Gospel of Barnabas

What is it? The Gospel of Barnabas claims to be a contemporary account of the life of Christ, written by one of His disciples. The gospel shows Jesus as human and not divine, and claims that Judas Iscariot was substituted for Jesus Christ on the cross to be crucified. Many Muslims use the document as evidence for their beliefs about Christ.

Note that this document is neither the Epistle of Barnabas nor the Acts of Barnabas.

How was it discovered? We aren’t sure, but it appeared in Holland in 1709.

Who wrote it? We don’t know.

When do liberals claim it was written? Sometime in the first century.

When was it really written? Closer to the 16th century than the first.

So what’s the problem? 1. It is a forgery: It was not written by a disciple of Jesus.

2. Late date: The vast majority of scholars date it to the medieval period, not the first century. Those who date it to the first century seem to display very little knowledge of history, instead substituting rank speculation.

3. Inconsistency: This so-called gospel contradicts the known accounts of Christ’s life, words and actions.

4. Lack of church usage: There is no indication the early church used this book. In fact, there is no indication most Christians were even aware of it. Even Muslim authors didn’t reference it before the 15th century!

5. Unimportance: Remember that early Christian documents were suppressed and their owners killed for possessing them. Despite these dangers, thousands of manuscripts survived, and the faith multiplied exponentially. One has to question why we can’t say the same for this document.

Related: Gospel of Mary | Gospel of Thomas | Gospel of Philip | Gospel of Judas | Gospel of Barnabas