Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (59 page)

circumcised. For he received the firm

“Those who are far off will clearly hear;

teachings of the three letters.

they will know what I have done.”42 And,

8
For it says, “Abraham circumcised

“Circumcise your hearts,”43 says the

eighteen and three hundred men from his

Lord.

household.”52 What knowledge, then, was

2
Again he says, “Hear O Israel, for

given to him? Notice that first he menthus says the Lord your God.”44 And tions the eighteen and then, after a pause,

again the Spirit of the Lord prophesies,

the three hundred. The number eighteen

“Who is the one who wants to live for[in Greek] consists of an iota [J], 10, and ever? Let him clearly hear the voice of

an eta [E], 8. There you have Jesus.j And

my servant.”45

because the cross was about to have grace

3
Again he says, “Hear, O heaven, and

in the letter tau [T], he next gives the

give ear, O earth, for the Lord has said

three hundred, tau. And so he shows the

these things as a witness.”46 And again

name Jesus by the first two letters, and

he says, “Hear, the word of the Lord, you

the cross by the other.

rulers of this people.”47 And again he

9
For the one who has placed the imsays, “Hear, O children, the voice of one planted gift of his covenant in us knew

crying in the wilderness.”48 Thus he cirthese things. No one has learned a more cumcised our hearing, that once we heard

reliable lesson from me. But I know that

the word we might believe.

you are worthy.

4
But even the circumcision in which

they trusted has been nullified. For he has

And when Moses said, “Do not

said that circumcision is not a matter of

10 eat the pig, or the eagle, or the

the flesh. But they violated his law, behawk, or the crow, or any fish without cause an evil angel instructed them.

scales,”53 he received three firm teachings

5
He says to them, “Thus says the Lord

in his understanding.

your God,” (here is where I find a com

2
Moreover, he said to them in the

mandment) “Do not sow among the

book of Deuteronomy, “I will establish a

thorns; be circumcised to your Lord.”49

covenant with this people in my righteous

And what does he say? “Circumcise your

demands.”54 So, then, the commandment

hardened hearts and do not harden your

of God is not a matter of avoiding food;

necks.”50 Or consider again, “See, says

but Moses spoke in the Spirit.

the Lord, all the nations are uncircum

3
This is why he spoke about the pig:

cised in their foreskins, but this people is

“Do not cling,” he says, “to such peo-

uncircumcised in their hearts.”51

6
But you will say, “Yet surely the people have been circumcised as a seal.i But ii.e., of the covenant ji.e., the number eighteen in

every Syrian and Arab and all the priests

Greek is JE, taken here as an abbreviation for the

of the idols are circumcised as well. So

name “Jesus”

then, do those belong to their covenant?

41Ps 18:44. 42Cf.Isa 33:13. 43Isa 33:13; Jer 4:4.

Even

the

people

of

Egypt

are

44Cf Jer 7:2–3; Ps 34:12–13. 45Cf. Ps 34:12–13; Isa

circumcised!

50:10; Exod. 15:26. 46Cf. Isa 1:2. 47Cf Isa 1:10; 28:

7
Thus learn about the whole matter

14. 48Cf. Isa 40:3. 49Jer 4:3–4. 50Cf. Deut 10:16.

51Jer 9:26. 52Cf. Gen 14:14; 17:23. 53Cf. Lev 11:7–

fully, children of love. For Abraham, the

15; Deut 14:8–14. 54Cf. Deut 4:10, 13.

228

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

ple, who are like pigs.” That is to say,

deed in their mouth because of their unwhen they live in luxury, they forget the cleanness, nor cling to unclean women

Lord, but when they are in need, they

who perform the lawless deed in their

remember the Lord. This is just like the

mouth.” For this animal conceives with

pig: when it is eating, it does not know

its mouth.

its master, but when hungry, it cries out—

9
And so, Moses received the three

until it gets its food, and then is silent

firm teachings about food and spoke in

again.

the Spirit. But they received his words

4
“And do not eat the eagle, the hawk,

according to the desires of their own

the kite, or the crow.”55 “You must not,”

flesh, as if he were actually speaking

he says, “cling to such people or be like

about food.

them, people who do not know how to

10
And David received the knowlprocure food for themselves through toil edge of the same three firm teachings

and sweat, but by their lawless behavior

and spoke in a similar way: “How forseize food that belongs to others. And tunate is the man who does not proceed

they are always on the watch, strolling

in the counsel of the impious” (like the

about with ostensible innocence, but

fish who proceed in darkness in the

looking to see what they can plunder

depths) “and does not stand in the path

because of their greed.” For these are the

of sinners” (like those who appear to

only birds that do not procure their own

fear God but sin like the pig) “and does

food, but sit by idly, waiting to see how

not sit in the seat of the pestilent”59 (like

they might devour the flesh procured by

the birds who sit waiting for something

others, being pestilent in their evil.

to seize). Here you have a perfect lesson

5
“And do not,” he says, “eat the

about food.

lamprey-eel, the octopus, or the cuttle-

11
Again Moses said, “Eat every anifish.”56 “You must not,” he says, “be like mal with a split hoof and that chews the

such people, who are completely impious

cud.”60 What does he mean? He means

and condemned already to death.” For

that the one who receives food knows

these fish alone are cursed and hover in

who has provided it and appears to be

the depths, not swimming like the others

glad, having relied on him. He spoke

but dwelling in the mud beneath the

well, looking to the commandment. What

depths.

does he mean then? Cling to those who

6
But also “do not eat the hare.”57 For

fear the Lord, to those who meditate on

what reason? “You must not,” he says,

the special meaning of the teaching they

“be one who corrupts children or be like

have received in their heart, to those who

such people.” For the rabbit adds an oridiscuss and keep the upright demands of fice every year; it has as many holes as

the Lord, to those who know that mediyears it has lived.

tation is a work that produces gladness,

7
“Nor shall you eat the hyena.”58 “You

and to those who carefully chew over the

must not,” he says, “be an adulterer or a

word of the Lord. But why does he menpervert nor be like such people.” For what tion the split hoof? Because the one who

reason? Because this animal changes its

is upright both walks in this world and

nature every year, at one time it is male,

the next time female.

8
And he has fully hated the weasel.

55

“You must not,” he says, “be like those

Cf. Lev 11:13–16. 56Source unknown. 57Cf. Lev

11:6. 58Source unknown. 59Ps 1:1. 60Cf. Lev 11:3;

who are reputed to perform a lawless

Deut 14:6.

THE LETTER OF BARNABAS

229

waits for the holy age. Do you see how

from the face of the earth. For this reason

well Moses has given the Law?

the impious will not rise up in judgment

12
But how could they know or undernor sinners in the counsel of the upright; stand these things? We, however, speak

for the Lord knows the path of the upas those who know the commandments right, but the path of the impious will

in an upright way, as the Lord wished.

perish.”64

For this reason he circumcised our hear

8
Notice how he described the water

ing and our hearts, that we may underand the cross in the same place. He means stand these things.

this: how fortunate are those who went

down into the water hoping in the cross,

11 But we should look closely to for he indicates the reward will come “in see if the Lord was concerned

its season.” “At that time,” he says, “I will

to reveal anything in advance about the

pay it.” Now when he says, “the leaves

water and the cross. On the one hand, it

will not fall,” he means that every word

is written about the water that Israel will

your mouth utters in faith and love will

not at all accept the baptism that brings

lead many to convert and hope.

forgiveness of sins, but will create some

9
And again another prophet says,

thing in its place for themselves.

“The land of Jacob was praised more than

2
For the prophet says, “Be astounded,

every other land.” This means that he

O heaven, and shudder even more at this,

glorifies the vessel of his Spirit.

O earth. For this people has done two

10
What does he say then? “And a river

wicked things: they have deserted me, the

was flowing from the right side, and

fountain of life, and dug for themselves

beautiful trees were rising up from it.

a pit of death.

Whoever eats from them will live

3
Is my holy mountain, Sinai, a rock

forever.”65

that has been abandoned? For you will

11
This means that we descend into the

be like young birds who flutter about

water full of sins and filth, but come up

after being taken from their nest.”61

out of it bearing the fruit of reverential

4
Again the prophet says, “I will go

fear in our heart and having the hope in

before you to flatten mountains, crush

Jesus in our spirits.k And “whoever eats

gates of bronze, and smash bars of iron,

from these will live forever” means this:

and I will give you treasures that are dark,

whoever, he says, hears and believes what

hidden, and unseen, that they may know

has been said will live forever.

that I am the Lord God.”62

5
And, “You will dwell in a high cave,

built of solid rock, and its water will not

12 In a similar way he makes another declaration about the fail. You will see a king with glory, and

cross in another prophet, who says,

your soul will meditate on the reverential

“ ‘When will these things be fulfilled?’

fear of the Lord.”63

says the Lord. ‘When a tree falls and rises

6
Again in another prophet he says,

up, and when blood flows from a tree.’ ”66

“The one who does these things will be

Again you have a message about the

like a tree planted beside springs of water; it will produce its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall, and everything

kOr:
in
the
Spirit

it does will prosper.

61

7
Not so with the impious, not so; but

Jer 2:12–13; cf Isa 16:1–2. 62Cf. Isa 45:2–3. 63Cf.

66

Isa 33:16–18. 64Ps 1:3–6. 65Cf. Ezek 47:1–12.

4

they will be like chaff driven by the wind

Ezra 4:33; 5:5.

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NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

cross and the one who was about to be

their behalf, that they might be healed.

crucified.

But Moses said to them, “When any of

2
And he again tells Moses, when Isyou is bitten, come to the serpent that is rael was attacked by a foreign people, to

displayed on the tree and hope, in faith,

remind those under assault that they were

that even though dead, it can restore a

being handed over to death because of

person to life; and you will then immetheir sins. The Spirit speaks to the heart diately be saved.” And they did this.70

of Moses that he should make a type of

Again you have the glory of Jesus in

the cross and of the one who was about

these things, for everything is in him and

to suffer, that they might realize, he says,

for him.

that if they refused to hope in him, they