Apocryphal collection · Controversial and late works · 2 min read
Gospel of Barnabas
Jesus the prophet, Judas crucified in his place and the announcement of Muhammad
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
The Gospel of Barnabas is a long text, preserved in an Italian manuscript from the end of the 16th century (Austrian National Library, Vienna) and in an 18th-century Spanish copy. Narrated as if written by the apostle Barnabas, it presents Jesus as a prophet and not as the Son of God; it says that Jesus was not crucified (Judas was transformed into his likeness and died in his place); and it announces the coming of Muhammad, called the Messiah. It is often cited in debates between Christians and Muslims.
Key points
- Italian manuscript: Austrian National Library (Vienna), late 16th century.
- Spanish copy: known in the 18th century; a copy was located in Sydney in the 1970s.
- It has no connection with the 2nd-century Epistle of Barnabas.
- It mentions the jubilee “every hundred years”, instituted by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300.
- It contains details of medieval European life, such as wooden wine casks.
What scholars say
Scholars date the work between the 14th and 16th centuries, because of anachronisms (the hundred-year jubilee, medieval geography, echoes of Dante) and its language. It is considered a late composition, perhaps by an author linked to Morisco communities or to converts.
Keep investigating
- Secret Gospel of Mark The Mar Saba letter, the young man raised from the dead and a mystery that vanished
- Gospel of Judas The disciple who understood, the aeons of light and the 360 firmaments
Other languages: Português · Español
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