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"description": "I will be quoting from the Epistle of Barnabas, which is a letter attributed to Paul’s companion that was composed somewhere between the middle and latter part of the first century AD. It contains a lot of allegorical interpretations of the Old Testament commandments and events, which the author connects to Christ, his commandments, and the Church. All emphasis will be mine.\n\nGenesis 1:26 & Jesus Christ: God’s Co-Creator\n\nChapter 6. The sufferings of Christ, and the new covenant, were announced ",
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"publishedAt": "2026-04-13T19:39:14.000Z",
"site": "https://answeringislam.blog",
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"textContent": "I will be quoting from the Epistle of Barnabas, which is a letter attributed to Paul’s companion that was composed somewhere between the middle and latter part of the first century AD. It contains a lot of allegorical interpretations of the Old Testament commandments and events, which the author connects to Christ, his commandments, and the Church. All emphasis will be mine.\n\n**Genesis 1:26 & Jesus Christ: God’s Co-Creator**\n\nChapter 6. The sufferings of Christ, and the new covenant, were announced by the prophets\n\nWhen, therefore, He has fulfilled the commandment, what says He? _Who is he that will contend with Me? Let him oppose Me: or who is he that will enter into judgment with Me? Let him draw near to the servant of the Lord._ Isaiah 50:8 _Woe unto you, for you shall all wax old, like a garment, and the moth shall eat you up._ Isaiah 50:9 And again the prophet says, _Since as a mighty stone He is laid for crushing, behold I cast down for the foundations of Zion a stone, precious, elect, a corner-stone,_ honourable_._ Next, what says He? _And he who shall trust in it shall live forever._ Is our hope, then, upon a stone? Far from it. But [the language is used] inasmuch as He laid his flesh [as a foundation] with power; for He says, _And He placed me as a firm rock._ Isaiah 50:7 And the prophet says again, _The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner._ And again he says, _This is the great and wonderful day which the Lord has made._ I write the more simply unto you, that you may understand. I am the off-scouring of your love. What, then, again says the prophet? _The assembly of the_ wicked_surrounded me; they encompassed me as bees do a honeycomb, and upon my garment they cast lots._ Since, therefore, He was about to be manifested and to suffer in the flesh, His suffering was foreshown. For the prophet speaks against Israel, _Woe to their_ soul_, because they have counselled an_ evil_counsel against themselves,_ Isaiah 3:9 saying, **_Let us bind the just one, because he is displeasing to us._** And Moses also says to them, _Behold these things, says the Lord God: Enter into the good land which the Lord swore [to give] to_ Abraham_, and Isaac, and Jacob, and inherit it, a land flowing with milk and honey._ Exodus 33:1; Leviticus 20:24 What, then, says Knowledge? Learn: _Trust_ , she says, _in Him who is to be manifested to you in the flesh_ — that is, Jesus. For man is earth in a suffering state, for the formation of Adam was from the face of the earth. What, then, means this _: into the good land, a land flowing with milk and honey_? **Blessed be our Lord, who has placed in us wisdom and understanding of secret things**. For the prophet says, _Who shall understand the_ parable_of the Lord, except him who is wise and_ prudent_, and who loves his Lord?_\n\nSince, therefore, **having renewed us by the remission of our** sins, He has made us after another pattern, [it is His purpose] that we should possess the soul of children, inasmuch **as He has created us anew by His Spirit**. For the Scripture says concerning us, **while He speaks to the** Son**,_Let Us make man after Our image, and after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea._** Genesis 1:26**** And the Lord said, on beholding the fair creature man, _Increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth._ Genesis 1:28__**These things [were spoken] to the Son**. Again, I will show you how, in respect to us, He has accomplished a second fashioning in these last days. The Lord says, _Behold, I will make the last like the first. In reference to this, then, the_ prophet_proclaimed, Enter into the land flowing with milk and honey, and have dominion over it._ Exodus 33:3 Behold, therefore, we have been refashioned, as again He says in another prophet, _Behold, says the Lord, I will take away from these, that is, from those whom the_ Spirit of the Lord_foresaw, their stony hearts, and I will put hearts of flesh within them,_ Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26 because He was to be manifested in flesh, and to sojourn among us. For, my brethren, the habitation of our heart is a holy temple to the Lord. Ephesians 2:21 For again says the Lord, _And wherewith shall I appear before the Lord my_ God_, and be_ glorified_?_ He says, _I will confess to you in the_ Church_in the midst of my brethren; and I will praise you in the midst of the assembly of the_ saints_._ We, then, are they whom He has led into the good land. What, then, mean milk and honey? This, that as the infant is kept alive first by honey, and then by milk, so also we, being quickened and kept alive by the faith of the promise and by the word, shall live ruling over the earth. But He said above, _Let them increase, and rule over the fishes._ Genesis 1:28 Who then is able to govern the beasts, or the fishes, or the fowls of heaven? For we ought to perceive that to govern implies authority, so that one should command and rule. If, therefore, this does not exist at present, yet still He has promised it to us. When? When we ourselves also have been made perfect [so as] to become heirs of the covenant of the Lord.\n\n**Judaism: The Way of Antichrist**\n\nChapter 2. The Jewish sacrifices are now abolished\n\nSince, therefore, the days are evil, **__and__** Satan**__possesses the power of this world__** , we ought to give heed to ourselves, and diligently inquire into the ordinances of the Lord. Fear and patience, then, are helpers of our faith; and long-suffering and continence are things which fight on our side. While these remain pure in what respects the Lord, Wisdom, Understanding, Science, and Knowledge rejoice along with them. **For He has revealed to us by all the** prophets**that He needs neither** sacrifices**, nor burnt-offerings, nor oblations, saying thus** , _What is the multitude of your_ sacrifices_unto Me, says the Lord? I am full of burnt-offerings, and desire not the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats, not when you come to appear before Me: for who has required these things at your hands? Tread no more My courts, not though you bring with you fine flour. Incense is a vain abomination unto Me, and your new moons and sabbaths I cannot endure._ **He has therefore abolished these things, that the new law of** our Lord Jesus Christ**, which is without the yoke of necessity, might have a** human**oblation**. And again He says to them, _Did I command your fathers, when they went out from the land of_ Egypt_, to offer unto Me burnt-offerings and_ sacrifices_? But this rather I commanded them, Let no one of you cherish any_ evil_in his heart against his neighbour, and_ love_not an_ oath_of_ falsehood_._ Jeremiah 7:22; Zechariah 8:17 We ought therefore, being possessed of understanding, to perceive the gracious intention of our Father; for He speaks to us, desirous that we, not going astray like them, should ask how we may approach Him. To us, then, He declares, _A_ sacrifice_[pleasing] to_ God_is a broken spirit; a smell of sweet savour to the Lord is a heart that_ glorifies_Him that made it_. We ought therefore, brethren, carefully to inquire concerning our salvation, lest the wicked one, having made his entrance by deceit, should hurl us forth from our [true] life.\n\nChapter 3. The fasts of the Jews are not true fasts, nor acceptable to God\n\nHe says then to them again concerning these things, _Why do you fast to Me as on this day, says the Lord, that your voice should be heard with a cry? I have not chosen this fast, says the Lord, that a man should_ humble_his_ soul_. Nor, though you bend your neck like a ring, and put upon you sackcloth and ashes, will you call it an acceptable fast._ Isaiah 58:4-5 To us He says, _Behold, this is the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord, not that a man should_ humble_his_ soul_, but that he should loose every band of iniquity, untie the fastenings of harsh agreements, restore to liberty them that are bruised, tear in pieces every_ unjust_engagement, feed the hungry with your bread, clothe the naked when you see him, bring the homeless into your house, not despise the_ humble_if you behold him, and not [turn away] from the members of your own_ family_. Then shall your dawn break forth, and your healing shall quickly spring up, and righteousness shall go forth before you, and the_ glory_of God shall encompass you; and then you shall call, and God shall hear you; while you are yet speaking, He shall say, Behold, I am with you; if you take away from yourself the chain [binding others], and the stretching forth of the hands [to_ swear__ falsely_], and words of murmuring, and give cheerfully your bread to the hungry, and show compassion to the_ soul_that has been humbled._ Isaiah 58:6-10 To this end, therefore, brethren, He is long-suffering, foreseeing how the people whom He has prepared **shall with guilelessness** believe**in His Beloved**. For He revealed all these things to us beforehand, that we should not rush forward as rash acceptors of their laws.\n\nChapter 4. Antichrist is at hand: let us therefore avoid Jewish errors\n\nIt therefore behooves us, who inquire much concerning events at hand, to search diligently into those things which are able to save us. Let us then utterly flee from all the works of iniquity, lest these should take hold of us; and let us hate the error of the present time, that we may set our love on the world to come: let us not give loose reins to our soul, that it should have power to run with sinners and the wicked, lest we become like them. The final stumbling-block (or source of danger) approaches, concerning which it is written, **as** Enoch**says** , _For for this end the Lord has cut short the times and the days, that His Beloved may hasten; and He will come to the inheritance._ And the prophet also speaks thus: _Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and a little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one three of the kings._ In like manner Daniel says concerning the same, _And I beheld the fourth beast,_ wicked_and powerful, and more savage than all the beasts of the earth, and how from it sprang up ten horns, and out of them a little budding horn, and how it subdued under one three of the great horns._ You ought therefore to understand. And this also I further beg of you, as being one of you, and loving you both individually and collectively more than my own soul, to take heed now to yourselves, and not to be like some, adding largely to your sins, and saying, _The covenant is both theirs and ours_. But they thus finally lost it, after Moses had already received it. For the Scripture says, _And_ Moses_was_ fasting_in the mount forty days and forty nights, and received the covenant from the Lord, tables of stone written with the finger of the hand of the Lord;_ Exodus 31:18, Exodus 34:28 but turning away to idols, they lost it. For the Lord speaks thus to Moses_:_ Moses_go down quickly; for the people whom you have brought out of the land of_ Egypt_have transgressed._ Exodus 32:7; Deuteronomy 9:12 And Moses understood [the meaning of God], and cast the two tables out of his hands; and their covenant was broken**, in order that the covenant of the beloved** Jesus**might be sealed upon our heart, in the hope which flows from believing in Him**. Now, being desirous to write many things to you, not as your teacher, but as becomes one who loves you, I have taken care not to fail to write to you from what I myself possess, with a view to your purification. We take earnest heed in these last days; for the whole [past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becomes the sons of God. That the Black One may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. **Do not, by retiring apart, live a solitary life, as if you were already [fully] justified; but coming together in one place** , make common inquiry concerning what tends to your general welfare. For the Scripture says, _Woe to them who are wise to themselves, and_ prudent_in their own sight!_ Isaiah 5:21 Let us be spiritually-minded: let us be a perfect temple to God. As much as in us lies, let us meditate upon the fear of God, and let us keep His commandments, that we may rejoice in His ordinances. **The Lord will judge the world without respect of** persons. Each will receive as he has done: if he is righteous, his righteousness will precede him; if he is wicked, the reward of wickedness is before him. Take heed, lest resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], **we should fall asleep in our** sins**, and the** wicked**prince, acquiring power over us, should thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord**. And all the more attend to this, my brethren, when you reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders were wrought in Israel, **they were thus [at length] abandoned**. Let us beware lest we be found [fulfilling that saying], as it is written, _Many are called, but few are chosen_.\n\n**Christians are the True Israel**\n\nChapter 13. Christians, and not Jews, the heirs of the covenant\n\nBut let us see if this people is the heir, or the former, and if the covenant belongs to us or to them. Hear now what the Scripture says concerning the people. Isaac prayed for Rebecca his wife, because she was barren; and she conceived. Genesis 25:21 Furthermore also, Rebecca went forth to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord said to her, _Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples in your belly; and the one people shall surpass the other, and the elder shall serve the younger._ Genesis 25:23 You ought to understand who was Isaac, who Rebecca, and concerning what persons He declared that this people should be greater than that. And in another prophecy Jacob speaks more clearly to his son Joseph, saying, _Behold, the Lord has not deprived me of your presence; bring your sons to me, that I may bless them. And he brought Manasseh and Ephraim, desiring that Manasseh should be blessed, because he was the elder. With this view Joseph led him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob saw in spirit the type of the people to arise afterwards. And what says [the_ Scripture_]? And Jacob changed the direction of his hands, and laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, the second and younger, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob, Transfer your right hand to the head of Manasseh, for he is my_ first-born_son_. Genesis 48:18 _And Jacob said, I_ know_it, my son, I_ know_it; but the elder shall serve the younger: yet he also shall be blessed._ Genesis 48:19 You see on whom he laid [his hands], that this people should be first, and heir of the covenant. If then, still further, the same thing was intimated through Abraham, we reach the perfection of our knowledge. What, then, says He to Abraham? _Because you have_ believed_, it is imputed to you for righteousness_ : behold, I have made you the father of those nations who believe in the Lord while in [a state of] uncircumcision.\n\n**Baptism & the Cross Prefigured in the OT**\n\nChapter 5. The new covenant, founded on the sufferings of Christ, tends to our salvation, but to the Jews' destruction\n\n**For to this end the Lord endured to deliver up His flesh to corruption, that we might be sanctified through the remission of** sins**, which is effected by His blood of sprinkling. For it is written concerning Him, partly with reference to** Israel**, and partly to us** ; and [the Scripture] says thus: ** _He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities: with His stripes we are healed. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb which is dumb before its shearer._** Isaiah 53:5, 7 **Therefore we ought to be deeply grateful to the Lord** , because He has both made known to us things that are past, and has given us wisdom concerning things present, and has not left us without understanding in regard to things which are to come. Now, the Scripture says, _Not_ unjustly_are nets spread out for birds_. This means that the man perishes justly, who, having a knowledge of the way of righteousness, rushes off into the way of darkness. And further, my brethren: **if the Lord endured to suffer for our** soul**, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world,_Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness,_** Genesis 1:26 understand how it was that He endured to suffer at the hand of men. The prophets, having obtained grace from Him, prophesied concerning Him. And He (since it behooved Him to appear in flesh), that He might abolish death, and reveal the resurrection from the dead, endured [what and as He did], in order that He might fulfil the promise made unto the fathers, and by preparing a new people for Himself, might show, while He dwelt on earth, that He, when He has raised mankind, will also judge them. Moreover, teaching Israel, and doing so great miracles and signs, He preached [the truth] to him, and greatly loved him. But when He chose His own apostles who were to preach His Gospel, [He did so from among those] who were sinners above all sin, that He might show He came _not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance._ **Then He manifested Himself to be the** Son of God. For if He had not come in the flesh, how could men have been saved by beholding Him? Since looking upon the sun which is to cease to exist, **and is the work _of His hands_** , their eyes are not able to bear his rays. **The** Son of God**therefore came in the flesh with this view, that He might bring to a head the sum of their** sins**who had** persecuted**_His_** prophets**to the death**. For this purpose, then, He endured. **For God says,_The stroke of his flesh is from them; and when I shall smite the Shepherd, then the sheep of the flock shall be scattered._** Zechariah 13:7 He himself willed thus to suffer, for it was necessary that He should suffer on the tree. For says he who prophesies regarding Him, _Spare my_ soul_from the sword, fasten my flesh with nails; for the assemblies of the_ wicked_have risen up against me._ And again he says, _Behold, I have given my back to scourges, and my cheeks to strokes, and I have set my countenance as a firm rock._ Isaiah 50:6-7\n\nChapter 7. Fasting, and the goat sent away, were types of Christ\n\nUnderstand, then, you children of gladness, that the good Lord has foreshown all things to us, that we might know to whom we ought for everything to render thanksgiving and praise. **If therefore the** Son of God**, who is Lord [of all things], and who will judge the living and the dead, suffered, that His stroke might give us life, let us** believe**that the** Son of God**could not have suffered except for our sakes**. Moreover, when fixed to the cross, He had given Him to drink vinegar and gall. Hearken how the priests of the people gave previous indications of this. His commandment having been written, the Lord enjoined, that whosoever did not keep the fast should be put to death, **because He also Himself was to offer in** sacrifice**for our** sins**the vessel of the** Spirit**, in order that the type established in Isaac when he was offered upon the altar might be fully accomplished**. What, then, says He in the prophet? _And let them eat of the goat which is offered, with_ fasting_, for all their_ sins_._ Attend carefully: _And let all the_ priests_alone eat the inwards, unwashed with vinegar._ Wherefore? **Because to me, who am to offer my flesh for the** sins**of my new people, you are to give gall with vinegar to drink:** eat alone, while the people fast and mourn in sackcloth and ashes. [These things were done] that He might show that it was necessary for Him to suffer for them. How, then, ran the commandment? Give your attention. Take two goats of goodly aspect, and similar to each other, and offer them. And let the priest take one as a burnt-offering for sins. And what should they do with the other? _Accursed_ , says He, _is the one_. **Mark how the type of** Jesus**now comes out**. _And all of you spit upon it, and pierce it, and encircle its head with scarlet wool, and thus let it be driven into the wilderness._ And when all this has been done, he who bears the goat brings it into the desert, and takes the wool off from it, and places that upon a shrub which is called _Rachia_ , of which also we are accustomed to eat the fruits when we find them in the field. Of this kind of shrub alone the fruits are sweet. Why then, again, is this? Give good heed. [You see] _one upon the altar, and the other accursed;_ and why [do you behold] the one that is accursed crowned? Because they shall see Him then in that day having a scarlet robe about his body down to his feet; and they shall say, **_Is not this He whom we once despised, and pierced, and mocked, and crucified? Truly this is He who then declared Himself to be the_** Son of God**_._** For how like is He to Him! With a view to this, [He required] the goats to be of goodly aspect, and similar, that, when they see Him then coming, they may be amazed by the likeness of the goat. Behold, then, the type of Jesus who was to suffer. But why is it that they place the wool in the midst of thorns? It is a type of Jesus set before the view of the Church. [They place the wool among thorns], that any one who wishes to bear it away may find it necessary to suffer much, because the thorn is formidable, and thus obtain it only as the result of suffering. Thus also, says He, _Those who wish to behold Me, and lay hold of My kingdom, must through tribulation and suffering obtain Me._ Acts 14:22\n\nChapter 8. The red heifer a type of Christ\n\nNow what do you suppose this to be a type of, that a command was given to Israel, that men of the greatest wickedness should offer a heifer, and slay and burn it, and, that then boys should take the ashes, and put these into vessels, and bind round a stick purple wool along with hyssop, and that thus the boys should sprinkle the people, one by one, in order that they might be purified from their sins? Consider how He speaks to you with simplicity. **The calf is** Jesus**: the** sinful**men offering it are those who led Him to the slaughter**. But now the men are no longer guilty, are no longer regarded as sinners. **And the boys that sprinkle are those that have proclaimed to us the remission of** sins**and purification of heart**. To these He gave authority to preach the Gospel, being twelve in number, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. But why are there three boys that sprinkle? **To correspond to** Abraham**, and Isaac, and Jacob, because these were great with** God. And why was the wool [placed] upon the wood? **Because by wood** Jesus**holds His kingdom, so that [through the cross] those believing on Him shall live forever**. But why was hyssop joined with the wool? Because in His kingdom the days will be evil and polluted in which we shall be saved, [and] because he who suffers in body is cured through the cleansing efficacy of hyssop. And on this account the things which stand thus are clear to us, but obscure to them because they did not hear the voice of the Lord.\n\nChapter 11. Baptism and the cross prefigured in the Old Testament\n\nLet us further inquire **whether the Lord took any care to foreshadow the water [of** baptism**] and the cross**. Concerning the water, indeed, it is written, in reference to the Israelites, that they should not receive that baptism which leads to the remission of sins, but should procure another for themselves. The prophet therefore declares, _Be astonished, O heaven, and let the earth tremble at this, because this people has committed two great_ evils_: they have forsaken Me, a living fountain, and have hewn out for themselves broken cisterns. Is my_ holy_hill Zion a desolate rock? For you shall be as the fledglings of a bird, which fly away when the nest is removed._ Isaiah 16:1-2 And again says the prophet, _I will go before you and make level the mountains, and will break the brazen gates, and bruise in pieces the iron bars; and I will give you the secret, hidden, invisible treasures, that they may_ know_that I am the Lord God._ Isaiah 45:2-3 _And He shall dwell in a lofty cave of the strong rock._ **Furthermore, what says He in reference to the Son?** _His water is sure; you shall see the King in His_ glory_, and your_ soul_shall meditate on the_ fear_of the Lord._ Isaiah 33:16-18 And again He says in another prophet, _The man who does these things shall be like a tree planted by the courses of waters, which shall yield its fruit in due season; and his leaf shall not fade, and all that he does shall prosper. Not so are the ungodly, not so, but even as chaff, which the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the counsel of the just; for the Lord_ knows_the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish._**Mark how He has described at once both the water and the cross**. For these words imply, _Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the_ cross_, have gone down into the water;_ _for,_ says He, _they shall receive their reward in due time_ : then He declares, _I will recompense them._ But now He says, _Their leaves shall not fade._ This means, that every word which proceeds out of your mouth in faith and love shall tend to bring conversion and hope to many. Again, another prophet says, _And the land of Jacob shall be extolled above every land._ Zephaniah 3:19 This means the vessel of His Spirit, which He shall glorify. Further, what says He? _And there was a river flowing on the right, and from it arose beautiful trees; and whosoever shall eat of them shall live forever._ Ezekiel 47:12 **This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of** sins**and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the** fear**[of God] and trust in** Jesus**in our spirit**. _And whosoever shall eat of these shall live for ever,_ This means: Whosoever, He declares, shall hear you speaking, and believe, shall live forever.\n\nChapter 12. The cross of Christ frequently announced in the Old Testament\n\nIn like manner He points to the cross of Christ in another prophet, who says, _And when shall these things be accomplished?_ And the Lord says, _When a tree shall be bent down, and again arise, and when blood shall flow out of wood._ Here again you have an intimation concerning the cross, and Him who should be crucified. Yet again He speaks of this in Moses, when Israel was attacked by strangers. And that He might remind them, when assailed, that it was on account of their sins they were delivered to death, **the Spirit speaks to the heart of** Moses**, that he should make a figure of the** cross, and of Him about to suffer thereon; for unless they put their trust in Him, they shall be overcome forever. Moses**therefore placed one weapon above another in the midst of the hill, and standing upon it, so as to be higher than all the people, he stretched forth his hands, and thus again** Israel**acquired the mastery. But when again he let down his hands, they were again destroyed**. For what reason? That they might know that they could not be saved unless they put their trust in Him. And in another prophet He declares, _All day long I have stretched forth My hands to an unbelieving people, and one that gainsays My righteous way._ Isaiah 65:2 And again Moses makes a type of Jesus, [signifying] that it was necessary for Him to suffer, [and also] that He would be the author of life [to others], whom they believed to have destroyed on the cross when Israel was failing. **For since transgression was committed by Eve through means of the serpent, [the Lord] brought it to pass that every [kind of] serpents bit them, and they died** , Numbers 21:6-9; John 3:14-18 that He might convince them, that on account of their transgression they were given over to the straits of death. Moreover Moses, when he commanded, _You shall not have any graven or molten [image] for your_ God_,_ did so that he might reveal a type of Jesus. Moses**then makes a brazen serpent, and places it upon a beam** , and by proclamation assembles the people. When, therefore, they had come together, they besought Moses that he would offer sacrifice in their behalf, and pray for their recovery. And Moses spoke unto them, saying, _When any one of you is bitten, let him come to the serpent placed on the pole; and let him hope and_ believe_, that even though dead, it is able to give him life, and immediately he shall be restored._ Numbers 21:9 And they did so. You have in this also [an indication of] the glory of Jesus; _for in Him and to Him are all things._ Colossians 1:16 What, again, says Moses to Jesus (Joshua) the son of Nave, when he gave him this name, as being a prophet, with this view only, that all the people might hear that the Father would reveal all things concerning His Son Jesus to the son of Nave? This name then being given him when he sent him to spy out the land, he said, _Take a book into your hands, and write what the Lord declares, that the_ Son of God_will in the last days cut off from the roots all the house of Amalek._ Exodus 17:14 Behold again: Jesus**who was manifested, both by type and in the flesh** , 1 Timothy 3:16 is not the Son of man, but the Son of God. **Since, therefore, they were to say that Christ was the son of David, fearing and understanding the** error**of the** wicked**, he says** , _The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool._ And again, thus says Isaiah, _The Lord said to_ Christ_, my Lord, whose right hand I have holden, that the nations should yield_ obedience_before Him; and I will break in pieces the strength of kings._ Isaiah 45:1 **Behold how David calls Him Lord and the** Son of God.\n\n**Abraham’s 318 Men, Gematria & True Circumcision**\n\nChapter 9. The spiritual meaning of circumcision\n\nHe speaks moreover concerning our ears, how He has circumcised both them and our heart. The Lord says in the prophet, _In the hearing of the ear they_ obeyed_me_. And again He says, _By hearing, those shall hear who are afar off; they shall_ know_what I have done._ Isaiah 33:13 And, _Be_ circumcised_in your hearts, says the Lord._ Jeremiah 4:4 And again He says, _Hear, O_ Israel_, for these things says the Lord your God._ Jeremiah 7:2 And once more the Spirit of the Lord proclaims, _Who is he that wishes to live for ever? By hearing let him hear the voice of my servant._ And again He says _, Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for God has spoken._ Isaiah 1:2 These are in proof. And again He says, _Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of this people._ Isaiah 1:10 And again He says, _Hear, you children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness._ Therefore He has circumcised our ears, that we might hear His word and believe, for the circumcision in which they trusted is abolished. For He declared that circumcision was not of the flesh, but they transgressed because an evil angel deluded them. He says to them, _These things says the Lord your God_ — (here I find a new commandment) — _Sow not among thorns, but circumcise yourselves to the_ Lord_._ And why speaks He thus: _Circumcise the stubbornness of your heart, and harden not your neck?_ Deuteronomy 10:16 And again: _Behold, says the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised in the flesh, but this people are uncircumcised in heart._ Jeremiah 9:25-26 But you will say, _Yea, verily the people are_ circumcised_for a seal._ But so also is every Syrian and Arab, and all the priests of idols: are these then also within the bond of His covenant? Yea, the Egyptians also practise circumcision. Learn then, my children, concerning all things richly, that Abraham, the first who enjoined circumcision, looking forward in spirit to Jesus, practised that rite, **having received the** mysteries**of the three letters**. For [the Scripture] says, _And_ Abraham__ circumcised_ten, and eight, and three hundred men of his household._ What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this? Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred. The ten and the eight are thus denoted — Ten by Ι, and Eight by Η**. You have [the initials of the, name of]** Jesus**. And because the cross was to express the** grace**[of our redemption] by the letter Τ, he says also,_Three Hundred._ He signifies, therefore, **Jesus**by two letters, and the cross by one**. He knows this, who has put within us the engrafted gift of His doctrine. No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge than this, but I know that you are worthy.\n\n**Christ, Eighth Day & the New Sabbath**\n\nChapter 15. The false and the true Sabbath\n\nFurther, also, it is written concerning the Sabbath in the Decalogue which [the Lord] spoke, face to face, to Moses on Mount Sinai, _And sanctify the_ Sabbath_of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart._ Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12 And He says in another place, _If my sons keep the_ Sabbath_, then will I_ cause_my mercy to rest upon them._ Jeremiah 17:24-25 The Sabbath is mentioned at the beginning of the creation [thus]: _And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it._ Attend, my children, to the meaning of this expression, _He finished in six days._ **This implies that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years** , for a day is with Him a thousand years. And He Himself testifies, saying, _Behold, today will be as a thousand years._ Therefore, my children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished. _And He rested on the seventh day._ This means: **when His Son, coming [again], shall destroy the time of the** wicked**man, and judge the ungodly, and change the sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He** truly**rest on the seventh day**. Moreover, He says, _You shall sanctify it with pure hands and a pure heart._ If, therefore, any one can now sanctify the day which God has sanctified, except he is pure in heart in all things, we are deceived. Behold, therefore: certainly then one properly resting sanctifies it, when we ourselves, having received the promise, wickedness no longer existing, and all things having been made new by the Lord, shall be able to work righteousness. Then we shall be able to sanctify it, having been first sanctified ourselves. Further, He says to them, _Your new moons and your_ Sabbath_I cannot endure._ Isaiah 1:13 You perceive how He speaks: _Your present_ Sabbaths_are not acceptable to Me, but that is which I have made_ , **[namely this,] when, giving rest to all things, I shall make a beginning of the eighth day, that is, a beginning of another world. Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which** Jesus**rose again from the dead. And when He had manifested Himself, He ascended into the heavens**.",
"title": "Insights from the Epistle of Barnabas",
"updatedAt": "2026-04-13T19:39:16.797Z"
}