Alexander of Cyprus, Praise of Barnabas the Apostle

Laudatio barnabae apostoli an encomium of alexander the monk for the holy apostle barnabas, at the prompting of the presbyter and key-holder of his ve

Boorish and violent. but when he saw the great works of wonders being done through the apostles and the multitude of the people being added daily to t

The lord ordained for himself. then paul recounted to them what had happened to him on the road, and that he had seen the lord and that he had spoken

To be circumcised and to keep the law. but when mark saw them honored by all and that after so many tortures and dangers they were strong and whole, c

Jesus christ, and to keep his commandments and to do them and to abstain from every evil thing for we must all appear before the judgment seat of chr

Being pleased, he knew it to be divinely inspired and having ordained mark, he sent him as most capable to alexandria, which is by egypt and libya an

To recall him from the abyss of impiety, but when they saw him contradicting and becoming more audacious against the orthodox faith, then they pronoun

Ruling city and to be judged by the ecumenical patriarch against those of antioch, he was numbed with fear, suspecting the machinations of knapheus n

And he permitted the patriarch to hold a hearing with the resident synod concerning the matters between the parties and to discuss the issue at hand.

The cypriots of constantia on the eleventh of the tenth month, mesori, but according to the asians, that is, according to the paphians, on the ninetee

boorish and violent. But when he saw the great works of wonders being done through the apostles and the multitude of the people being added daily to the word of faith, he was vexed in his soul. And attacking, with the Libertines and Cyrenians and Alexandrians, the great orator of the church, Stephen, and not being able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke, he was turned to madness; and becoming full of wrath, he stirred up against him the disorderly ones of the people, and having killed him, he raised up a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. But as he was proceeding thus disorderly to Damascus for the ill-treatment of the faithful, the Lord tripped him up and cast him on his face; and having fallen to the ground, he recognized whom he was persecuting, and being blinded in his sight, he looked up completely to the height of heaven. And returning to Jerusalem, he sought to join the disciples, and they all fled from him, fearing his great cruelty. But the great Barnabas, meeting him, said: "How long, Saul, will you be a Saul? Why do you so rashly persecute your benefactor? Cease from destroying the awesome mystery proclaimed long ago by the prophets and revealed in our times for our salvation." Hearing these things, Saul fell at the feet of Barnabas, with many tears crying out and saying: "Forgive me, guide of the light and teacher of the truth; for by the experience of your words I have known the truth; for the one whom I, blaspheming, called the son of the carpenter, I now confess to be the only-begotten Son of the living God, of one substance and of one glory and of one throne, co-eternal and without beginning with him; who, being the effulgence of his glory and the express image of the substance of the invisible God, in these last days, for us and for our salvation, emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, that is, a perfect man from the holy virgin and Mother of God Mary, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross; who also rose from the dead on the third day and appeared to you, his apostles, and ascended into the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Father and is coming again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Hearing these things from the blasphemer and persecutor, the divine Barnabas was astonished, and from joy his face became like a morning flower; and embracing and kissing him, he said: "Who taught you, Saul, to utter such divinely inspired words? Or who persuaded you to confess Jesus the Nazarene as the Son of God? Or from where did you learn such precision of heavenly doctrines?" And he, bowing his head and weeping, with great compunction, said: "The Lord Jesus himself, who was often blasphemed and persecuted by me, a sinner, taught me all these things; for as to one born out of due time he appeared also to me, and I still have his divine and sweet voice ringing in my ears; for surpassing all goodness, he spoke to me, as I lay wretchedly on my face, defending himself rather than accusing: "Saul,Saul, why do you persecute me?" And I, with shuddering and fear, answered: "Who are you, lord?" And the Lord, with great gentleness and sympathy, said to me: "I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting." And I, being amazed at his ineffable forbearance, besought him, saying: "What shall I do, lord?" And he immediately instructed me in all these things and even more than these."Then the great Barnabas, taking him by the hand, led him to the apostles, saying: "Why do you flee the shepherd, supposing him to be a wolf? Why do you pursue the pilot as a pirate? Why do you loathe the champion as a traitor? Why do you send away the attendant of the bridegroom as a robber of the bridal chamber? For the church is a spiritual bridal chamber, of which a shepherd and pilot and for

ἄγροικον καὶ βιοθανῆ. Ὡς δὲ εἶδε τὰ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων γινόμενα τῶν θαυμάτων μεγα λουργήματα καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν καθ' ἡμέραν προστιθεμένων τῷ λόγῳ τῆς πίστεως, ἐδάκνετο τὴν ψυχήν. Προσβαλὼν δὲ μετὰ τῶν Λιβερτίνων καὶ Κυρη ναίων καὶ Ἀλεξανδρέων τῷ μεγάλῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ῥήτορι Στεφάνῳ, καὶ μὴ δυνηθεὶς ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ Πνεύματι, ᾧ ἐλάλει, εἰς μανίαν ἐτράπη· καὶ γενόμενος πλήρης θυμοῦ, ἤγειρε κατ' αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἀτάκτους τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ τοῦτον ἀνελών, ἐπήγειρε διωγμὸν μέγαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις. Ἀλλ' οὕτως αὐτὸν ἀτάκτως πορευόμενον εἰς ∆αμασκὸν ἐπὶ κακοποιήσει τῶν πιστῶν, ὁ κύριος ὑποσκελίσας, ἔβαλεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον· ὁ δὲ πεσὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐπέγνω τίνα διώκει, καὶ πηρωθεὶς τὰς ὄψεις, ἀνέβλεψε διόλου εἰς τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Ὑποστρέψας δὲ εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐζήτει κολλᾶσθαι τοῖς μαθηταῖς, καὶ πάντες ἔφευγον ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, φοβούμενοι τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ ὠμότητα. Ὁ δὲ μέγας Βαρνάβας, ἀπαντήσας αὐτῷ, εἶπεν· "Ἕως πότε, Σαῦλε, Σαοὺλ τυγχάνεις; Ἵνα τί οὕτως ἰταμῶς τὸν εὐεργέτην διώκεις; Παῦσαι πορθῶν τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν πάλαι βοώμενον φρικτὸν μυστή ριον καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις καιροῖς ἀποκαλυφθὲν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν." Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Σαῦλος, ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας Βαρνάβα, μετὰ πολλῶν δακρύων κράζων καὶ λέγων· "Συγχώρησόν μοι, ὁδηγὲ τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ διδά σκαλε τῆς ἀληθείας· ἔγνων γὰρ τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν λόγων σου τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ὃν γὰρ ἐγὼ βλασφημῶν ἔλεγον υἱὸν τοῦ τέκτονος, νῦν ὁμολογῶ αὐτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος Υἱὸν μονογενῆ, ὁμοούσιόν τε καὶ ὁμόδοξον καὶ ὁμό θρονον, συναΐδιόν τε καὶ συνάναρχον· ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ, ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων, δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν, ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτόν, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, τουτέστι τέλειον ἄνθρωπον ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου καὶ θεοτόκου Μαρίας, ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀχωρίστως· καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἐτα πείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, ὑπήκοος γενόμενος μέχρι θανάτου, θα νάτου δὲ σταυροῦ· ὃς καὶ ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὤφθη ὑμῖν, τοῖς ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνελήφθη εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ πάλιν ἔρχεται μετὰ δόξης κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος."

Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ θεσπέσιος Βαρνάβας παρὰ τοῦ βλασφήμου καὶ διώκτου, ἐξεπλάγη καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς ἐγένετο τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ἄνθος πρωϊνόν· συμ περιλαβόμενος δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ καταφιλήσας, εἶπεν· "Τίς σε, Σαῦλε, τοιαῦτα ἐδίδαξε θεόπνευστα ῥήματα φθέγ γεσθαι; Ἢ τίς σε ἔπεισεν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον Υἱὸν θεοῦ ὁμολογεῖν; Ἢ πόθεν ἔμαθες οὐρανίων δογμάτων τοσαύτην ἀκρίβειαν;" Ὁ δὲ κεκυφὼς καὶ δακρύων, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κατανύξεως ἔφη· "Αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς, ὁ πολλάκις βλασφημηθεὶς καὶ διωχθεὶς ὑπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐδίδαξέ με ταῦτα πάντα· ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοὶ καὶ ἔτι ἔναυλον ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἔχω τὴν θείαν καὶ γλυκεῖαν αὐτοῦ φωνήν· πᾶσαν γὰρ ἀγαθότητα ὑπερβάς, εἴρηκέ μοι, κειμένῳ ἐλεεινῶς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον, ἀπολογούμενος μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγκαλῶν· "Σαούλ,Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις;" Ἐγὼ δὲ μετὰ φρίκης καὶ φόβου ἀπεκρίθην· "Τίς εἶ, κύριε;" Ὁ δὲ κύριος μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιεικείας καὶ συμπαθείας εἶπε μοι· "Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος, ὃν σὺ διώκεις." Ἐκπλαγεὶς δὲ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀφάτῳ αὐτοῦ ἀνεξικακίᾳ, ἐδεήθην αὐτοῦ, λέγων· "Τί ποιήσω, κύριε;" Ὁ δὲ παραχρῆμα συνεβίβασέ με ταῦτα πάντα καὶ ἔτι πλείονα τούτων."Τότε ὁ μέγας Βαρνάβας ἐπιλαβόμενος τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἤγαγε πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους, λέγων· "Τί φεύγετε τὸν ποιμένα, λύκον αὐτὸν εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνοντες; Τί τὸν κυβερνήτην ὡς πειρατὴν διώκετε; Τί τὸν ἀριστέα ὡς προδότην μυσάττεσθε; Τί τὸν νυμφαγωγὸν ὡς ληστὴν τοῦ παστοῦ ἀποπέμπετε; Παστὸς γὰρ πνευματικὸς ἡ ἐκκλησία τυγχάνει, ἧς ποιμένα καὶ κυβερνήτην καὶ ὑπέρ