How the Epistle of Barnabas views Jesus Christ
If you’ve been following my blogs on the Apostolic Fathers, you may notice I tend to write about The Epistle of Barnabas the least. The reason for that is simple: I don’t like the epistle. I find it a bit boring, and while the epistle’s controversial interpretation of the Old Testament can be seen by some as fascinating, I often just find it uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, this epistle was popular in the early Church. Among the different doctrines of Christianity to explore in Barnabas, it’s Christology shouldn’t be overlooked. How does The Epistle of Barnabas view Jesus of Nazareth?
The Son of God
The biggest emphasis Barnabas gives to Jesus is that he is the divine Son of God. Jesus is frequently referred to as the Son of God, working alongside God the Father. Barnabas describes the Father and Son as both distinct and united at the same time. (Lookadoo, 2022, Pg. 142)
Barnabas emphasizes the divine status of Jesus with his human nature. More than once the epistle stresses the necessity of the Incarnation for the reconciliation of humanity to God. For example, chapter 5 describes the Son of God as the Creator from Genesis 1, arguing only He could be the one to save us from sin and death:
“And further, my brethren: if the Lord endured to suffer for our soul, He being the Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world, ‘Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness,’ understand how it was that He endured to suffer at the hand of men.
The prophets, having obtained grace from Him, prophesied concerning Him. And He, since it behooved Him to appear in flesh, that He might abolish death, and reveal the resurrection from the dead, endured, in order that He might fulfill the promise made unto the fathers, and by preparing a new people for Himself, might show, while he dwelt on earth, that He, when He raised mankind, will also judge them.”
In this passage we see Jesus described as co-Creator with the Father, the fulfillment of the Prophets, taking on flesh, dying for our sake, resurrecting, abolishing death, bringing resurrection to the dead, and being judge over all.
The One who Atones
The substitutionary atonement of Jesus on the cross is also a recurring description in Barnabas. Primarily chapters 7-11 references Jesus multiple times as the righteous sufferer, atoning for the sins of humanity on the cross, fulfilling the sacrificial system of Torah and the Prophets. (Jefford, 2012, Pg. 13-14)
Baptism and The New Covenant
Barnabas describes Jesus as bringing as new covenant for God’s people a couple times throughout. Chapter 4.8 describes Jesus bringing a superior covenant that is sealed in the hearts of believers, and chapter 11 alludes to baptism:
“This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear of God and trust in Jesus in our spirit.”
Israel’s Messiah
As much as Barnabas wants to separate Christianity from Judaism, the epistle still acknowledges Jesus as the prophesied Messiah. Although mostly referred to as Lord or Son of God, Barnabas does refer to Jesus as Christ in 2.6, “He has therefore abolished these things, that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is without the yoke of necessity, might have a human oblation.”
Conclusion
For all its flaws, The Epistle of Barnabas has a fairly orthodox understanding of Jesus as Christ and Lord. There is emphasis on the divinity and humanity of Jesus, as well as salvation through the cross and new life through the resurrection. However, in my opinion, there are times the Messianic status of Jesus seems minimized, perhaps in the author’s attempt to separate Christianity from Judaism, which plays into the bigger issues with Barnabas as a whole.
Bibliography
Schaff, P. (2016). The Complete Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene Collection of Early Church Fathers. Toronto, Canada.
Lookadoo, J. (2022). The Epistle of Barnabas: A Commentary. Eugene, OR. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Jefford, C. (2012). Reading the Apostolic Fathers: A Student’s Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.