The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
Joseph Barsabbas Justus
fl. AD 30 (death unrecorded) · Candidate for the Twelfth apostleship · Jerusalem
The Apostolic Age
Who Joseph Barsabbas Justus was
An eyewitness of the whole ministry “beginning from the baptism of John,” put forward with Matthias for Judas’s vacated office; the lot passed him over, and the church kept his memory anyway. Papias, on the report of Philip’s daughters, told of him “that he drank a deadly poison and suffered no harm” — one of the very oldest extra-biblical anecdotes about a named Christian. Probably brother of Judas Barsabbas, the council’s envoy.
Common questions
When was Joseph Barsabbas Justus active?
Joseph Barsabbas Justus is dated fl. AD 30 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Joseph Barsabbas Justus in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70).
Which early sources mention Joseph Barsabbas Justus?
Joseph Barsabbas Justus is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Luke and Papias of Hierapolis. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Joseph Barsabbas Justus from?
The archive associates Joseph Barsabbas Justus with Jerusalem.
Who were Joseph Barsabbas Justus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Joseph Barsabbas Justus to 3 other figures, including Matthias the Apostle, Judas called Barsabbas and The Four Daughters of Philip. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Acts 1:23
c. AD 85And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.Luke · read ↗
Papias, via Eusebius III.39
c. AD 130Papias relates a wonderful tale received from the daughters of Philip: that Justus, surnamed Barsabbas, drank a deadly poison and yet, by the grace of the Lord, suffered no harm.Papias of Hierapolis · III.39 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Joseph Barsabbas Justus.