orig. Joseph the Levite
flourished 1st century; feast day June 11
Apostolic Father and early Christian missionary.
Born in Cyprus, he was a Hellenized Jew who joined the church in Jerusalem shortly after its founding. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he helped found the church in Antioch, calling on St. Paul to assist him. A conflict eventually separated them, and Barnabas returned to the island of his birth. One legend holds that he was martyred in Cyprus. His reputed tomb is near the Monastery of St. Barnabas at Salamis, whose Christian community Paul and Barnabas founded.