Born in Cyprus, a Jew of the tribe of Levi, Joseph, having converted to Christianity shortly after Pentecost, sold all that he had and donated his vast riches to the Apostles. On this account, and because of his skill in preaching, the Apostles named him "Barnabas" (meaning, "son of consolation" or "son of exhortation") and ranked him among there number.
St Barnabas is one of the most important saints in the history of the Church: He brought St Paul into the Christian community, he was the first "Apostle to the Gentiles", he shows us the power of mercy and was a man without any prejudices. After serving as the first Bishop of Milan, he was martyred in Cyprus and laid to rest with a copy of the Gospel according to St Matthew which he had made with his own hand.
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