50 Jesus, Prophet of Islam
The name which the other disciples gave to Barnabas indicates
his power and eloquence as a speaker who was a source of solace
and encouragement. He was sincere, as weIl as generous. After
meeting Jesus, he sold aIl that he possessed and gave the money
for the use of the followers of Jesus. The affection Jesus and the
disciples had for mm is shown in the number of different names
by which he was known.
When the apostles decided to elect an apostle in the place of
Judas from among those who had constantly been with Jesus 'be
ginning from the baptism of John,' they selected two people to
choose from; 'Joseph, caIled Barsabas, who was sumamed Justus,
and Mathias.' (Aets 1: 22-23)There is no other Joseph who accom
panied Jesus during his life referred to in the New Testament except
the one who was popularly known as Barnabas. Thus, although
Clement of Alexandria always refers to Barnabas as an apostle in
his writings, there is nevertheless a possibility that Barsabas - who,
Goodspeed tells us, once drank a deadly poison but experienced
no ill-effects -was none other than Barnabas.
If this is so, then it also confirms that even if Barnabas was not
one of the first twelve apostles, he was certainly one of the first
seventy-two disciples -and ifthis is the case, then the fact that he
was regarded highly enough to be proposed as someone suitable
to make up the number of the first apostles to the original twelve is
supported by the tradition that as Mary, the mother of Jesus, layon
her deathbed, she caIled for the apostles, and Barnabas was one of
those who came.
It is more likely, however, that Barnabas was indeed one of the
original twelve apostles - which is what he himself states in his
Gospel, when he describes what Jesus first did after his fast of forty
days in the wildemess had been completed:
Jesus, having retumed to the region of Ierusalem, was
found againof the peoplewithexceedinggreatjoy, and
they prayed him that he would abide with them; for his
words were not as those of the scribes, but were with
power, for they touched the heart.
Jesus, seeing that great was the multitude of them
that retumed to their heart for to walk in the law of God,
wentup into the mountain,and abode aIlnightin prayer,
and when day was come he descended from the mounhttp://www.islamicbulletin.com