The Epistle of Barnabas
The Epistle of Barnabas (not to be confused with the Gospel of Barnabas, which is a separate work) was first written in Greek and may have been written during the first century, though scholars disagree on when it first made an appearance. It is based more on oral traditions than on written gospels or other early Christian texts. This indicates that its author was unfamiliar with the early written gospels. Where it first appeared is also uncertain, as the Greek language in which it was written was in use in a wide area of the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The author presents the work as a lesson, rather than as a reflection on the life of Jesus and the teachings of the early Christian church. It presents the followers of Jesus as the possessors of a covenant with God and asserts that the Jews were no longer the chosen people, having rejected their former covenant. In the author’s view, Jewish ceremony and sacrifice had been replaced by the new covenant as taught by Jesus Christ.
Barnabas teaches that the Jewish proscription against eating pork was based on the spiritual lesson that they are not to live like pigs. Pigs make noise, squealing and grunting when they are hungry or frightened. Otherwise, they are usually silent. The lesson he had is that people are not to address God only when they desire food or water, or if they are anxious or afraid. While there are no direct quotations from any of the New Testament Gospels, there are numerous quotations from the Old Testament, usually in a manner in which Jewish interpretation is disputed in the light of the New Covenant.
The Epistle of Barnabas was written for Christian Gentiles, and towards the end of the second century, it was cited by Christian theologians and philosophers. Who wrote it is debatable, traditionally it was believed to have been written by the Barnabas referred to in the Acts of the Apostles, others believe that it was written by Barnabas of Alexandria. Before the closing of the biblical canon, it appeared at the end of the New Testament, in the form of an appendix, along with other books.
The Epistle of Barnabas was one of the first Christian texts to advocate for a complete separation of Jewish traditions and laws from the Christian faith and cited its reasons in terms often interpreted as being harsh on those who rejected the newer covenant between God and His chosen people. Because of its uncertain authorship and the objections by many to its interpretation of what Christians call the Old Testament and Jesus called the scriptures, it was excluded from the Canon and fell into disuse.