Feast of St. Barnabas AD 2023

Saint Barnabas, who was not one of the twelve apostles, but who is still called an apostle, died as a martyr on June 11, in the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Nero, that is, in the year 61. Barnabas came from the island of Cyprus, and he also died on the same island, in the city of Salamis. According to the book of Acts, we can suppose that Barnabas was a rather tall and handsome man, because the people of the city of Lystra considered him to be Zeus or Jupiter. We also know that he was a patient and kind person, and in today’s Lesson from the book of Acts we were told that «he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith».