

Literature:

[ 1 ]. Apostle from 70 Barnabas. - Orthodox Encyclopedia. - T. VI (c. 641-646). - M., 2003; Bible Encyclopedia. Guide to the Bible. (Russian Bible Society). -1995, p.344.

[2]. Lives of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles. - M.: Ladder; Artos-Media, 2006, p.218.

[3]. Apostle from 70 Barnabas. - Orthodox Encyclopedia. - Vol. VI (c. 641-646). - M., 2003.

[ 4 ]. There.

[ 5 ].

[6]. Apostle from 70 Barnabas. - Orthodox Encyclopedia. - Vol. VI (c. 641-646). - M., 2003.

[7]. See: Korovina A.K., Sidorova N.A. Cities of Cyprus. Cities and museums of the world. - M.: Art, 1973; Starshov E. Shrines and antiquities of Cyprus. - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2013.

[ eight ]. There.

[ 9 ]. Zoitakis A. History of Cyprus Orthodox Church in the I - X centuries. - [Electronic resource] URL: http://www.agionoros.ru/docs/468.html

[ 10 ]. The Life and Passion of the Holy Apostle Barnabas. June 11, Art. st. / June 24, n.st. - In the book: St. Dimitri Rostovsky. Lives of the Saints. Volume 6. June.

See: Korovina A.K., Sidorova N.A. Cities of Cyprus. Cities and museums of the world. - M.: Art, 1973; Starshov E. Shrines and antiquities of Cyprus. - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2013.

. The Life and Passion of the Holy Apostle Barnabas. June 11, Art. st. / June 24, n.st. - In the book: St. Dimitri Rostovsky. Lives of the Saints. Volume 6. June.

The ancestors of Barnabas moved from Palestine to the island of Cyprus because of the wars that took place in Palestine. His parents were very rich and had their own village near Jerusalem, abounding in gardens and various fruits, and adorned with a large building, since they had their home here. For from the time when the holy prophet Isaiah wrote: “And I will build houses and live in them, for they will be a seed blessed from the Lord” (), 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, the parents of Barnabas also had their house and their village near Jerusalem.

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 temple, worked many and most glorious miracles; all marveled at him; from all sides 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 that proceeded from His holy lips, he was touched by his heart and greatly marveled at the miracles that He worked; seeing how He healed the paralytic at the Sheep font () with His word, seeing also 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 despised the secrets of human hearts, seeing that Joseph's heart burned with divine love, graciously blessed him and did not forbid him to follow Him. First of all, Joseph hurried to the house of his aunt, named Mary, the mother of John, later named Mark, and said to her: “Come and see the One whom our fathers longed to see; for a certain prophet Jesus of Nazareth of Galilee teaches in the temple and performs great miracles, so that many consider Him to be the expected Messiah.”

As soon as the woman heard this, she immediately left everything and hurriedly headed towards the temple; Seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, she fell on her face at His feet and prayed, “Lord! If I have found grace before You, enter the house of Your servant, in order to bless all my household with Your entrance.

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"(), then I saw that there were few of them, which is why I said: "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few"(); for this reason, the Lord revealed to the world and other seventy disciples, whom he sent two in front of his face to every city and village (). 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 by his sermon about the Messiah who had come into the world, he comforted people who with great impatience awaited the coming of the Messiah. Just as the sons of Zebedee were called the sons of thunder (), since they were to thunder through the universe with their preaching like thunder, so this Saint Joseph was called the son of comfort, for his apostolic labors were to bring great joy to God's chosen ones. And the holy Chrysostom, explaining the reason for renaming him, says (): "It seems to me that he received his name on merit, for in order (to be the son of consolation) he was quite capable."

After the ascension of the Lord to 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 none of his possessions called his own, but they had everything in common. There was no one in need among them; for all those who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid it at the feet of the Apostles ”(). At that time, Saint Joseph, who was called the Apostle Barnabas, sold the aforementioned 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 desired to grow rich in God, in whom indeed he became rich, as is testified to: "He was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and faith"(). 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 fatherly traditions; therefore, he laughed at Saint Barnabas as if he were a seduced person, he even spoke blasphemous words against the Lord Jesus Christ, calling Him the son of a carpenter, a man of a simple rank, given over 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 men and women and putting them in prison”(), then Saint Barnabas greatly mourned him and earnestly prayed to God, raising his clean hands, that He would enlighten the eyes of Saul so that he would know the truth; he greatly desired to have Saul as a friend in the Christian faith, just as he had had him as a friend in Gamaliel's school.

The tears and prayers of Barnabas 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. And the wolf turned into a sheep; the blasphemer of the name of Christ began to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; former persecutor, became the defender of the Church; for after receiving holy baptism, Saul immediately went to the Jewish assemblies 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, “and tried to pester the students, but everyone was afraid of him, not believing that he was a student”(). Then Saint Barnabas, meeting 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, foretold of old by the prophets, but at the present time has come true for the sake of our salvation?

Saul, crouching at his feet, answered with tears like this: “Forgive me, teacher of the truth, Barnabas! Now I understand that everything you told me about Christ is the truth; Him Whom I formerly blasphemed, calling 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-eternal, "This one, being the radiance of the glory of the Father, and the image of his hypostasis"(), in these last days he despised "Himself, taking the form of a slave"(), becoming a perfect person, having been born from the Blessed Virgin Mary, having accepted free suffering and the cross; then He arose on the third day, appeared to you, His apostles, ascended into heaven and sits at 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 a former slanderer and persecutor, Saint Barnabas was surprised; shedding tears of joy and embracing Saul, he said:

“Who taught you, O Saul, to speak such inspired words? Who convinced you to confess Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God? Where did you learn such a perfect knowledge of the dogmas of the divine?

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 as to a fiend, and even now I hear His divine voice in my ears. When a wonderful light from above shone on me and I fell to the ground from fear, I heard a voice saying: "Saul, Saul! why are you chasing me?" I, in fear and horror, said:

– "Who are you, Lord?"

He answered me with meekness and kindness: "I am the Jesus you persecute".

I was very surprised at His long-suffering and after praying, I said:

– "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

Then He taught me everything that I told you ().

After these words, Saint Barnabas took Saul by the hand and led him to the apostles, saying:

- Here is the one who pursued us, now ours. He who opposed us now thinks with us about our Lord; he who was our enemy before is now our friend and co-worker in the vineyard of Christ. Here I present to you the meek lamb, which was formerly a ferocious 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 amazed, rejoiced, and glorified God. And Saul was with them; together with them he entered and left Jerusalem, striving for the name of Christ and courageously denouncing Jews and Greeks. These latter marveled greatly at how a man who had so recently persecuted all 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 let him go to Tarsus, to his fatherland, so that he would preach the Lord Jesus Christ there.

At this time in Syrian Antioch, a great and glorious city, the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ began to spread. For when the holy Protomartyr Stephen was killed, on that day a great persecution arose against the Church of Jerusalem, so that all the believers were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles; then some of those scattered came "as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews"(); but later they also began to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus to the Greeks; “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number, believing, turned to the Lord”(). The Jerusalem church heard about it; Therefore, the apostles sent Saint Barnabas to Syrian Antioch, so that he would learn more about everything that had happened there and confirm the new converts. But he, having come there and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced greatly and comforted everyone with the word of the Lord, exhorting everyone to abide with the Lord unfailingly. While St. Barnabas preached there for an insufficient amount of time, a very large number of people joined the Lord. Since the disciples multiplied every day, but there were few teachers, so that many harvests had no workers, then Saint Barnabas, leaving Antioch for a while, went to Tarsus, wishing to find his friend Saul here; finding him, he brought him to Antioch; and both of them labored in the conversion of human souls to Christ God, leading Jews and Greeks to faith in Christ. They stayed in Antioch for a whole year, gathering in the temple and instructing 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 proclaim to the holy apostles how the grace of God acted in Antioch. At the same time, each of Antioch, according to his condition, sent, together with Barnabas and Saul, everything needed to his brothers living in Judea, who were impoverished and miserable, for then there was a great famine in Judea, according to the prophecy of St. Agab: this Agav was also from among the seventy apostles. Having collected sufficient alms, the Antiochians sent them to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.

When Barnabas and Saul, now called Paul, arrived in Jerusalem, they greatly rejoiced the Church, announcing the multiplication of believers in Antioch and bringing generous alms from them.

At this time, a great confusion suddenly occurred in the Jerusalem church, for "King Herod raised his hands on some of those who belonged to the church"(), and "killed James Zebedee, the brother of John, with the sword"(). Noticing that the Jews liked this, he ordered Peter to be taken and put him in prison, from which the Apostle Peter was led out by a holy angel. All this time, until the embarrassment inflicted on the Church by the persecutors subsided in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul hid in the house of the aforementioned Mary, Barnabas's aunt, to whom Saint Peter also came after the angel led him out of prison. Then Barnabas and Saul, having finished their work in Jerusalem, returned again to Antioch, taking with them the son of Mary, named John, named Mark. After all of them had 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: “Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then they, after fasting and praying, and laying their hands on them, let them go.” (). They first went to Seleucia, from there they sailed to Cyprus and stopped at Salamis. 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, they met a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, by the name of Ellima, under Sergius' anfipat, a very reasonable husband. Here they enlightened the Anthipat with the holy faith, but they blinded the sorcerer Ellim, who resisted them, with a word. Having departed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia. Their servant John, who is also Mark, seeing their great sufferings that they endured for proclaiming 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 Syrian Antioch). Being expelled from here, they shook off the dust from their feet and arrived in Iconium; but here also Jews and Gentiles intended to stone them; but they, having learned about this, went with haste to the cities of Lycaon, Lystra and Derbe, and in their vicinity, and preached the gospel there. Here they healed a lame man who was in his infirmity from the time of his birth and 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 offer them sacrifices; at the same time, the people called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermes, and the holy apostles hardly persuaded the people not to sacrifice to them. Then the same people, having been taught by the Jews, raised a rebellion 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 having converted many here to Christ, the holy apostles undertook the return journey to Syrian Antioch, heading through the same cities and villages. Throughout their path, they strengthened the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to remain in the faith and teaching them that we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven through many tribulations. Having ordained presbyters in all the churches and having 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, then sailed to Syrian Antioch, from where they were sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the word of the Lord to the Gentiles. Arriving in the city and gathering all the faithful, they told them everything that God had done with them, and how many pagans they converted to Christ, and stayed in Antioch for a considerable time.

Shortly thereafter, a dispute arose between the believing Jews and the Greeks about circumcision, for some of the Jews said that those who were not circumcised according to the law of Moses could not be saved. Those who believed among the Greeks considered circumcision a great burden for themselves. Barnabas and Paul resisted the Jews and protected the Greeks from circumcision. But since the dispute and wrangling on this issue did not stop, it became necessary for Barnabas and Paul to go from the Church of Antioch again to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders in order to ask them about circumcision. Barnabas and Paul, in addition, it was necessary to proclaim to the apostles that God "opened the door of faith to the Gentiles"(). Barnabas and Paul, sent by the church (Antioch), passing through Phoenicia and Samaria, everywhere announced the conversion of the pagans, which the believers rejoiced over.

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 wonderful signs and wonders that God had done by their hand among the Gentiles. Regarding circumcision, the apostles, having consulted a council, decided to abolish it forever for believers, not only among the Greeks, but also among the Jews, as superfluous with 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 thus: “Apostles and presbyters and brethren, to the brethren from the Gentiles who are in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: rejoice. because we heard that some who came out from us confused you with their speeches and shook your souls, saying that they should be circumcised and keep the law, which we did not entrust to them, then we gathered together and with one accord decided, having chosen men, to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, people who gave their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will explain the same to you in words. For it is pleasing to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place any more burden on you, except this necessary one: to abstain from things offered to idols, and blood, and strangled, and fornication, and not to do to others what you do not want for yourself. By following this, you will do well. Be healthy" ().

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; But Paul did not want this, saying: “Why do we take with us a cowardly young man who previously left us in Pamphylia, not wanting to go with us to the work to which we were sent and, having separated from us, returned to his relatives?”

There was a strife between us, since Barnabas wanted to take John, but Paul did not; so they parted ways, 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 enough to preach to one great teacher where two great teachers intended to go; each, preaching separately, would have made a special 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, while Saint Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with his nephew John.

Having reached the island of Cyprus, his fatherland, Saint Barnabas undertook considerable labors, for here he converted many people to Christ. Having multiplied the number of believers in Cyprus, Barnabas went to Rome and, as some say, he was the first to preach Christ in Rome. Then, having founded and approved the episcopal throne in the city of Mediolanum, 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 revolt the people, saying that everything preached by Barnabas is contrary to God and the law of Moses; these Jews blasphemed the honest name of Varnavino with many blasphemies and planned to kill him, inciting many against him. The apostle, foreseeing his martyrdom, called together all the faithful who lived in that city; having sufficiently instructed them in faith and good deeds and persuaded them to be courageous in confessing the name of Christ, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and communed all the Mysteries of Christ. Then, taking separately Mark, his companion, he said to him: “On this day I will end my life, accepting death from the hands of unfaithful Jews, as the Lord told me; 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 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 the last kiss to his kinsman, Saint Mark, Barnabas went to the Jewish assembly. When he began to speak here from the books of the prophets about Christ, the Jews who came from Syria rose up against him, stirred up other Jews, and laying their murderous hands on him, brought him out of the city to the western side and stoned him here; then, having made a fire, they threw the body of the holy apostle on it to be burned. But when later Saint Mark came here secretly from everyone, along with other brethren, he found the body of the holy Apostle Barnabas unharmed, completely unaffected by the fire; taking him, he buried him in a cave, five stadia distant from the city, and, according to the will of the apostle, laid the Gospel on his chest. Then he went in search of the Apostle Paul; finding him in Ephesus, he told him everything about the death of the holy apostle Barnabas; St. Paul mourned the death of Barnabas, but Mark kept to himself.

A certain evil heretic, Peter the white-washer, nicknamed Knafei, an opponent of the IV Ecumenical Council of the Holy Fathers, which took place in the city of Chalcedon, and a defender of the heresy of Eutychius, as well as an accomplice of the evil faith of Apollinarius, in the reign of Zeno, by cunning seized the throne of the Patriarchate of Antioch and brought very great harm to his wrong teaching of the Church of Christ. But he was not satisfied with the diocese of Antioch assigned to him, in which he persecuted and persecuted Christians, betraying them to many torments; he wished to seize under his rule the island of Cyprus, which had been free from 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 orthodox Christians, rejected his wrong philosophizing about what suffered on the cross deity).

But he tried in every possible way to win them over to his side, saying this: “Since the word of God came to Cyprus from Antioch, for this reason the Cypriot church must obey the Patriarch of Antioch.”

One night, when Anfim dozed off from a great prayerful labor, 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 in the least from your opponents.

Having said this, the husband who appeared suddenly became invisible. The archbishop, awakening from his sleep, was filled with horror; then he prostrated himself on the ground crosswise for prayer and began to pray with many tears, saying this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God! Do not leave Your Church, but give her the help of 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 You, and the third time, so that I, a sinner, finally make sure that You, my Helper, are with me!

The next night the archbishop had the same vision; the same radiant husband appeared to him and said: “I have already told you that you will not suffer at all from your opponents, so, fearing nothing, go to Constantinople.”

Having said this, the one who appeared became invisible.

On the third night, the same man appeared and said: “How long 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, without suffering 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 appeared: “I beg you, my lord, tell me, who are you, speaking 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 Gentiles. In order that you may be convinced of the truth of my words, here is a sign for you: go out of the city to the western side for five stages and in the place called the “Place of Health” (for there, for my sake, God miraculously gives health to the sick), dig up the earth under a tree that grows horns: there you will find a cave and a shrine in which my relics are laid; 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 highly thankful to God, called together the clergy, the rulers of the city, and all the people, and told everyone about the threefold apparition 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 honest cross. When they reached the indicated place, they began to dig up the earth under a tree, as the apostle said in a vision; having dug up the earth from above, they found a cave covered with stones; having removed the stones, they saw the cancer and felt a great and inexpressible fragrance; opening the shrine, they saw in it the honest relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas intact and intact, they also saw the Gospel lying on his chest. All in great joy and joy gave glory to God and reverently bowed to the honest relics, touching them with faith and love. At this time, many miracles happened: everyone who was obsessed with any ailment received health after touching the honest relics. Then Archbishop Anfim, not daring to take the reliquary with the relics of the apostles from that place, sealed it with tin and ordered the spiritual order to remain with the reliquary and to perform the usual psalmody at the apostolic sepulcher day and night. He himself went to Tsargrad; presenting himself to the council, he answered his opponents in the way he had been taught by the Apostle Barnabas. Emperor Zeno rejoiced greatly that during the days of his reign such a great spiritual treasure was found, and immediately ordered that the island of Cyprus should not be subordinate to the patriarch, but would be independently ruled by its archbishop; also ordered that the archbishop of Cyprus be appointed by his own bishops.

Such was the freedom 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 bishopric of Cyprus began to be called the apostolic throne, like other patriarchal thrones. Blessed Anfim, 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 chest of the apostle: accepting it, he adorned it with gold and precious stones and laid him down in the royal chamber of his church; he gave the archbishop a lot of gold to build a beautiful temple on the very spot where the honest relics of the apostle Barnabas were found.

Apostle Barnabas (Greek icon) Barnabas (Greek Βαρνάβας; ? 61 years old, Cyprus) Christian saint, apostle from the seventy, founder of the Cypriot church. One of the first Levites to convert to Christianity and maintain a well-known apostolic institution ... Wikipedia

Apostolic man, one of the first Levites who converted to Christianity and supported the well-known apostolic institution: the communion of estates (Acts IV, 32-37). He was from the island of Cyprus and partly shared missionary work with the apostle Paul, but ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Y, husband. Star. redk.Otch.: Varnavich, Varnavichna. Derivatives: Varnavka; Vara; Nava. Name days: Jan 17, June 24, Aug 31, Nov 13 Dictionary of personal names. Barnabas Son of the prophet (aram.). January 17 (4) - Apostle Barnabas. June 24 (11) - Apostle Barnabas and ... ... Dictionary of personal names

Andrei Rublev, Holy Apostle Paul ... Wikipedia

- (Greek Βαρνάβας) Greek Genus: male. Etymological meaning: son of comfort Foreign language analogues: Greek ... Wikipedia

Simon (Hebrew שמעון Shimon) ... Wikipedia

Barnabas is a Christian saint, an apostle from the seventy, the founder of the Cypriot church. Barnabas Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, ascetic writer, holy fool. Barnabas Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church; Metropolitan of Cheboksary and Chuvash. ... ... Wikipedia

Mark the Evangelist (miniature Codex Aureus ... Wikipedia

- (Josia) (d. 62), apostle from the 70th, friend and associate of the apostle Paul (see PAUL (apostle)) (Acts of the Apostles 4:36; 9:27, etc.), Bishop of Mediolan, Cyprus; suffered in Salamis (Cyprus); the “Epistle of Barnabas” is attributed to him, which was not included in ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Barnabas- an apostle from the 70th, a constant companion of the apostle Paul. Initially, this man was called Josiah, but since he had a brilliant gift of persuasion and brought comfort to the unfortunate with his speeches, he was renamed Barnabas, which is translated from ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

Books

Lives of the Cypriot Saints. Collection, Chutkova L.A. In the 15th century, the famous chronicler Leonty Machairas in his `Cyprus Chronicles` called the island of Cyprus `the island of saints` - so great is the number of saints and martyrs revered by the Church. The island is blessed...
Lives of the Cypriot Saints, . In the XV century, the famous chronicler Leonty Machairas in his "Cyprus Chronicles" called the island of Cyprus "the island of saints" - so great is the number of saints and martyrs revered by the Church. The island is blessed...