Barnabas was an apostle, but not one of the original twelve. He was a colleague of Paul on his first missionary journey. He was a Levite from Cyprus, who, having sold his property, gave all his money to the apostles. Barnabas was his surname, and his original name was Joses or Joseph (Acts 4:36-37).
Barnabas persuaded the Jerusalem community to accept Paul. The apostles were suspicious of Paul and did not believe that he was a disciple. Barnabas declared that Paul had seen the Lord and that he had preached at Damascus in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:26-27).
Barnabas went to Antioch to assist the rapidly growing group of believers there, and he brought Paul from Tarsus to Antioch (Acts 11:25). Barnabas and Paul traveled and preached in many cities, including Cyprus. When they returned to Antioch, Paul prepared for his second missionary journey, but objected to taking Mark along on the grounds that he had already left them once on their first journey. As a result, Paul and Barnabas separated, each going his own way. Paul went with Silas, while Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus (Acts 15: 36-40).
Click here for an online Bible showing the verses that mention Barnabas: BibleGateway.com - Barnabas
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