Saint Barnabas was an early Christian mentione in the New Testament. His Hellenic Jewish parents called him Joseph (although the Byzantine text-type calls him Ιὠσης, Iōsēs, 'Joses', a Greek variant of 'Joseph'), but when he sold all his goods and gave the money to the apostles in Jerusalem, they gave him a new name: Barnabas. This name appears to be from the Aramaic בר נביא, bar naḇyā, meaning 'the (son of the) prophet'. However, the Greek text of the Acts 4:36 explains the name as υἱός παρακλήσεως, hyios paraklēseōs, meaning "son of exhortation and or encouragement." From the evidence of Acts 13.1 and 15.32, this wording can be seen as suggesting someone who exercises a prophetic ministry. In Acts 14:14, Barnabas is listed ahead of St Paul, "Barnabas and Paul", instead of the usual reverse ordering of their names, and both are called ἀπόστολοι, "apostoloi," "Apostles." Whether Barnabas was an apostle became an important political issue, which was debated in the Middle Ages (see below). The feast day of St Barnabas is celebrated on June 11.