04 — The Parting from Paul
The Council of Jerusalem and the rupture that followed: Barnabas and Paul carry the question of Gentile circumcision up to the apostles and elders (Acts 15:1–35), and then, planning a return visit to the churches, fall into so sharp a contention (paroxysmos) over whether to take John Mark again that they part company — Barnabas sailing for Cyprus with Mark, Paul taking Silas through Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:36–41). These files handle the Council, the quarrel, and the difficult moment at Antioch when Paul says even Barnabas was “carried away” (Galatians 2:13).
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Apostle)
This section covers the high point of Barnabas’s partnership with Paul and its painful end. At the Council of Jerusalem the two stand together as the witnesses of what God had done among the Gentiles, and James pronounces the decision that frees the Gentile mission from the yoke of the Law (Acts 15:12–29). Then, on the threshold of a second journey, comes the paroxysmos — the one open quarrel between two saints recorded in Acts — over John Mark, who had deserted them in Pamphylia. The Church reads this not as the failure of either apostle but as a providence that doubled the mission: two journeys instead of one. The section also weighs Galatians 2, where Paul names Barnabas among those “carried away” by the withdrawal from Gentile tables at Antioch — a separate and earlier strain in the partnership.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Sharp Disagreement | The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1–35) and Barnabas’s testimony there; the paroxysmos over John Mark (15:36–41); the meaning of the Greek term; the patristic readings of the quarrel; and the providential doubling of the mission. |
| Barnabas and Mark | John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10); his desertion in Pamphylia (Acts 13:13) and Barnabas’s loyalty to him; Galatians 2:1, 9, 13 — the right hand of fellowship and Barnabas “carried away” at Antioch; and the later reconciliation implied when Paul calls Mark “useful” (2 Timothy 4:11). |
See Also
- The First Journey — where John Mark first turned back (Acts 13:13)
- The Apostle of Cyprus — where Barnabas and Mark sailed after the parting
- St. Mark the Evangelist — the John Mark over whom the partners parted
- St. James, Brother of the Lord — who presided at the Council of Jerusalem
- The Ecumenical Councils — the Apostolic Council as model of conciliarity
References
- The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15. (Cited by chapter and verse.)
- The Epistle to the Galatians, chapter 2; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11.
- Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
- John Chrysostom. Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles. Trans. NPNF I/11. (Homily 34, on Acts 15:35–41.)