What Scripture says
Barnabas was a real companion of Paul: a Levite from Cyprus, whose name means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36, ESV). He introduced Paul to the apostles (Acts 9:27) and travelled with him on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:2). The letter known as the Epistle of Barnabas doesn’t claim his authorship in its own text; the name was attached by later tradition.
What the evidence says
History
What it contains
The Epistle of Barnabas is a treatise in letter form, 21 chapters long. It has two parts:
- Chapters 1–17: reading the Old Testament. It argues that the Old Testament, rightly understood, always pointed to Christ, and that the Jewish people misunderstood their own Scriptures by reading them literally. For example, it says the food laws were really about moral behaviour: the ban on eating pork means not associating with people who behave like pigs, remembering God only when they want something.
- Chapters 18–21: the Two Ways. A moral teaching contrasting the way of light and the way of darkness, closely related to the Two Ways in the Didache (see 3B.25).
Its approach
Barnabas reads the Old Testament allegorically, finding hidden spiritual meanings. Some examples:
- Abraham’s 318 servants (Genesis 14:14) point to Jesus and the cross, because in Greek numerals 318 is written with letters that resemble the beginning of Jesus’ name and the shape of a cross.
- The scapegoat (Leviticus 16) is a picture of Christ.
It argues sharply that the covenant belongs to Christians, not Jews, saying the Jews lost it through idolatry. Its tone toward Jews is harsh, much harsher than the New Testament’s.
Date and authorship
It was written after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70, which it mentions (Barnabas 16:4), and probably before about AD 135, when the emperor Hadrian built a pagan temple there. Many place it in Alexandria, Egypt, where allegorical interpretation was popular.
Scholars don’t accept that Paul’s companion wrote it: the date is likely too late, and its view of the law differs from the New Testament’s. Paul and Hebrews see the Old Testament law as having a real but temporary role, not simply as a misunderstanding.
Its reception
It was valued in Alexandria. Clement of Alexandria (c. 200) quoted it as by Barnabas the apostle, and Codex Sinaiticus (4th century) includes it after Revelation. Eusebius listed it among disputed or spurious books, and it gradually dropped out of use.
| Feature | Epistle of Barnabas |
|---|---|
| Date | c. AD 70–135 |
| By Paul’s companion? | No, according to most scholars |
| Approach | Allegorical; anti-Jewish polemic |
| Status | Included in Sinaiticus; later set aside |
Where they meet
Barnabas shows how some early Christians read the Old Testament. The church eventually set it aside as non-apostolic, despite its early popularity in some places. Its sharp contrast with the New Testament’s more careful view of Israel helps show why.
What’s still open
Its exact date and where it was written.
Bottom line
The Epistle of Barnabas is an allegorical reading of the Old Testament (c. AD 70–135), not by Paul’s companion Barnabas. It was included in Sinaiticus but dropped as non-apostolic, so leaving it out is rated Settled.