Barnabas in Acts: a Study of His Role in the Text of Codex Bezae

This article seeks to establish Barnabas's function in the early church by comparing the readings of Codex Bezae with the more familiar Alexandrian text. Codex Bezae pays more attention to Barnabas's Hellenistic Jewish background and to his role as a model of goodness and encouragement. The significance of this emphasis derives from an additional Bezan mention of Barnabas at Acts 1.23 as one of the candidates to replace Judas. Applying traditional Jewish techniques of exegesis, Codex Bezae identifies Barnabas with the biblical figure of Joseph. The implications are that Barnabas ought to have been selected, the error arising from the apostles' lack of understanding. It is concluded that the Bezan readings represent the original text which was modified in order to attenuate the Jewish perspective and to remove the embarrassment of apostolic fallibility.