Epistle of Barnabas
The Epistle of Barnabas
An anonymous Christian work written between AD70 & 135 for the purpose of answering the question of how Christians were to interpret the Jewish Scriptures and what to make of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
There are 3 basic doctrines of the Lord: The hope of life, righteousness, and love. Inasmuch as the days are evil and the Worker himself is in power, we ought to be on our guard and seek out the righteous requirements of the Lord. Let us hate the deception of the present age, so that we may be loved in the age to come. Do not continue to pile up your sins while claiming that your covenant is irrevocably yours, because in fact unbelieving Israelites lost it completely by turning to idols. The 10 commandments were literally broken and, therefore, the covenant was spiritually shattered making the way for the new covenant of Jesus Christ, which we share together. Don’t cease to share it, but gather together and seek out the common good.
The Lord has abolished sacrifices, in order that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is free from the yoke of compulsion, might have its offering, one not made by man. A sacrifice to God is a broken heart. And what is true fasting to God but to break every unjust bond, untie the knots of forced agreements, set free those who are oppressed, and tear up every unjust contract. Share your bread with the hungry, and if you see someone naked, clothe him.
Christ chose his own 12 Apostles to correspond with the 12 tribes, then revealed himself to be God’s Son. For if he had not come in t he flesh, men could in no way have been saved by looking at him. For when they look at merely the sun they are not able to gaze at its rays.
Moses told Israel to enter into the good land, but now learn what knowledge has to say: set your hope upon Jesus! What does a land flowing with milk and honey mean except that it is a parable concerning the Lord. Just as in the first creation man was told to fill the earth, so now we (as part of the new creation) are the ones whom he brought into the good land since the our heart dwells in the true holy temple. This will be perfected in the future when we are made perfect.
Abraham, who first instituted circumcision, was looking forward to the Spirit of Jesus when he circumcised, having received the teaching of the three letters. For it says Abraham circumcised the 318 men of his household. (In the Greek version of the OT ‘300’ began with a T which looks like a cross, ‘10’ began with an I and 8 began with an H. IH are the first 2 letters of the Greek form of Jesus and a common abbreviation for it).
In the same way, when Moses commanded them not to eat certain foods, he was speaking in a spiritual sense. For example ‘you shall not eat swine’ meant ‘you must not associate with men who are like swine.’ But because of their fleshly desires the people accepted them as though they referred to actual food. But how could these people grasp and understand these things? But we have circumcised ears and hearts for this very purpose, that we might understand these things.
Again, the cross was foreshadowed when war was being waged against Israel. The Spirit said to the heart of Moses that he should make a symbol of the cross and of him who was destined to suffer. This meant that unless we place our hope in Christ, war shall be waged against us forever. Thus, he stretched out his hands and Israel was victorious. Further, that is why Moses renamed his successor ‘Joshua’!
God made the works of his hands in 6 days. Observe, children, what ‘He finished in 6 days’ means. It means this: that in 6 thousand years the Lord will bring everything to an end, for with him a day signifies a thousand years. When the Son comes, he will destroy the time of the lawless one and truly rest on the 7th day. And after he has set everything at rest, he will create the beginning of an 8th day, which is the beginning of another world. This is why we spend the eighth day in celebration, the day on which Jesus both arose from the dead and, after appearing, ascended to heaven.
Finally, I will also speak to you about the temple, and how those wretched men went astray and set their hope on the building, as though it were God’s house, and not on their God who created them. We now know their hope was in vain. The city and the temple were handed over, just as the Lord said. But let us inquire whether there is, in fact, a temple of God. There is! Before we believed in God, our hearts were weak, corrupt, human temples filled with idolatry and demons, but by receiving forgiveness and putting out hope in Him we become new. God truly dwells in us!
An anonymous Christian work written between AD70 & 135 for the purpose of answering the question of how Christians were to interpret the Jewish Scriptures and what to make of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
There are 3 basic doctrines of the Lord: The hope of life, righteousness, and love. Inasmuch as the days are evil and the Worker himself is in power, we ought to be on our guard and seek out the righteous requirements of the Lord. Let us hate the deception of the present age, so that we may be loved in the age to come. Do not continue to pile up your sins while claiming that your covenant is irrevocably yours, because in fact unbelieving Israelites lost it completely by turning to idols. The 10 commandments were literally broken and, therefore, the covenant was spiritually shattered making the way for the new covenant of Jesus Christ, which we share together. Don’t cease to share it, but gather together and seek out the common good.
The Lord has abolished sacrifices, in order that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is free from the yoke of compulsion, might have its offering, one not made by man. A sacrifice to God is a broken heart. And what is true fasting to God but to break every unjust bond, untie the knots of forced agreements, set free those who are oppressed, and tear up every unjust contract. Share your bread with the hungry, and if you see someone naked, clothe him.
Christ chose his own 12 Apostles to correspond with the 12 tribes, then revealed himself to be God’s Son. For if he had not come in t he flesh, men could in no way have been saved by looking at him. For when they look at merely the sun they are not able to gaze at its rays.
Moses told Israel to enter into the good land, but now learn what knowledge has to say: set your hope upon Jesus! What does a land flowing with milk and honey mean except that it is a parable concerning the Lord. Just as in the first creation man was told to fill the earth, so now we (as part of the new creation) are the ones whom he brought into the good land since the our heart dwells in the true holy temple. This will be perfected in the future when we are made perfect.
Abraham, who first instituted circumcision, was looking forward to the Spirit of Jesus when he circumcised, having received the teaching of the three letters. For it says Abraham circumcised the 318 men of his household. (In the Greek version of the OT ‘300’ began with a T which looks like a cross, ‘10’ began with an I and 8 began with an H. IH are the first 2 letters of the Greek form of Jesus and a common abbreviation for it).
In the same way, when Moses commanded them not to eat certain foods, he was speaking in a spiritual sense. For example ‘you shall not eat swine’ meant ‘you must not associate with men who are like swine.’ But because of their fleshly desires the people accepted them as though they referred to actual food. But how could these people grasp and understand these things? But we have circumcised ears and hearts for this very purpose, that we might understand these things.
Again, the cross was foreshadowed when war was being waged against Israel. The Spirit said to the heart of Moses that he should make a symbol of the cross and of him who was destined to suffer. This meant that unless we place our hope in Christ, war shall be waged against us forever. Thus, he stretched out his hands and Israel was victorious. Further, that is why Moses renamed his successor ‘Joshua’!
God made the works of his hands in 6 days. Observe, children, what ‘He finished in 6 days’ means. It means this: that in 6 thousand years the Lord will bring everything to an end, for with him a day signifies a thousand years. When the Son comes, he will destroy the time of the lawless one and truly rest on the 7th day. And after he has set everything at rest, he will create the beginning of an 8th day, which is the beginning of another world. This is why we spend the eighth day in celebration, the day on which Jesus both arose from the dead and, after appearing, ascended to heaven.
Finally, I will also speak to you about the temple, and how those wretched men went astray and set their hope on the building, as though it were God’s house, and not on their God who created them. We now know their hope was in vain. The city and the temple were handed over, just as the Lord said. But let us inquire whether there is, in fact, a temple of God. There is! Before we believed in God, our hearts were weak, corrupt, human temples filled with idolatry and demons, but by receiving forgiveness and putting out hope in Him we become new. God truly dwells in us!
posted by matthew at 2:10 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home