Manaen

Manaen (Greek form of the Hebrew Menahem, meaning consoler or comforter) was a Christian prophet and teacher in the church at Antioch, listed in Acts 13:1 among the five leaders who were worshipping and fasting when the Holy Spirit separated Barnabas and Saul for their first missionary journey. His most notable distinction is his social background: he is identified as a syntrophos (foster-brother, childhood companion, or close associate) of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch who had John the Baptist executed and who questioned Jesus before the crucifixion.

The detail that a member of Herod's household or court had become a leader in the Antioch church illustrates the social range of early Christian conversion — from the ruling class down to slaves and freed persons. Manaen represents the fulfillment of John the Baptist's ministry even within the household of the ruler who killed him: John's message of repentance and preparation for the kingdom reached Herod's own intimate circle and produced at least one convert who became a church leader and a sender of the first missionary apostles.