The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

This morning, while I was paging through books on the history of Christian art in Cyprus, a CAARI employee walked up to me and said, “This book is from Father Savvas.” She handed me a paper bag with the official seal of the archbishopric on it, and inside was a large format book: Christian Art in the Turkish-Occupied Part of Cyprus, by A. Papageorghiou.

The book was a gift from an official in the archbishopric here in Nicosia. A couple at the Orthodox Church we attended last week gave us his name and phone number. So I called him and explained my research. He was quite helpful and gave me a list of people I should call and ask to meet. And today he sent one of his assistants to CAARI to give a book to me.

The book details the destruction and desecration of churches and monasteries in the northern part of Cyprus by Turkish soldiers and Cypriots of Turkish ancestry following the 1974 occupation of north Cyprus by the Turkish army. It is carefully documented and lavishly produced with many photos. It tells a tragic account of wanton destruction of Christian relics and wholesale plundering of them to sell the icons and other objects of art on the black-market.

It is but one in a long list of grievances regularly voiced by Greek Cypriots. I will hear some of the Turkish side of the argument later. Right now I am asking myself the question WWBD? (What would Barnabas do?)

As I understand Galatians 2, Barnabas sought to listen to both sides of a conflict and attempt to mediate a compromise solution. Although he and Paul had worked together for years, he took Peter’s side in a dispute between Peter and Paul (2:11-13). When Paul wrote Galatians, he was still chafing over this situation. What did Barnabas find convincing about Peter’s argument?

In Galatians 2, Paul mentions Peter eating with Gentiles until messengers from James arrived from Jerusalem (2:11-12). Paul states in 2:7-10 that God called Barnabas and him to evangelize the Gentiles, and Peter to evangelize the Jews. They had different realms of responsibility. I believe that James sent messengers to tell Peter that eating with Gentiles in Antioch was having negative effects on their work among Jews, so Peter needed to stop the practice. Paul rejected the argument as an insult to his gospel to the Gentiles. Barnabas saw Peter’s dilemma as a big enough problem that compromise was needed.

Mediating is a difficult task. And, given the complexities involved in the situation here in Cyprus, can anyone mediate a compromise solution. Many have tried and failed. The situation seems hopeless. WWJD?