Original Research

When the second man takes the lead: reflections on Joseph Barnabas and Paul of Tarsus and their relationship in the New Testament

C.W. Stenschke
Koers - Bulletin for Christian Scholarship/Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap | Vol 75, No 3 | a94 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v75i3.94 | © 2010 C.W. Stenschke | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 26 July 2010 | Published: 26 July 2010

About the author(s)

C.W. Stenschke, Professor Extraordinarius, Department of New Testament and Early Christian Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa & New Testament Studies, Biblisch-Theologische Akademie, Wiedenest, Germany

Full Text:

PDF (223KB)

Abstract

Upon scrutiny Joseph Barnabas, mentioned in the New Testament mainly in the Book of Acts but also elsewhere, emerges as one of the great leaders and mentors in early Christianity. This article offers a biographical sketch of Barnabas with a particular focus on his relationship with Paul. While Barnabas appears to have been the mentor of Paul at an early stage and the leader at the beginning of the first missionary journey, he later on made room for Paul to take the lead while he (Barnabas) continued to support Paul faithfully. It seems that much of what Paul later practised in his own mission work and the way he sought for and trained co-workers had its origin in his mentorship by Barnabas. This relationship of Barnabas and Paul provides a case study of how leaders can develop and how relationships may change. The biblical portrait of this relationship addresses several crucial issues in leadership and poses several challenges to those concerned with Christian leadership.

Keywords

Joseph Barnabas; Biblical Models Of Leadership; Change In Leadership; New Testament Leadership; Paul

Metrics

Total abstract views: 1348
Total article views: 1552

Reader Comments

Before posting a comment, read our privacy policy.

Post a comment (login required)

 

Crossref Citations

1. Christian Leadership as a trans-disciplinary field of study
Volker Kessler, Louise Kretzschmar
Verbum et Ecclesia  vol: 36  issue: 1  year: 2015  
doi: 10.4102/ve.v36i1.1334