St. Barnabas was born a Jew in Cyprus, probably around the time that Jesus was born. Although he had wealthy parents, at some point during his life, St. Barnabas sold everything he had, and gave all his money to the Church. As one of Jesus’ earliest followers, he is traditionally considered one of the 72 disciples of Christs.
Barnabas is responsible for welcoming St. Paul into the Church. He converted people to Christianity in Antioch and was called by God to become an “Apostle of the Gentile” along with St. Paul.
St. Barnabas is said to have been stoned to death in Salamis around the year 61.
