9-30-23 The Gospel of Barnabas
The Nugget:
Pro 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Cross reference Bible study for Proverbs 30:6 from The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:
Proverbs 30:6
Add thou not. T50, T1032, Gen 3:3, +*Deut 4:2; Deut 12:32, Ecc 3:14, Isa 29:13; +Isa 42:21 (T284). +*Mat 15:9, 1Co 3:12, +*Gal 1:8; +*Gal 1:9, 2Pe 3:15, 16, *Rev 22:18; *Rev 22:19.
and. Gen 3:3, Job 13:7, 8, 9, 1Co 15:15.
My Comment:
Various groups have made attempts to add to the written Word of God as we find it in the Old and New Testaments.
Muslims have added the Gospel of Barnabas and the Injil or Injeel (the revelation of the Gospel by God to the mind of Jesus himself which He subsequently preached and taught, different from the content of the New Testament which some Muslims claim is the very corrupted message of the false apostle Paul).
All such additions are false, and those who promote them represent either mistaken world religions or apostate false cults of Christianity.
Below I share a very small portion of a lively discussion I have been having for the past number of days with some very kind and gracious Muslim individuals about the Gospel of Barnabas and related matters. This is a long read, but if you patiently study our discussion you will learn very much about how to defend your faith (1 Peter 3:15).
The Muslim claim:
“Barnabas taught the truth and he confirmed Jesus was not killed on the cross but Paul lied to the pagan Jinntiles.”
“Muslim scholars reject the Christian canonical Gospels, which Muslims know are not the original teachings of Jesus and which have been corrupted over time. Most scholars have suggested that the original Gospel can only be found in the Gospel of Barnabas.”
“Not just was Barnabas banned but as many as 60 books were removed from the original text by the Council of Nicea”
“Sadly you don’t have the Gospel
According to Barnabas.
If you read it you would see it agrees with Al Quran. Paul was a renegade from the ranks of the Jews. He hated Jesus and he hate the Jinntiles.
What Paul did was create a new Jesus and new teachings which were far far far away from what the tree Jesus originally taught the Jews.
“The closest source to what Jesus taught and his life can be found in the Gospel of Barnabas. If The Council of Nicea had accepted the Gospel of Barnabas they would have found right guidance but they rejected the Gospel of Barnabas to accepted the narratives of the greatest of deceivers Paul.”
A further Muslim comment to me:
From the Qur’an Baqara 2:79
Baqarah 2:79
79
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say: “This is from Allah” to traffic with it for a miserable price! Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby.
________________________________
This verse speaks to the evils of men like Paul. Men who rewrote revealed Books with their owns hands. They traffic it to those who accept it being clueless to the fact it’s message is adulterated.
The worst form
Of adultery is not intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.
The worst form
Of adultery is the intercourse of G-D’s Truth with the lies of devilish men.
MY RESPONSE:
I agree with you that the worst form of adultery is the intercourse of God’s Truth with the lies of devilish men.
I mentioned before that the Gospel of Barnabas is not an authentic record of first century Christianity as founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and officially taught by the Apostles of Christ as now found committed to writing in the 27 first century historical primary source documents in the New Testament.
Ibn Yasin wrote a book, published in 2011, titled The Authenticity of the Gospel of Barnabas.
In the Introduction, on page 9, he states that for Muslim and non-Muslim scholars to project the gospel of Barnabas as the ‘Muslim gospel,’ suggesting that it agrees with Islamic beliefs and doctrines about Jesus … must be investigated by comparing the beliefs of Islam using the Qur’an and the authentic Hadith to those stated in the Gospel of Barnabas. He found that the beliefs stated in the Gospel of Barnabas and that of Islam are radically different, and that the similarities are not as great or significant as the differences which have been found.
Ibn Yasin also states in his introduction on pages 9 and 10 that Islamic belief is based on a system of authenticity which must be followed strictly even when looking at texts like the Gospel of Barnabas that support some Islamic beliefs. He warns that some authors who have lowered their guard and accepted the Gospel of Barnabas at face value have endangered this important process by allowing such a text to be regarded as authentic but carelessly overlooking or abandoning the isnad or chain of transmission, which Islamic scholars have developed over the centuries to safeguard against forgeries and fabricated tales becoming accepted as scripture. Thus, authors and other individuals who continue to support and promote the Gospel of Barnabas are allowing a false history and portrayal of Jesus which is not supported by Islam. They are in fact guilty of intellectual dishonesty and casting serious doubts on Islamic scholarship and the truth-seeking nature of Islam.
You can read Ibn Yasin’s exact words by consulting the limited preview of his book available on the Internet. I have abridged and paraphrased some of his text for brevity and clarity, but what I have shared accurately reflects what he has written.
Muslim Response to me:
Who told you the Gospel of Barnabas was not authentic and the narrative of the liar Paul is true???
My Reply:
Islamic scholars state (as I just quoted one at length above–did you read it?) that the Gospel of Barnabas is not a genuine Gospel from the first century.
You mentioned that you wondered why the Council of Nicea did not include the Gospel of Barnabas. The answer: the Gospel of Barnabas had not been written yet!
Here is a bit more on the Gospel of Barnabas:
The Gospel of Barnabas
In this book, we have with good reason restricted our discussion to the apocryphal writings from the earliest centuries of the church, but we must make an exception in the case of the Gospel of Barnabas. Let us begin by clearing up any possible risk of confusion: this text has nothing to do with the ‘Gospel under the name of Barnabas’ in the Decretum Gelasianum. It was written in Italian or Spanish in the period between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. (The Italian manuscript is in the Austrian National Library in Vienna; one of the two known Spanish manuscripts is now lost, but the second—an incomplete text—has turned up again in Sydney.)
What we know, or rather suspect, about the author sounds like the synopsis of a novel. According to the prologue to the Spanish version, a Franciscan named Fra Marino discovered the Gospel of Barnabas in the library of Pope Sixtus V (1585–1590) and stole it. As soon as he had read it, he converted to Islam and fled to Istanbul. This is likely to be an editorial fiction which conceals the true author, perhaps a Spanish Jew who had been forced to convert to Christianity, but later became a Muslim and sought to avenge himself on Christianity with this work. As far as I can see, however, there is no actual evidence to support this hypothesis. There exists a vague possibility—nothing stronger—that the unknown author had genuine access to ancient but otherwise unattested traditions.
The Gospel of Barnabas is a very lengthy work, with 222 chapters. Its title calls it vero euangelio, the only true gospel of the prophet Jesus, written down by his apostle Barnabas. The identification of Barnabas with Matthias, who took Judas Iscariot’s place, led the Pseudo-Clementines too to number him among the apostles. In the prologue to the Italian version of the Gospel of Barnabas, ‘Barnabas’ at once attacks Paul as the source of the erroneous views held by many Christians: they call Jesus the Son of God (although he understood himself only as a prophet), they no longer practise circumcision, and they make no dietary distinctions, but eat all impure foods. In an author of the first centuries of the Common Era, we would call such a position ‘Jewish-Christian’.
Klauck, H.-J. (2003). Apocryphal gospels: an introduction (pp. 208–209). T&T Clark.
My further reply:
You state:
“There’s a great discrepancy in what’s taught in the Gospel Jesus received and Bible.
“The Gospel Jesus received from his Lord teaches to worship the Lord Creator not him who is a servant of The Lord Creator.”
Kindly share with me the written documentation of “the Gospel Jesus received.”
The only genuine record of the Gospel Jesus taught is found within the pages of the New Testament.
I agree that there is a great discrepancy in what is taught in the supposed Gospel that Jesus received and what is taught in the Bible. When you follow an undocumented alleged “gospel” which is really more properly described as “another gospel,” you are following or believing in “another Jesus,” not the true Jesus of history found in the pages of the New Testament. That is why I invite you to read and re-read the New Testament for yourself. That is the only way you can find out for yourself what the true Gospel is about.
Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (KJV)
Mar 1:14 After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God.
Mar 1:15 “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!” (GNB, Good News Bible)
Muslim reply to me:
It’s reported that 75 books that have been removed from the Bible over time.
So please don’t say Bible wasn’t changed. The Bible was produced by Paul and his cohorts.
The Gospel not Bible are the Words of G-d.
My reply to Muslim claim:
Be sure to read my comment above. I accidently posted it before I was finished writing it.
No books have been removed from the Hebrew Bible as used by Jesus when He read from the Hebrew scrolls in the synagogue at Nazareth as reported in Luke 4:15-19,
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The New Testament has always contained the 27 first century primary source historical documents as it does now. No one disputes the content of the NT who has made a careful study of the subject of the canon of Scripture.
Anyone who reads any of the books which were never part of the first century NT canon would immediately sense the difference and discern why they were not included.
Muslim reply to me:
Masses are worshiping Jesus instead of worshiping the Lord Jesus worshipped.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10
King James Version
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 4:10 NIV
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
——————————————
You say Lord Jesus while Jesus stated the following :
“Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
The system of belief is loaded with confusion.
My reply to Muslim claim:
You very graciously responded to my request to “Kindly share with me the written documentation of “The Gospel Jesus received” by sharing the following evidence:
Masses are worshiping Jesus instead of worshiping the Lord Jesus worshipped.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10
King James Version
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 4:10 NIV
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
——————————————
You say Lord Jesus while Jesus stated the following :
“Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
The system of belief is loaded with confusion.
You will recall this was your response–In answer to my challenge:
“The only genuine record of the Gospel Jesus taught is found within the pages of the New Testament.”
My challenge was a response to your claim:
“There’s a great discrepancy in what’s taught in the Gospel Jesus received and Bible.
“The Gospel Jesus received from his Lord teaches to worship the Lord Creator not him who is a servant of The Lord Creator.”
I requested that you:
“Kindly share with me the written documentation of “the Gospel Jesus received.”
Thank you for confirming my claim that the only source we have which contains the original words of the Lord Jesus Christ is the New Testament, for in response to my request to share with me the written documentation of “The Gospel Jesus received,” you quoted the words from Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 6:9-10, and Matthew 4:10.
I trust you can see the irony of your reply! You are unable to furnish any documented words of “the Gospel Jesus received” unless you get them from the New Testament historical first century record.