Barnabas vs. Paul
To Encourage or Confront?
Published March 2015
An encourager most don’t remember and an apostle many don’t like
Who were Barnabas and Paul? Was Paul an angry loner, misogynist, legalist, and curmudgeon, or hero and martyr? Through point and counterpoint, the author unravels Paul's message by looking at his relationship with Barnabas. The result is a fresh portrait of the Paul we only think we know and Barnabas an otherwise unheralded apostle.When the Church cannot condemn or kill a leader who upsets the status quo, it either canonizes the individual and controls his image (as with Paul) or pushes him off into relative obscurity (as with Barnabas). Paul and Barnabas started out as inseparable, close friends and colleagues until a conflict tore them apart. Barnabas of Cyprus faded into relative obscurity, while Paul of Tarsus became, apart from Jesus himself, the most influential figure in the history of Christianity and, arguably, the most maligned. By exploring their common journey, we can move beyond myths and assumptions. Theirs was a partnership that, quite literally, changed the world.
The book contains study questions for individual or group study.
About the Author
C. K. Robertson
The Rev. Dr. C. K. Robertson is Canon to the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Distinguished Visiting Professor at General Theological Seminary in New York City. He received his Ph.D. from Durham University and was named a Fellow of the Episcopal Church Foundation. Having served on several boards, including the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches and the Board of the Anglican Theological Review, Dr. Robertson has written and edited many books and articles, including Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives, a festschrift in honor of his doctoral supervisor, James D. G. Dunn, and Conversations with Scripture: Acts of the Apostles. He recently was named General Editor of a new book series, Studies in Episcopal and Anglican
Theology.