Epistle of Barnabas

Next in my reading of ancient sources is the Epistle of Barnabas.

One of the striking features of this epistle is the way that it uses the Old Testament to try and deconstruct the claims of Judaism. THus, the OT rather than a source of Judaism, is seen to confront it. This can be seen in the way the author of EB deals with the OT themes of Law/covenant; land, Sabbath and temple.

Law/ Covenant

In a very debatable manner, the author claims that because Moses destroyed the tablets of the law in the episode of the golden calf, the covenant was never really established with the Israelites, hence the true covenant is that which was established in Christ. No explanation is offered for the fact that the OT narrates a subsequent re-giving of the law.

Land

The land flowing in milk and honey is not the land of Canaan, rather it refers to Christians growing in faith ruling over the earth.

Sabbath

In what seemed a rather bizarre form of argument, the author claims that the genuine sabbath refers to the eighth day, when Jesus was raised from the dead.

Temple

The true temple is the Spiritual temple of our hearts.