BARSABAS (Gr. Barasbâs, "Son of Saba or Šēbhā"). - A patronymic surname of two disciples of the Apostles, who are supposed by some (e.g., C. a Lapide, E. Jacquier) to be brothers because of the identity of the paternal name, which is the Aramaic and Palmyrene Šēbā, rendered in inscriptions as Σαβᾶς and Σαβᾶος (in Flavius Josephus Σαβᾶς, Σαβᾶος). Judas and Joseph (two sons of Jacob) are the names of two brothers ('Ιωᾶς καὶ Ἰωᾶς) in a Jewish inscription from Rome (J.-B. Frey, no. 347).
1) JOSEPH B. was proposed, along with Matthias, to replace Judas Iscariot in the college of the "Twelve" (Acts 1:23: codex D, with a few other "Western" witnesses, has "B."), because he had lived with the Apostles throughout the whole of Jesus' public life (Acts 1:21 f.).
His Roman surname Iustus ('Ιούστος') was also borne by two other disciples: Titius (Acts 18:7) and Jesus (Col. 4:11). 'Ιούστος (Iustus), a Greek (Latin) adaptation of Ṣaddīq or Ṣādōq, occurs frequently as a name in Jewish inscriptions. According to L. Cerfaux, B. = "observer of the Sabbath" and would be equivalent to the "supernomen" 'Ιούστος. Nothing else is known of Joseph B. It is likely that he belonged to the 70 (72) disciples, as Eusebius states (Hist. eccl., I, 12), who relates, on the testimony of Papias, informed by the daughters of Philip, that Joseph B., having drunk a deadly poison, remained unharmed by divine grace (op. cit., III, 39, 9); this is repeated (early 5th century) by Philip of Side (ed. C. de Boor, Texte u. Untersuchungen, 5, II, Leipzig 1888, p. 170).
2) JUDAS B. was one of the "leaders (ἡγούμενοι) among the brethren" of the community of Jerusalem; perhaps he was a "presbyter." After the apostolic council, he was, together with Silas, sent to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, to carry there the letter of the apostles and presbyters. Acts 15:22-34 (codex D has "Barabbas").
His importance in the early Christian community is perhaps due to the fact that he had been a disciple of Jesus. Like Silas, he enjoyed the charism of prophecy (Acts 15:32; D adds: "full of the Holy Spirit"), which he manifested by exhorting and confirming the faithful of Antioch, in accordance with the mission he had received (Acts 15:27). Having completed the work entrusted to him, he returned to Jerusalem alone: thus v. 34 (codex D and others), which, however, is rejected by the best critics (A. Merk, Novum Testamentum graece et latine, 4th ed., Rome 1942, p. 454), because it seems to be an interpolation of the "Western" text.
Bibliography3 works
Antonino Romeo