Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (58 page)

they delivered against his flesh: “When

keeps himself in the path of darkness

they smite their own shepherd, then the

deserves to perish.

sheep of the flock will perish.”17

5
Consider this, my brothers: if the

Lord allowed himself to suffer for our

sake, even though he was the Lord of the

13Matt 22:14. 14Isa 53:5, 7. 15Prov 1:17. 16Gen 1:

entire world, the one to whom God said

26. 17Cf. Zech 13:7; Matt 26:31.

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NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

13
But he wished to suffer in this way,

soul, because they hatched an evil plot

for he had to suffer on a tree. For the one

against themselves, saying, ‘Let us bind

who prophesied about him said, “Spare

the upright one, because he is trouble for

my life from the sword,” and “Nail my-

us.’ ”26

flesh, because an assemblyf of evildoers

8
What does the other prophet, Moses,

has risen up against me.”18

say to them? “See, this is what the Lord

14
Again he says, “See! I have set my

God says, ‘Enter into the good land,

back to whips and my cheeks to blows;

which the Lord swore to give to Abraand I have set my face as a hard rock.”19

ham, Isaac, and Jacob; and receive it as

an inheritance, a land flowing with milk

And so, when he issued the com6

and honey.’ ”27

mandment, what did he say? “Who

9
Learn what knowledge says. “Hope,”

is the one who takes me to court? Let

it says, “in Jesus, who is about to be

him oppose me! Or who acquits himself

revealed to you in the flesh.” For a human

before me? Let him approach the servant

is earth that suffers. For Adam was

of the Lord!

formed out of the face of the earth.

2
Woe to you, for you will all grow old

10
Why then does he say, “Into the

like a garment and a moth will devour

good land, a land flowing with milk and

you.”20 And again, since he was set in

honey”? Blessed is our Lord, brothers,

place as a strong stone used for crushing,

who placed the wisdom and knowledge

the prophet says, “See, I will cast into

of his secrets within us. For the prophet

Zion’s foundation a precious stone that is

is speaking a parable of the Lord. Who

chosen, a cornerstone, one to be valued.”

will understand it, except one who is wise

3
Then what does he say? “The one

and learned, who loves his Lord?

who believes in him will live forever.”21

11
Since, then, he renewed us through

Is our hope then built on a stone? May it

the forgiveness of our sins, he made us

never be! But he says this because the

into a different type of person, that we

Lord has set his flesh up in strength. For

might have the soul of children, as if he

he says, “He set me up as a hard rock.”22

were indeed forming us all over again.

4
And again the prophet says, “A stone

12
For the Scripture speaks about us

that the builders rejected has become the

when he says to his Son, “Let us make

very cornerstone.” And again he says,

the human according to our image and

“This is the great and marvelous day the

likeness, and let them rule over the wild

Lord has made.”23

beasts of the land and the birds of the sky

5
I am writing to you in very simple

and the fish of the sea.”28 Once the Lord

terms, that you may understand. I am a

saw our beautiful form, he said “Increase

lowly scapegoatg for your love.

and multiply and fill the earth.”29 He said

6
And so what again does the prophet

these things to the Son.

say? “An assemblyh of evildoers surrounded me, they swarmed about me like bees around a honeycomb,”24 and, “They

fOr:
synagogue
gOr:
a
humble
servant
; literally:
an
cast lots for my clothing.”25

offscouring
hOr:
synagogue

7
And so, because he was about to be

revealed and suffer in the flesh, his suf18Ps 22:20, 16. 19Isa 50:6–7. 20Isa 50:8–9. 21Isa fering was revealed in advance. For the

28:16. 22Isa 50:7. 23Ps 118:22, 24; cf. 1 Pet 2:7.

24Ps 22:16; 118:12.25Ps 22:18. 26Isa 3:9–10. 27Exod

prophet says about Israel, “Woe to their

33:1, 3. 28Gen 1:26. 29Gen 1: 28.

THE LETTER OF BARNABAS

225

13
Again I will show you how he

Lord has revealed everything to us in

speaks to us. He made yet a second huadvance, that we may know whom to man form in the final days. And the Lord

praise when we give thanks for everysays, “See! I am making the final things thing.

like the first.”30 This is why the prophet

2
And so, if the Son of God suffered,

proclaimed, “Enter into a land flowing

that by being beaten he might give us

with milk and honey, and rule over it.”31

life (even though he is the Lord and is

14
See, then, that we have been formed

about to judge the living and the dead),

anew, just as he again says in another

we should believe that the Son of God

prophet, “See, says the Lord, I will recould not suffer unless it was for our move from these people their hearts of

sakes.

stone” (that is to say, from those whom

3
But also when he was crucified he

the Spirit of the Lord foresaw) “and cast

was given vinegar and gall to drink. Lisinto them hearts of flesh.”32 For he was ten how the priests in the temple made a

about to be revealed in the flesh and to

revelation about this. For the Lord gave

dwell among us.

the written commandment that “Whoever

15
For the dwelling place of our heart,

does not keep the fast must surely die,”36

my brothers, is a temple holy to the Lord.

because he himself was about to offer the

16
For again the Lord says, “And how

vessel of the Spirit as a sacrifice for our

will I appear before the Lord my God

own sins, that the type might also be

and be glorified?”33 He answers: “I will

fulfilled that was set forth in Isaac, when

praise you in the assembly of my brothhe was offered on the altar.

ers, and sing your praise in the midst of

4
What then does he say in the

the assembly of saints.”34 And so we are

prophet? “Let them eat some of the goat

the ones he has brought into the good

offered for all sins on the day of fasting.”

land.

Now pay careful attention: “And let all

17
Why then does he speak of milk

the priests alone eat the intestines, unand honey? Because the child is first washed, with vinegar.”37

nourished by honey and then milk. So

5
Why is this? Since you are about to

also, when we are nourished by faith in

give me gall mixed with vinegar to

the promise and then by the word, we

drink—when I am about to offer my flesh

will live as masters over the earth.

on behalf of the sins of my new people—

18
For he already said above, “Let

you alone are to eat, while the people fast

them increase and multiply and rule over

and mourn in sackcloth and ashes. He

the fish.”35 Who can now rule over wild

says this to show that he had to suffer at

beasts and fish and birds of the sky? For

their hands.

we ought to realize that ruling is a matter

6
Pay attention to what he commands:

of authority, so that the one who issues

“Take two fine goats who are alike and

commands is the master.

offer them as a sacrifice; and let the priest

19
Since this is not happening now, he

take one of them as a whole burnt offerhas told us when it will happen—when ing for sins.”38

we have ourselves been perfected so as

to become heirs of the Lord’s covenant.

30Source unknown. 31Exod 33:3. 32Ezek 11:19.

33

And so you should understand,

7

Ps 42:4. 34Ps 22: 22, 25. 35Gen 1:28. 36Lev 23:

29. 37Source unknown. Cf. Leviticus 16. 38Lev 16:

children of gladness, that the good

7, 9.

226

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

7
But what will they do with the other?

it burn it, and that children should then

“The other,” he says, “is cursed.”39 Pay

take the ashes and cast them into vessels,

attention to how the type of Jesus is

and then tie scarlet wool around a piece

revealed.

of wood (see again the type of the cross

8
“And all of you shall spit on it and

and the scarlet wool!), along with the

pierce it and wrap a piece of scarlet wool

hyssop, and that the children should thus

around its head, and so let it be cast into

sprinkle the people one by one, that they

the wilderness.”40 When this happens, the

might be purified from their sins?

one who takes the goat leads it into the

2
Understand how he speaks to you

wilderness and removes the wool, and

simply. The calf is Jesus; the sinful men

places it on a blackberry bush, whose

who make the offering are those who

buds we are accustomed to eat when we

offered him up for slaughter. Then they

find it in the countryside. (Thus the fruit

are no longer men and the glory of sinof the blackberry bush alone is sweet.) ners is no more.

9
And so, what does this mean? Pay

3
The children who sprinkle are those

attention: “The one they take to the altar,

who proclaimed to us the forgiveness of

but the other is cursed,” and the one that

sins and the purification of our hearts. To

is cursed is crowned. For then they will

them he has given the authority to preach

see him in that day wearing a long scarlet

the gospel. There are twelve of them as

robe around his flesh, and they will say,

a witness to the tribes, for there were

“Is this not the one we once crucified,

twelve tribes in Israel.

despising, piercing, and spitting on him?

4
But why are there three children who

Truly this is the one who was saying at

sprinkle? As a witness to Abraham,

the time that he was himself the Son of

Isaac, and Jacob, because these were

God.”

great before God.

10
For how is he like that one? This is

5
And why is the wool placed on a

why “the goats are alike, fine, and equal,”

piece of wood? Because the kingdom of

that when they see him coming at that

Jesus is on the tree, and because those

time, they may be amazed at how much

who hope in him will live forever.

he is like the goat. See then the type of

6
But why are the wool and hyssop

Jesus who was about to suffer.

together? Because in his kingdom there

11
But why do they place the wool in

will be evil and foul days, in which we

the midst of the thorns? This is a type of

will be saved. And because the one who

Jesus established for the church, because

is sick in the flesh is healed by the foul

whoever wishes to remove the scarlet

juice of the hyssop.

wool must suffer greatly, since the thorn

7
And thus the things that have hapis a fearful thing, and a person can repened in this way are clear to us, but they trieve the wool only by experiencing

are obscure to them, because they have

pain. And so he says: those who wish to

not heard the voice of the Lord.

see me and touch my kingdom must take

hold of me through pain and suffering.

For he speaks again about the ears,

9 indicating how he has circumcised

And what do you suppose is the

8 type found in his command to Israel that men who are full of sin should offer up a heifer, and after slaughtering

39Cf. Lev 16:8. 40Cf. Lev 16:10, 20–22.

THE LETTER OF BARNABAS

227

our hearts. The Lord says in the prophet,

first to perform circumcision, was look

“They obeyed me because of what they

ing ahead in the Spirit to Jesus when he

heard with their ears.”41 Again he says,