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

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, condemning his own cowardice, he wept bitterly; and while he was ashamed to approach Paul, he came to Barnabas with tears and fell at his feet, begging to receive forgiveness for what had passed and promising a prayer for safety in the things to come, and saying that I am ready to endure every form of death for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. But this great Barnabas, mighty in virtues, moved by his many tears, exhorted him to cease from weeping, saying: "Let the will of the Lord be done. Only you, be ready to fulfill your promises." And having received in writing the decrees from the apostles in Jerusalem, they went down to Antioch and were rejoicing with the brethren; but Mark followed Barnabas, not with boldness.After these things, it seemed good to Barnabas and Paul to go through all the cities and visit the brethren. Then Barnabas, approaching, exhorted Paul that Mark should be their fellow traveler, being ready to contend even to death for the faith in Christ; but Paul urged in return that he should not be taken along with them. From this came the occasion for them to be separated from one another, the Lord having arranged this for the common good; for God was about to show forth Mark as a shepherd and teacher of peoples and nations. But let no one foolishly take what is said in the sacred history of the Acts concerning Mark as a personal passion, that there was a sharp disagreement; for the apostles of Christ were not carried away into a passion of wrath and anger, far from it; for how could they, who crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, who cry out with a great voice to all who believe in Christ, saying: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." For we have known from the divine Scripture a difference of sharp disagreements; for it says: "And let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works." There was therefore among the apostles a sharp disagreement, that is, a zeal for God. For Paul sought exactness, befitting apostolic perfection, but Barnabas honored compassion; so taking Mark, he sailed to Cyprus, and having passed through the whole island and made a sufficient number of people disciples, he came to Salamis; and there he spent time performing miracles and preaching the kingdom of God, and a great crowd was added to the Lord. And he reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue every sabbath, showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. And all revered him because of the divine grace poured out upon his face; for his appearance was angelic and his bearing ascetic; and he had joined eyebrows, with eyes that made one joyful, not looking grim but reverently glancing down; a grave mouth and comely lips, dripping with the sweetness of honey—for he never uttered anything more than what was necessary; a composed and unpretentious gait, and, simply put, the apostle Barnabas was altogether a pure pillar of Christ, radiating every virtue.But while he remained in the city of the Salaminians and taught the word of God, Jews came from Syria and contradicted the things spoken by him, blaspheming; and they stirred up a crowd against him, saying that he says nothing true, but also that the Jesus he speaks of was some deceiver and an adversary of God, who set aside the law and the prophets and the sabbath; and they were seeking an opportunity to kill him. But the holy apostle of Christ, Barnabas, gathering together all the brethren, said to them: "You know how I was with you the entire time, admonishing each one and exhorting you to remain in the grace and faith of our Lord

περιτέμνεσθαι καὶ τηρεῖν τὸν νόμον. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ Μάρκος ὑπὸ πάντων τιμωμένους καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τοσαύτας αἰκίας καὶ κινδύνους ἐρρωμένοι εἰσὶ καὶ ὁλόκληροι, καταγνοὺς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀνανδρίας, ἔκλαυσε πικρῶς· καὶ τῷ μὲν Παύλῳ προσελθεῖν ᾐσχύνετο, τῷ δὲ Βαρνάβᾳ προσῆλθε μετὰ δα κρύων καὶ προσέπεσε τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ, δεόμενος συγχώρησιν λαβεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν παρελθόντων καὶ εὐχὴν ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας τῶν μελλόντων ὑποσχόμενος καὶ λέγων ὅτι πᾶσαν ἰδέαν θανάτου ἑτοίμως ἔχω ὑπομεῖναι ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἐπικαμφθεὶς δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς δάκρυσιν ὁ μέγας οὗτος ἐν ἀρεταῖς Βαρνάβας, παρεκάλει αὐτὸν παύσασθαι τοῦ κλαυ θμοῦ, λέγων· "Τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου γενέσθω. Μόνον σὺ ἕτοιμος ἔσο τὰς ὑποσχέσεις σου πληρῶσαι." Λαβόντες δὲ ἐγγράφως τὰ δογματισθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἀποστόλων, κατῆλθον εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν καὶ ἦσαν ἀγαλλιώ μενοι μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν· Μάρκος δὲ ἠκολούθει τῷΒαρνάβᾳ, οὐ μετὰ παρρησίας.Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἔδοξε τοῖς περὶ Βαρνάβαν καὶ Παῦλον διελθεῖν τὰς πόλεις πάσας καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι τοὺς ἀδελ φούς. Τότε Βαρνάβας προσελθών, παρεκάλει τὸν Παῦλον, ὥστε συνέκδημον αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι τὸν Μάρκον, ἑτοίμως ἔχοντα ἕως θανάτου ἀγωνίσασθαι ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως· ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἀντεπαρεκάλει τοῦτον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν μὴ συμπαραλαμβάνεσθαι. Ἐντεῦθεν γέγονε πρόφασις τοῦ ἀποχωρισθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, τοῦ κυρίου τοῦτο οἰκονομήσαντος εἰς τὸ συμφέρον· ἤμελλε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὸν Μάρκον λαῶν καὶ ἐθνῶν ἀναδεῖξαι ποιμένα καὶ διδάσκαλον. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς ἀνοήτως λαμβανέτω πρὸς ἴδιον πάθος τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ τῶν Πράξεων ἱστορίᾳ περὶ τοῦ Μάρκου ὅτι ἐγένετο παροξυσμός· οὐ γὰρ εἰς πάθος ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ ἐξηνέχθησαν οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπόστολοι, ἄπαγε· πῶς γάρ, οἵτινες τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρω σαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις, οἱ βοῶντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς εἰς Χριστὸν πιστεύοντας καὶ λέγοντες· "Πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ κραυγὴ καὶ βλασφημία ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ." Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐγνώκαμεν ἐκ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς παροξυσμῶν διαφοράν· φησὶ γάρ· "Καὶ κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους εἰς παροξυσμὸν ἀγάπης καὶ καλῶν ἔργων." Ἐγένετο οὖν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις παροξυσμός, τουτέστι ζῆλος θεοῦ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Παῦλος ἀκρίβειαν ἐπεζήτει, ἀποστολικῇ πρέ πουσαν τελειότητι, ὁ δὲ Βαρνάβας ἐτίμα τὸ φιλάνθρωπον· λαβὼν οὖν τὸν Μάρκον, ἔπλευσεν εἰς Κύρον, καὶ πᾶσαν διελθὼν καὶ μαθητεύσας λαὸν ἱκανόν, ἦλθεν εἰς Σαλα μίνην· κἀκεῖ διέτριβεν θαυματουργῶν καὶ κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ προσετέθη ὄχλος πολὺς τῷ κυρίῳ. ∆ιελέγετο δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ κατὰ πᾶν σάββατον, ἐπιδεικνὺς ἐκ τῶν γραφῶν εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. Πάντες δὲ εὐλαβοῦντο αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν περικεχυμένην τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ θείαν χάριν· ἦν γὰρ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἀγγελικὸν καὶ τὸ σχῆμα ἀσκητικόν· σύνοφρυς δὲ ὑπῆρχεν, ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχων χαροποιούς, οὐ βλοσσυρὸν βλέποντας, ἀλλ' εὐλαβῶς κάτω νεύοντας· στόμα σεμνὸν καὶ χείλη εὐπρεπῆ, γλυκασμὸν μέλιτος ἀποστάζοντα-οὐ γὰρ ἐφθέγγετο πώποτε περιττὸν τοῦ δέον τος· βάδισμα κατεσταλμένον καὶ ἀκενόδοξον, καὶ ἁπαξ απλῶς ὅλος διόλου στήλη ἦν καθαρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ ἀπόστολος Βαρνάβας, πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἀποστίλβουσα.Ἐπιμένοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ Σαλαμινέων πόλει καὶ διδάσκοντος τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπῆλθον ἐκ τῆς Συρίας Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἀντέλεγον τοῖς λεγομένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, βλασφη μοῦντες· ἐπήγειραν δὲ ὄχλον κατ' αὐτοῦ, λέγοντες ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς λέγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὃν λέγει Ἰησοῦν, πλάνος τίς ἦν καὶ ἀντίθεος, τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας καὶ τὸ σάββατον ἀθετῶν· καὶ ἧσαν ζητοῦντες εὐκαιρίαν ἀνε λεῖν αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Βαρνάβας, συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφούς, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· " ̔Υμεῖς ἐπίστασθε πῶς μεθ' ὑμῶν τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐγενόμην, νουθετῶν ἕνα ἕκαστον καὶ παρακαλῶν ἐμμένειν τῇ χάριτι καὶ τῇ πίστει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν