The Letter of Barnabas

The Letter of Barnabas was one of the most important writings for protoorthodox Christianity.1 Some churches regarded it as part of the New Testament canon; it is included among the books of the New Testament in the fourth-century Greek manuscript, codex Sinaiticus. The book has traditionally been called an epistle, even though its opening contains only a greeting, with neither its author nor its recipients named (the latter features were consistently found in ancient letters). The writing appears, therefore, to be a theological treatise sent out to interested readers. The second- and third-century Christians who refer to the book attribute it to Barnabas, the companion of the apostle Paul. But this may have involved little more than guesswork on the part of Christians who were eager to have the book read and accepted as “apostolic.” The book in fact was written long after Barnabas himself would have died: it mentions, for example, the destruction of the Temple (70 ce) and refers to the possibility of its soon being rebuilt (16:3–4). This possibility was very much alive in the early decades of the second century, but evaporated when the Emperor Hadrian (117–38 ce) had a Roman shrine constructed over the Temple’s ruins. Most scholars have concluded, on these grounds, that the book was written sometime during the ﬁrst half of the second century, possibly around 130 ce. The book is principally concerned with the relationship of Judaism and Christianity. Its basic thrust is that Judaism is, and always has been, a false religion. According to this author, Jews violated God’s covenant from the very beginning (4:6–8); they have, as a result, never been God’s people or understood their own Scriptures. For this author, the Jewish Scriptures can be understood only in light of Christ; indeed, for him, the Old Testament is a Christian, not a Jewish, book. As a corollary, Jews who claim that their religion was given by God have been misled by an evil angel, who persuaded them to take the laws of Moses literally (9:5). In fact, claims the author, the laws of sabbath obser-

See Ehrman, Lost Christianities, 145–48.

Translation by Bart D. Ehrman, in The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1 (Loeb Classical Library; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003); used with permission.

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vance, kosher foods, and circumcision were meant not as literal descriptions of how the Jewish people were to live, but as ﬁgurative pointers to Christ and the religion that he was to establish (chaps. 9–10, 15). A good deal of this book, therefore, tries to show how Christ and the Christian religion were foreshadowed in the Old Testament Scriptures. The book ends on a different note, by describing the Christian doctrine of the “Two Paths”: the morally upright path of “light” and the morally perverse path of “darkness” (chaps. 18–20; see Introduction to the Didache). All people must choose between these two ways, following the righteous practices of the one or the moral improprieties of the other.

Greetings, sons and daughters, in the name of the Lord who loved us, in peace. 2 So great and abundant are the righteous acts of God toward you that I am exceedingly overjoyed, beyond measure, by your blessed and glorious spirits. For you have received such a measure of his grace planted within you, the spiritual gift! 3 And so I share your joy all the more within myself,a hoping to be saved; for truly I see that, in your midst, the Spirit has been poured out upon you from the abundance of the Lord’s fountain—so amazed have I been by the sight of your face, which I have so desired. 4 And so, since I have been persuaded about this and realize that I who have spoken to you know many things (since the Lord has traveled along with me in the path of righteousness), I have also felt fully compelled to love you more than my own soul. For a great faith and love dwell within you in the hope of his life. 5 I have thus come to realize that I will be rewarded for serving spirits like yours, if I care for you enough to hand over a portion of what I have received. I have hastened, then, to send you a brief letter, that you may have perfect knowledge to accompany your faith.

6 There are three ﬁrm teachings of the Lord of life: hope, which is the beginning and end of our faith; righteousness, which is the beginning and end of judgment; and love, which is a testament to our joy and gladness in upright deeds. 7 For through the prophets the Master has made known to us what has happened and what now is; and he has given us the ﬁrst fruits of the taste of what is yet to be. And as we see that each and every thing has happened just as he indicated, we should make a more abundant and exalted offering in awe of him. 8 But I will show a few matters to you, not as a teacher but as one of your own; these will gladden your hearts in the present circumstances.

Since, then, the days are evil and the one who is at work holds sway, we should commit ourselves to seeking after the righteous acts of the Lord. 2 Reverential awe and endurance assist our faith, and patience and self-restraint do battle on our side. 3 And so while these things remain in a holy state before the Lord, wisdom, understanding, perception, and knowledge rejoice together with them.

Or: I congratulate myself all the more

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4 For through all the prophets he has shown us that he has no need of sacriﬁces, whole burnt offerings, or regular offerings. For he says in one place, 5 “What is the multitude of your sacriﬁces to me? says the Lord. I am sated with whole burnt offerings, and have no desire for the fat of lambs, the blood of bulls and goats—not even if you should come to appear before me. For who sought these things from your hands? Trample my court no longer. If you bring ﬁne ﬂour, it is futile; incense is loathsome to me. I cannot stand your new moons and sabbaths.”2 6 And so he nulliﬁed these things that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is without the yoke of compulsion, should provide an offering not made by humans. 7 And again he says to them, “Did I command your fathers who came out from the land of Egypt to offer whole burnt offerings and sacriﬁces to me?”3 8 “No, this is what I commanded them: Let none of you bear a grudge against your neighbor in your heart, and do not love a false oath.”4 9 And so, since we are not ignorant, we should perceive the good intention of our Father. For he is speaking to us, wanting us to seek how to make an offering to him without being deceived like them. 10 And so he says to us: “A sacriﬁce to the Lord is a crushed heart; a sweet fragrance to the Lord is a heart that gloriﬁes the one who made it.”5 And so, brothers, we ought to learn clearly about our salvation, to keep the Evil One from hurling us away from our life after bringing error in through the backdoor.

And so he speaks to them again concerning these things, “Why do you fast for me, says the Lord, so that your voice is heard crying out today? This is not the fast I have chosen, says

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the Lord—not a person humbling his soul. 2 Not even if you bend your neck into a circle and put on sackcloth and make for yourself a bed of ashes—not even so should you call this a proper fast.”6 3 But he says to us, “See, this is the fast I have chosen, says the Lord. Loosen every bond of injustice; unravel the strangle-hold of coercive agreements; send forth in forgiveness those who are downtrodden; tear up every unfair contract. Break your bread for the hungry, and provide clothing for anyone you see naked. Bring the homeless under your roof. And if you see anyone who has been humbled, do not despise him—neither you nor anyone from your children’s household. 4 Then your light will burst forth at dawn, your garments will quickly rise up, your righteousness will go forth before you, and the glory of God will clothe you. 5 Then you will cry out and God will hear you. While you are still speaking he will say, ‘See! Here I am!’—if, that is, you remove from yourself bondage, the threatening gesture, and the word of complaint, and from your heart you give your bread to the poor and show mercy to the person who has been humbled.”7 6 The one who is patient anticipated, brothers, that the people he prepared in his beloved would believe, in a state of innocence. And so he revealed all things to us in advance, that we not be dashed againstb their law as newcomers.c

4 b

And so by carefully investigating what is here and now, we must seek

Or: shipwrecked on

Or: proselytes

Isa 1:11–13. 3Jer 7:22. 4Zech 8:17. Isa 58:3–5. 7Isa 58:6–10.

Ps 51:17.

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for the things that can save us. We should ﬂee, entirely, all the works of lawlessness; otherwise, they may overwhelm us. And we should hate the error of the present age, that we may be loved in the age to come. 2 We should not allow our souls to relax, thinking they can consort with sinners and the wicked; otherwise we may become like them. 3 The ﬁnal stumbling block is at hand, about which it has been written, just as Enoch says, “For this reason the Master shortened the seasons and the days, that his beloved may hurry and arrive at his inheritance.” 4 For also the prophet says, “Ten kingdoms will rule the earth and a small king will rise up afterwards; he will humble three of the kings at one time.”8 5 So too Daniel speaks about the same thing: “I saw the fourth beast, wicked and strong, and worse than all the beasts of the sea, and I saw how ten horns rose up from him, and from them a small horn as an offshoot; and I saw how he humbled three of the great horns at one time.”9 6 And so you should understand. And yet again, I am asking you this as one who is from among you and who loves each and every one of you more than my own soul: watch yourselves now and do not become like some people by piling up your sins, saying that the covenant is both theirs and ours. 7 For it is ours. But they permanently lost it, in this way, when Moses had just received it. For the Scripture says, “Moses was on the mountain fasting for forty days and forty nights, and he received the covenant from the Lord, stone tablets written with the ﬁnger of the Lord’s own hand.”10 8 But when they turned back to idols they lost it. For the Lord says this: “Moses, Moses, go down quickly, be-

cause your people, whom you led from the land of Egypt, has broken the law.”11 Moses understood and cast the two tablets from his hands. And their covenant was smashed—that the covenant of his beloved, Jesus, might be sealed in our hearts, in the hope brought by faith in him. 9 Since I want to write many things, not as a teacher, but as is ﬁtting for one who is eager to abandon none of the things we have, I hasten to write, as your lowly scapegoat.d Therefore, we should pay close attention here in the ﬁnal days. For the entire time of our faith will be of no use to us if we do not stand in resistance, as is ﬁtting for the children of God, both against this present lawless age and against the stumbling blocks that are yet to come, 10 that the Black One not sneak in among us. We should ﬂee from all that is futile and completely hate the works of the evil path. Do not sink into yourselves and live alone, as if you were already made upright; instead, gathering together for the same purpose, seek out what is proﬁtable for the common good. 11 For the Scripture says, “Woe to those who have understanding in themselves and are knowledgeable before their own eyes.”12 We should be spiritual; we should be a perfect temple to God. As much as we can, we should concern ourselves with the reverential awe of God and struggle to guard his commandments, that we may be glad in his righteous acts.e 12 The Lord will judge the world, playing no favorites. Each will receive according to what he has done. If he is

Or: your humble servant; literally: offscouring righteous demands

Dan 7:24. 9Dan 7:7–8. Exod 32:7. 12Isa 5:21.

Exod 31:18; 34:28.

Or:

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good, his righteousness will precede him; if evil, the reward for his wickedness will be before him. 13 As those who are called we must never lie down and lose consciousness of our sins, allowing the evil ruler to receive the authority against us and force us out of the Lord’s kingdom. 14 And still, my brothers, consider: when you observe that Israel was abandoned even after such signs and wonders had occurred in it, we too should pay close attention, lest, as it is written, “many of us were found called, but few chosen.”13

This is why the Lord allowed his ﬂesh to be given over to corruption, that we might be made holy through the forgiveness of sins, which comes in the sprinkling of his blood. 2 For some of the things written about him concern Israel; others concern us. And so it says: “He was wounded because of our lawless acts and weakened because of our sins. By his bruising we were healed. He was led like a sheep going to slaughter; and like a lamb, silent before the one who shears it.”14 3 Therefore we ought to give thanks to the Lord even more abundantly, because he revealed to us the things that have taken place and made us wise in the things that are now; and we are not ignorant of the things that are yet to happen. 4 And the Scripture says, “Not unjustly are the nets spread out for the birds.”15 It says this because the person who knows the path of righteousness but keeps himself in the path of darkness deserves to perish. 5 Consider this, my brothers: if the Lord allowed himself to suffer for our sake, even though he was the Lord of the entire world, the one to whom God said

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at the foundation of the world, “Let us make a human according to our image and likeness,”16 how then did he allow himself to suffer at the hands of humans? Learn this! 6 Because the prophets received his gracious gift, they prophesied looking ahead to him. He allowed himself to suffer in order to destroy death and to show that there is a resurrection of the dead. For he had to be manifest in the ﬂesh. 7 And he allowed himself to suffer in order to redeem the promise given to the fathers and to show, while he was on earth preparing a new people for himself, that he is to execute judgment after raising the dead. 8 Moreover, while teaching Israel and doing such wonders and signs, he preached to them and loved them deeply. 9 And when he selected his own apostles who were about to preach his gospel, they were altogether lawless beyond all sin. This was to show that he did not come to call the upright but sinners. Then he revealed that he was the Son of God. 10 For if he had not come in the ﬂesh, how would people have been able to look upon him and survive? For they cannot even look intently at the sun, gazing directly into its rays, even though it is the work of his hands and will eventually cease to exist. 11 Therefore, the Son of God came in the ﬂesh for this reason, that he might total up all the sins of those who persecuted his prophets to death. 12 And so this is why he allowed himself to suffer. For God speaks of the blow they delivered against his ﬂesh: “When they smite their own shepherd, then the sheep of the ﬂock will perish.”17

Matt 22:14. 14Isa 53:5, 7. 15Prov 1:17. 26. 17Cf. Zech 13:7; Matt 26:31.

Gen 1:

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13 But he wished to suffer in this way, for he had to suffer on a tree. For the one who prophesied about him said, “Spare my life from the sword,” and “Nail myﬂesh, because an assemblyf of evildoers has risen up against me.”18 14 Again he says, “See! I have set my back to whips and my cheeks to blows; and I have set my face as a hard rock.”19

And so, when he issued the commandment, what did he say? “Who is the one who takes me to court? Let him oppose me! Or who acquits himself before me? Let him approach the servant of the Lord! 2 Woe to you, for you will all grow old like a garment and a moth will devour you.”20 And again, since he was set in place as a strong stone used for crushing, the prophet says, “See, I will cast into Zion’s foundation a precious stone that is chosen, a cornerstone, one to be valued.” 3 Then what does he say? “The one who believes in him will live forever.”21 Is our hope then built on a stone? May it never be! But he says this because the Lord has set his ﬂesh up in strength. For he says, “He set me up as a hard rock.”22 4 And again the prophet says, “A stone that the builders rejected has become the very cornerstone.” And again he says, “This is the great and marvelous day the Lord has made.”23 5 I am writing to you in very simple terms, that you may understand. I am a lowly scapegoatg for your love. 6 And so what again does the prophet say? “An assemblyh of evildoers surrounded me, they swarmed about me like bees around a honeycomb,”24 and, “They cast lots for my clothing.”25 7 And so, because he was about to be revealed and suffer in the ﬂesh, his suffering was revealed in advance. For the prophet says about Israel, “Woe to their

soul, because they hatched an evil plot against themselves, saying, ‘Let us bind the upright one, because he is trouble for us.’ ”26 8 What does the other prophet, Moses, say to them? “See, this is what the Lord God says, ‘Enter into the good land, which the Lord swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and receive it as an inheritance, a land ﬂowing with milk and honey.’ ”27 9 Learn what knowledge says. “Hope,” it says, “in Jesus, who is about to be revealed to you in the ﬂesh.” For a human is earth that suffers. For Adam was formed out of the face of the earth. 10 Why then does he say, “Into the good land, a land ﬂowing with milk and honey”? Blessed is our Lord, brothers, who placed the wisdom and knowledge of his secrets within us. For the prophet is speaking a parable of the Lord. Who will understand it, except one who is wise and learned, who loves his Lord? 11 Since, then, he renewed us through the forgiveness of our sins, he made us into a different type of person, that we might have the soul of children, as if he were indeed forming us all over again. 12 For the Scripture speaks about us when he says to his Son, “Let us make the human according to our image and likeness, and let them rule over the wild beasts of the land and the birds of the sky and the ﬁsh of the sea.”28 Once the Lord saw our beautiful form, he said “Increase and multiply and ﬁll the earth.”29 He said these things to the Son.

Or: synagogue gOr: a humble servant; literally: an offscouring hOr: synagogue

Ps 22:20, 16. 19Isa 50:6–7. 20Isa 50:8–9. 21Isa 28:16. 22Isa 50:7. 23Ps 118:22, 24; cf. 1 Pet 2:7. 24 Ps 22:16; 118:12.25Ps 22:18. 26Isa 3:9–10. 27Exod 33:1, 3. 28Gen 1:26. 29Gen 1: 28.

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13 Again I will show you how he speaks to us. He made yet a second human form in the ﬁnal days. And the Lord says, “See! I am making the ﬁnal things like the ﬁrst.”30 This is why the prophet proclaimed, “Enter into a land ﬂowing with milk and honey, and rule over it.”31 14 See, then, that we have been formed anew, just as he again says in another prophet, “See, says the Lord, I will remove from these people their hearts of stone” (that is to say, from those whom the Spirit of the Lord foresaw) “and cast into them hearts of ﬂesh.”32 For he was about to be revealed in the ﬂesh and to dwell among us. 15 For the dwelling place of our heart, my brothers, is a temple holy to the Lord. 16 For again the Lord says, “And how will I appear before the Lord my God and be gloriﬁed?”33 He answers: “I will praise you in the assembly of my brothers, and sing your praise in the midst of the assembly of saints.”34 And so we are the ones he has brought into the good land. 17 Why then does he speak of milk and honey? Because the child is ﬁrst nourished by honey and then milk. So also, when we are nourished by faith in the promise and then by the word, we will live as masters over the earth. 18 For he already said above, “Let them increase and multiply and rule over the ﬁsh.”35 Who can now rule over wild beasts and ﬁsh and birds of the sky? For we ought to realize that ruling is a matter of authority, so that the one who issues commands is the master. 19 Since this is not happening now, he has told us when it will happen—when we have ourselves been perfected so as to become heirs of the Lord’s covenant.

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Lord has revealed everything to us in advance, that we may know whom to praise when we give thanks for everything. 2 And so, if the Son of God suffered, that by being beaten he might give us life (even though he is the Lord and is about to judge the living and the dead), we should believe that the Son of God could not suffer unless it was for our sakes. 3 But also when he was cruciﬁed he was given vinegar and gall to drink. Listen how the priests in the temple made a revelation about this. For the Lord gave the written commandment that “Whoever does not keep the fast must surely die,”36 because he himself was about to offer the vessel of the Spirit as a sacriﬁce for our own sins, that the type might also be fulﬁlled that was set forth in Isaac, when he was offered on the altar. 4 What then does he say in the prophet? “Let them eat some of the goat offered for all sins on the day of fasting.” Now pay careful attention: “And let all the priests alone eat the intestines, unwashed, with vinegar.”37 5 Why is this? Since you are about to give me gall mixed with vinegar to drink—when I am about to offer my ﬂesh on behalf of the sins of my new people— you alone are to eat, while the people fast and mourn in sackcloth and ashes. He says this to show that he had to suffer at their hands. 6 Pay attention to what he commands: “Take two ﬁne goats who are alike and offer them as a sacriﬁce; and let the priest take one of them as a whole burnt offering for sins.”38

And so you should understand, children of gladness, that the good

Source unknown. 31Exod 33:3. 32Ezek 11:19. Ps 42:4. 34Ps 22: 22, 25. 35Gen 1:28. 36Lev 23: 29. 37Source unknown. Cf. Leviticus 16. 38Lev 16: 7, 9.

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7 But what will they do with the other? “The other,” he says, “is cursed.”39 Pay attention to how the type of Jesus is revealed. 8 “And all of you shall spit on it and pierce it and wrap a piece of scarlet wool around its head, and so let it be cast into the wilderness.”40 When this happens, the one who takes the goat leads it into the wilderness and removes the wool, and places it on a blackberry bush, whose buds we are accustomed to eat when we ﬁnd it in the countryside. (Thus the fruit of the blackberry bush alone is sweet.) 9 And so, what does this mean? Pay attention: “The one they take to the altar, but the other is cursed,” and the one that is cursed is crowned. For then they will see him in that day wearing a long scarlet robe around his ﬂesh, and they will say, “Is this not the one we once cruciﬁed, despising, piercing, and spitting on him? Truly this is the one who was saying at the time that he was himself the Son of God.” 10 For how is he like that one? This is why “the goats are alike, ﬁne, and equal,” that when they see him coming at that time, they may be amazed at how much he is like the goat. See then the type of Jesus who was about to suffer. 11 But why do they place the wool in the midst of the thorns? This is a type of Jesus established for the church, because whoever wishes to remove the scarlet wool must suffer greatly, since the thorn is a fearful thing, and a person can retrieve the wool only by experiencing pain. And so he says: those who wish to see me and touch my kingdom must take hold of me through pain and suffering.

And what do you suppose is the type found in his command to Israel that men who are full of sin should offer up a heifer, and after slaughtering

it burn it, and that children should then take the ashes and cast them into vessels, and then tie scarlet wool around a piece of wood (see again the type of the cross and the scarlet wool!), along with the hyssop, and that the children should thus sprinkle the people one by one, that they might be puriﬁed from their sins? 2 Understand how he speaks to you simply. The calf is Jesus; the sinful men who make the offering are those who offered him up for slaughter. Then they are no longer men and the glory of sinners is no more. 3 The children who sprinkle are those who proclaimed to us the forgiveness of sins and the puriﬁcation of our hearts. To them he has given the authority to preach the gospel. There are twelve of them as a witness to the tribes, for there were twelve tribes in Israel. 4 But why are there three children who sprinkle? As a witness to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because these were great before God. 5 And why is the wool placed on a piece of wood? Because the kingdom of Jesus is on the tree, and because those who hope in him will live forever. 6 But why are the wool and hyssop together? Because in his kingdom there will be evil and foul days, in which we will be saved. And because the one who is sick in the ﬂesh is healed by the foul juice of the hyssop. 7 And thus the things that have happened in this way are clear to us, but they are obscure to them, because they have not heard the voice of the Lord.

9 39

For he speaks again about the ears, indicating how he has circumcised

Cf. Lev 16:8.

Cf. Lev 16:10, 20–22.

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our hearts. The Lord says in the prophet, “They obeyed me because of what they heard with their ears.”41 Again he says, “Those who are far off will clearly hear; they will know what I have done.”42 And, “Circumcise your hearts,”43 says the Lord. 2 Again he says, “Hear O Israel, for thus says the Lord your God.”44 And again the Spirit of the Lord prophesies, “Who is the one who wants to live forever? Let him clearly hear the voice of my servant.”45 3 Again he says, “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has said these things as a witness.”46 And again he says, “Hear, the word of the Lord, you rulers of this people.”47 And again he says, “Hear, O children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”48 Thus he circumcised our hearing, that once we heard the word we might believe. 4 But even the circumcision in which they trusted has been nulliﬁed. For he has said that circumcision is not a matter of the ﬂesh. But they violated his law, because an evil angel instructed them. 5 He says to them, “Thus says the Lord your God,” (here is where I ﬁnd a commandment) “Do not sow among the thorns; be circumcised to your Lord.”49 And what does he say? “Circumcise your hardened hearts and do not harden your necks.”50 Or consider again, “See, says the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised in their foreskins, but this people is uncircumcised in their hearts.”51 6 But you will say, “Yet surely the people have been circumcised as a seal.i But every Syrian and Arab and all the priests of the idols are circumcised as well. So then, do those belong to their covenant? Even the people of Egypt are circumcised! 7 Thus learn about the whole matter fully, children of love. For Abraham, the

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ﬁrst to perform circumcision, was looking ahead in the Spirit to Jesus when he circumcised. For he received the ﬁrm teachings of the three letters. 8 For it says, “Abraham circumcised eighteen and three hundred men from his household.”52 What knowledge, then, was given to him? Notice that ﬁrst he mentions the eighteen and then, after a pause, the three hundred. The number eighteen [in Greek] consists of an iota [J], 10, and an eta [E], 8. There you have Jesus.j And because the cross was about to have grace in the letter tau [T], he next gives the three hundred, tau. And so he shows the name Jesus by the ﬁrst two letters, and the cross by the other. 9 For the one who has placed the implanted gift of his covenant in us knew these things. No one has learned a more reliable lesson from me. But I know that you are worthy.

And when Moses said, “Do not eat the pig, or the eagle, or the hawk, or the crow, or any ﬁsh without scales,”53 he received three ﬁrm teachings in his understanding. 2 Moreover, he said to them in the book of Deuteronomy, “I will establish a covenant with this people in my righteous demands.”54 So, then, the commandment of God is not a matter of avoiding food; but Moses spoke in the Spirit. 3 This is why he spoke about the pig: “Do not cling,” he says, “to such peo-

i.e., of the covenant ji.e., the number eighteen in Greek is JE, taken here as an abbreviation for the name “Jesus”

Ps 18:44. 42Cf.Isa 33:13. 43Isa 33:13; Jer 4:4. Cf Jer 7:2–3; Ps 34:12–13. 45Cf. Ps 34:12–13; Isa 50:10; Exod. 15:26. 46Cf. Isa 1:2. 47Cf Isa 1:10; 28: 14. 48Cf. Isa 40:3. 49Jer 4:3–4. 50Cf. Deut 10:16. 51 Jer 9:26. 52Cf. Gen 14:14; 17:23. 53Cf. Lev 11:7– 15; Deut 14:8–14. 54Cf. Deut 4:10, 13. 44

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ple, who are like pigs.” That is to say, when they live in luxury, they forget the Lord, but when they are in need, they remember the Lord. This is just like the pig: when it is eating, it does not know its master, but when hungry, it cries out— until it gets its food, and then is silent again. 4 “And do not eat the eagle, the hawk, the kite, or the crow.”55 “You must not,” he says, “cling to such people or be like them, people who do not know how to procure food for themselves through toil and sweat, but by their lawless behavior seize food that belongs to others. And they are always on the watch, strolling about with ostensible innocence, but looking to see what they can plunder because of their greed.” For these are the only birds that do not procure their own food, but sit by idly, waiting to see how they might devour the ﬂesh procured by others, being pestilent in their evil. 5 “And do not,” he says, “eat the lamprey-eel, the octopus, or the cuttleﬁsh.”56 “You must not,” he says, “be like such people, who are completely impious and condemned already to death.” For these ﬁsh alone are cursed and hover in the depths, not swimming like the others but dwelling in the mud beneath the depths. 6 But also “do not eat the hare.”57 For what reason? “You must not,” he says, “be one who corrupts children or be like such people.” For the rabbit adds an oriﬁce every year; it has as many holes as years it has lived. 7 “Nor shall you eat the hyena.”58 “You must not,” he says, “be an adulterer or a pervert nor be like such people.” For what reason? Because this animal changes its nature every year, at one time it is male, the next time female. 8 And he has fully hated the weasel. “You must not,” he says, “be like those who are reputed to perform a lawless

deed in their mouth because of their uncleanness, nor cling to unclean women who perform the lawless deed in their mouth.” For this animal conceives with its mouth. 9 And so, Moses received the three ﬁrm teachings about food and spoke in the Spirit. But they received his words according to the desires of their own ﬂesh, as if he were actually speaking about food. 10 And David received the knowledge of the same three ﬁrm teachings and spoke in a similar way: “How fortunate is the man who does not proceed in the counsel of the impious” (like the ﬁsh who proceed in darkness in the depths) “and does not stand in the path of sinners” (like those who appear to fear God but sin like the pig) “and does not sit in the seat of the pestilent”59 (like the birds who sit waiting for something to seize). Here you have a perfect lesson about food. 11 Again Moses said, “Eat every animal with a split hoof and that chews the cud.”60 What does he mean? He means that the one who receives food knows who has provided it and appears to be glad, having relied on him. He spoke well, looking to the commandment. What does he mean then? Cling to those who fear the Lord, to those who meditate on the special meaning of the teaching they have received in their heart, to those who discuss and keep the upright demands of the Lord, to those who know that meditation is a work that produces gladness, and to those who carefully chew over the word of the Lord. But why does he mention the split hoof? Because the one who is upright both walks in this world and

Cf. Lev 11:13–16. 56Source unknown. 57Cf. Lev 11:6. 58Source unknown. 59Ps 1:1. 60Cf. Lev 11:3; Deut 14:6.

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waits for the holy age. Do you see how well Moses has given the Law? 12 But how could they know or understand these things? We, however, speak as those who know the commandments in an upright way, as the Lord wished. For this reason he circumcised our hearing and our hearts, that we may understand these things.

But we should look closely to see if the Lord was concerned to reveal anything in advance about the water and the cross. On the one hand, it is written about the water that Israel will not at all accept the baptism that brings forgiveness of sins, but will create something in its place for themselves. 2 For the prophet says, “Be astounded, O heaven, and shudder even more at this, O earth. For this people has done two wicked things: they have deserted me, the fountain of life, and dug for themselves a pit of death. 3 Is my holy mountain, Sinai, a rock that has been abandoned? For you will be like young birds who ﬂutter about after being taken from their nest.”61 4 Again the prophet says, “I will go before you to ﬂatten mountains, crush gates of bronze, and smash bars of iron, and I will give you treasures that are dark, hidden, and unseen, that they may know 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 fail. You will see a king with glory, and your soul will meditate on the reverential fear of the Lord.”63 6 Again in another prophet he says, “The one who does these things will be like a tree planted beside springs of water; it will produce its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall, and everything it does will prosper. 7 Not so with the impious, not so; but they will be like chaff driven by the wind

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from the face of the earth. For this reason the impious will not rise up in judgment nor sinners in the counsel of the upright; for the Lord knows the path of the upright, but the path of the impious will perish.”64 8 Notice how he described the water and the cross in the same place. He means this: how fortunate are those who went down into the water hoping in the cross, for he indicates the reward will come “in its season.” “At that time,” he says, “I will pay it.” Now when he says, “the leaves will not fall,” he means that every word your mouth utters in faith and love will lead many to convert and hope. 9 And again another prophet says, “The land of Jacob was praised more than every other land.” This means that he gloriﬁes the vessel of his Spirit. 10 What does he say then? “And a river was ﬂowing from the right side, and beautiful trees were rising up from it. Whoever eats from them will live forever.”65 11 This means that we descend into the water full of sins and ﬁlth, but come up out of it bearing the fruit of reverential fear in our heart and having the hope in Jesus in our spirits.k And “whoever eats from these will live forever” means this: whoever, he says, hears and believes what has been said will live forever.

In a similar way he makes another declaration about the cross in another prophet, who says, “ ‘When will these things be fulﬁlled?’ says the Lord. ‘When a tree falls and rises up, and when blood ﬂows from a tree.’ ”66 Again you have a message about the

Or: in the Spirit

Jer 2:12–13; cf Isa 16:1–2. 62Cf. Isa 45:2–3. 63Cf. Isa 33:16–18. 64Ps 1:3–6. 65Cf. Ezek 47:1–12. 664 Ezra 4:33; 5:5.

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cross and the one who was about to be cruciﬁed. 2 And he again tells Moses, when Israel was attacked by a foreign people, to remind those under assault that they were being handed over to death because of their sins. The Spirit speaks to the heart of Moses that he should make a type of the cross and of the one who was about to suffer, that they might realize, he says, that if they refused to hope in him, they would be attacked forever. And so Moses stacked weapons one on the other in the midst of the battle and standing high above all the people he began stretching out his hands; and so Israel again gained the victory. But then, when he lowered his hands, they began to be killed.67 3 Why was that? So that they may know that they cannot be saved unless they hope in him. 4 And again in another prophet he says, “All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient people that opposes my upright path.”68 5 Again Moses made a type of Jesus, showing that he had to suffer and that he will again make alive—this one whom they will think they have destroyed. This type came in a sign given when Israel was falling. For the Lord made every serpent bite them and they were dying (since the act of transgression came by Eve through the serpent). This was to convince them that they will be handed over to the afﬂiction of death because of thier transgression. 6 Moreover, even though Moses himself issued this command—“You will have no molten or carved image as your god”69—he himself made one, that he might show forth a type of Jesus. And so Moses made a bronze serpent and displayed it prominently, and he called the people through a proclamation. 7 And when they came together they begged Moses to offer up a prayer on

their behalf, that they might be healed. But Moses said to them, “When any of you is bitten, come to the serpent that is displayed on the tree and hope, in faith, that even though dead, it can restore a person to life; and you will then immediately be saved.” And they did this.70 Again you have the glory of Jesus in these things, for everything is in him and for him. 8 Again, why does Moses say to Jesus the son of Nauel when he gave this name to him who was a prophet, that all the people should listen to him alone? Because the Father reveals everything about his Son Jesus. 9 And so, after Moses gave Jesus the son of Nauem this name, he sent him as a reconnaissance scout over the land and said, “Take a small book in your hands and record what the Lord says, that in the last days the Son of God will chop down the entire house of Amalek at its roots.”71 10 Again you see Jesus, not as son of man but as Son of God, manifest here in the ﬂesh as a type. And so, since they are about to say that the Christ is the son of David, David himself speaks a prophecy in reverential awe, understanding the error of the sinners, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ ”72 11 And again Isaiah says the following: “The Lord said to Christ my Lord, ‘I have grasped his right hand that the nations will obey him, and I will shatter the power of kings’ ”73 See how David calls him Lord; he does not call him son.

l Or: Joshua the son of Nun; Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua mOr: Joshua the son of Nun; Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua

Cf. Exod 17: 8–13. 68Cf. Isa 65:2. 69Cf. Lev 26:1; Deut 27:15. 70Cf. Num 21:4–8. 71Cf. Exod 17:14. 72 Ps 110:1. 73Cf. Isa 45:1.

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Now let us see whether it is this people or the ﬁrst one that receives the inheritance, and whether the covenant is for us or them. 2 Hear what the Scripture says concerning the people, “Isaac prayed for Rebecca his wife, because she was infertile. And then she conceived.” Then, “Rebecca went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord said to her, ‘There are two nations in your womb and two peoples in your belly, and one people will dominate the other and the greater will serve the lesser.’ ”74 3 You ought to perceive who Isaac represents and who Rebecca, and whom he means when he shows that this people is greater than that one. 4 In another prophecy Jacob speaks more plainly to Joseph his son, when he says, “See, the Lord has not kept me from your presence. Bring your sons to me that I may bless them.”75 5 He brought Ephraim and Manasseh, wanting him to bless Manasseh since he was the elder. So Joseph brought him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob saw in the Spirit a type of the people who was to come later. And what does it say? “Jacob crossed his hands and placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the second and younger, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob, ‘Switch your right hand onto Manasseh’s head, because he is my ﬁrstborn son.’ Jacob said to Joseph, ‘I know, my child, I know. But the greater will serve the lesser, and it is this one who will be blessed.’ ”76 6 You see about whom he has decreed, that this people will be ﬁrst, and the heir of the covenant. 7 And if this is also brought to mind through Abraham, we maintain that our knowledge is now perfect. What then does he say to Abraham, when he alone believed and was appointed for right-

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eousness? “See, Abraham, I have made you a father of the nations who believe in God while uncircumcised.”77

Yes indeed. But we should see if he has given the covenant that he swore to the fathers he would give the people. Let us pursue the question. He has given it, but they were not worthy to receive it because of their sins. 2 For the prophet says, “Moses was fasting on Mount Sinai For forty days and forty nights, that he might receive the covenant of the Lord for the people. And Moses received from the Lord the two tablets written with the ﬁnger of the Lord’s hand in the Spirit.”78 When Moses received them he brought them down to give to the people. 3 And the Lord said to Moses, “Moses, Moses, go down at once, because your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, has broken the Law. Moses understood that they had again made molten images for themselves, and he hurled the tablets from his hands. And the tablets of the Lord’s covenant were smashed.”79 4 So Moses received the covenant, but they were not worthy. Now learn how we have received it. Moses received it as a servant, but the Lord himself gave it to us, as a people of the inheritance, by enduring suffering for us. 5 He was made manifest so that those people might be completely ﬁlled with sins, and that we might receive the covenant through the Lord Jesus, who inherited it. He was prepared for this end, that when he became manifest he might make a covenant with us by his word, after redeeming our hearts from darkness,

Cf. Gen 25:21–23. 75Gen 48:11, 9. 76Cf. Gen 48: 14, 19. 77Cf. Gen 15:6; 17:4. 78Cf. Exod. 24:18; 31: 18. 79Cf. Exod 32:7–19.

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hearts that were already paid out to death and given over to the lawlessness of deceit. 6 For it is written how the Father commanded him to prepare for himself a holy people after he redeemed us from darkness. 7 And so the prophet says, “I the Lord your God called you in righteousness; and I will grasp your hand and strengthen you. I have given you as a covenant of the people, as a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out of their bondage those in shackles and out of prison those who sit in darkness.”80 And so we know the place from which we have been redeemed. 8 Again the prophet says, “See, I have set you as a light to the nations, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth; so says the Lord God who redeems you.”81 9 Again the prophet says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the good news of grace to the humble; he sent me to heal those whose hearts are crushed, to proclaim a release to the captives and renewed sight to the blind, to call out the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense, to comfort all those who mourn.”82

Something is also written about the Sabbath in the ten commandments, which God spoke to Moses face to face on Mount Sinai: “Make the Sabbath of the Lord holy, with pure hands and a pure heart.”83 2 In another place it says, “If my children keep the Sabbath, I will bestow my mercy on them.”84 3 This refers to the Sabbath at the beginning of creation: “God made the works of his hands in six days, and he ﬁnished on the seventh day; and he rested on it and made it holy.”85

4 Pay attention, children, to what it means that “he ﬁnished in six days.” This means that in six thousand years the Lord will complete all things. For with him a day represents a thousand years. He himself testiﬁes that I am right, when he says, “See, a day of the Lord will be like a thousand years.”86 And so, children, all things will be completed in six days— that is to say, in six thousand years. 5 “And he rested on the seventh day.” This means that when his Son comes he will put an end to the age of the lawless one, judge the impious, and alter the sun, moon, and stars; then he will indeed rest on the seventh day. 6 Moreover, it says, “Make it holy with pure hands and a pure heart.” We are very much mistaken if we think that at the present time anyone, by having a pure heart, can make holy the day that the Lord has made holy. 7 And so you see that at that time, when we are given a good rest, we will make it holy—being able to do so because we ourselves have been made upright and have received the promise, when lawlessness is no more and all things have been made new by the Lord. Then we will be able to make the day holy, after we ourselves have been made holy. 8 Moreover he says to them, “I cannot stand your new moons and Sabbaths.”87 You see what he means: It is not the Sabbaths of the present time that are acceptable to me, but the one I have made, in which I will give rest to all things and make a beginning of an eighth day, which is the beginning of another world. 9 Therefore also we celebrate the eighth day with gladness, for on it Jesus

Isa 42:6–7. 81Cf. Isa 49:6–7. 82Isa 61:1–2. 83Cf. Exod 20:8; Deut 5:12. 84Cf. Jer 17:24–25. 85Gen 2: 2–3. 86Cf. Ps 90:4; 2 Pet 3:8. 87Isa 1:13.

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arose from the dead, and appeared, and ascended into heaven.

I will also speak to you about the temple, since those wretches were misguided in hoping in the building rather than in their God who made them, as if the temple were actually the house of God. 2 For they consecrated him in the temple almost like the Gentiles do. But consider what the Lord says in order to invalidate it: “Who has measured the sky with the span of his hand or the earth with his outstretched ﬁngers? Is it not I, says the Lord? The sky is my throne and the earth is the footstool for my feet. What sort of house will you build me, or where is the place I can rest?”88 You knew that their hope was in vain! 3 Moreover he says again, “See, those who have destroyed this temple will themselves build it.”89 4 This is happening. For because of their war, it was destroyed by their enemies. And now the servants of the enemies will themselves rebuild it. 5 Again it was revealed how the city, the temple, and the people of Israel were about to be handed over. For the Scripture says, “It will be in the last days that the Lord will hand over to destruction the sheep of the pasture along with their enclosure and tower.”90 And it has happened just as the Lord said. 6 But let us inquire if a temple of God still exists. It does exist, where he says that he is making and completing it. For it is written, “It will come about that when the seventh day is ﬁnished, a temple of God will be gloriously built in the name of the Lord.”91 7 And so I conclude that a temple exists. But learn how it will be built in the name of the Lord. Before we believed in God, the dwelling place of our heart was corrupt and feeble, since it really was a

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temple built by hand; for it was full of idolatry and was a house of demons, because we did everything that was opposed to God. 8 “But it will be built in the name of the Lord.” Now pay attention, so that the temple of the Lord may be gloriously built. And learn how: we have become new, created again from the beginning, because we have received the forgiveness of sins and have hoped in the name. Therefore God truly resides within our place of dwelling—within us. 9 How so? His word of faith, his call to us through his promise, the wisdom of his upright demands, the commandments of the teaching, he himself prophesying in us and dwelling in us who had served death, opening up to us the door of the temple, which is the mouth, and giving repentance to us—thus he brings us into his imperishable temple. 10 For the one who longs to be saved looks not merely to a person but to the one who dwells and speaks in him. For he is amazed at him since he has never heard him speak these words from his mouth nor even ever desired to hear them. This is a spiritual temple built for the Lord.

Insofar as I have been able to set forth these matters to you simply, I hope to have fulﬁlled my desire not to have omitted anything that pertains to salvation. 2 For if I should write to you about things present or things to come, you would not understand, because they are set forth in parables. And so these things will sufﬁce.

Cf. Isa 40:12; 66:1. 89Cf. Isa 49:17. 90Cf. 1 Enoch 89:56. 91Cf. Dan 9:24; 1 Enoch 91:13.

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But let us turn to another area of knowledge and teaching. There are two paths of teaching and authority, the path of light and the path of darkness. And the difference between the two paths is great. For over the one are appointed light-bearing angels of God, but over the other angels of Satan. 2 And the one is Lord from eternity past to eternity to come; but the other is the ruler over the present age of lawlessness.

This then is the path of light. Anyone who wants to travel to the place that has been appointed should be diligent in his works. Such is the knowledge given to us, that we may walk in it. 2 Love the one who made you; stand in reverential awe of the one who formed you; glorify the one who ransomed you from death. Be simple in heart and rich in spirit. Do not mingle with those who walk along the path of death; hate everything that is not pleasing to God; hate all hypocrisy; do not abandon the commandments of the Lord. 3 Do not exalt yourself but be humble in every way. Do not heap glory on yourself. Do not entertain a wicked plot against your neighbor; do not make your soul impertinent. 4 Do not engage in sexual immorality, do not commit adultery, do not engage in pederasty. The word of God must not go out from you to any who are impure.n Do not show favoritism when you reproach someone for an unlawful act. Be meek and gentle; tremble at the words you have heard. Do not hold a grudge against your brother. 5 Do not be of two minds whether this should happen or not. Do not take the Lord’s name for a futile purpose. Love your neighbor more than yourself. Do not abort a fetus or kill a child that is already

born. Do not not remove your hand from your son or daughter, but from their youth teach them the reverential fear of God. 6 Do not desire your neighbor’s belongings; do not be greedy. Do not join forces with the high and mighty but associate with the humble and upright. Welcome whatever happens to you as good, knowing that nothing occurs apart from God. 7 Do not be of two minds or speak from both sides of your mouth, for speaking from both sides of your mouth is a deadly trap. Be subject to your masters as to a replicao of God, with respect and reverential fear. Do not give orders to your male slave or female servant out of bitterness—since they hope in the same God—lest they stop fearing the God who is over you both. For he did not come to call those of high status but those whom the Spirit had prepared. 8 Share all things with your neighbor and do not say that anything is your own. For if you are partners in what is imperishable, how much more in what is perishable? Do not be garrulous, for the mouth is a deadly trap. In so far as you are able, be pure within. 9 Do not be one who reaches out your hands to receive but draws them back from giving. Love like the apple of your eye everyone who speaks the word of the Lord to you. 10 Think about the day of judgment night and day, and seek out the company of the saints every day, either laboring through the word and going out to comfort another, being concerned to save a life through the word, or working with your hands as a ransom for your sins. 11 Do not doubt whether to give, nor grumble while giving. But recognize who

Meaning obscure

Or: type

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is the good paymaster of the reward. Guard the injunctions you have received, neither adding to them nor taking away. Completely hate what is evil. Give a fair judgment. 12 Do not create a schism, but make peace by bringing together those who are at odds. Confess your sins. Do not come to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the path of light.

But the path of the Black One is crooked and ﬁlled with a curse. For it is the path of eternal death which comes with punishment; on it are those things that destroy people’s souls: idolatry, impertinence, gloriﬁcation of power, hypocrisy, duplicity, adultery, murder, robbery, arrogance, transgression, deceit, malice, insolence, sorcery, magic, greed, irreverence towards God. 2 It is ﬁlled with persecutors of the good, haters of the truth, lovers of the lie; those who do not know the reward of righteousness, nor cling to the good nor to a fair judgment, who do not look out for the widow and the orphan, who are alert not to the reverential fear of God but to evil, from whom meekness and patience are far removed and remote. For they love what is vain and pursue a reward, showing no mercy to the poor nor toiling for the oppressed, who are prone to slander, not knowing the one who made them; murderers of children and corruptors of what God has fashioned, who turn their backs on the needy, oppress the afﬂicted, and support the wealthy. They are lawless judges of the impoverished, altogether sinful.

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to walk in them. For the one who does these things will be gloriﬁed in the kingdom of God. The one who chooses those other things will be destroyed, along with his works. This is why there is a resurrection; this is why a recompense. 2 I ask those of you who are in high positions, if you are willing to receive advice from my good counsel: keep some people among yourselves for whom you can do good, and do not fail. 3 The day is near when all things will perish, along with the wicked one. The Lord is near, as is his reward.92 4 Again and again I ask you, be your own good lawgivers, remain faithful advisors to yourselves, remove all hypocrisy from yourselves. 5 And may God, the one who rules the entire world, give you wisdom, understanding, perception, knowledge of his righteous demands, and patience. 6 Become those who are taught by God, enquiring into what the Lord seeks from you. And do it, that you may be found in the day of judgment. 7 And if there is any recollection of what is good, remember me by practicing these things, that my desire and vigilance may lead to a good result. I ask this of you, begging for a favor. 8 While the good vessel is still with you, do not fail in any of these things, but enquire fervently after them and fulﬁll every commandment. For they are worth doing. 9 Therefore I have been all the more eager to write what I could, to make you glad. Be well, children of love and peace. May the Lord of glory and of every gracious gift be with your spirit.

And so it is good for one who has learned all the upright demands of the Lord that have been written,

Cf. Isa 40:10; Rev 22:12.