BARNABAS, EPISTLE OF (bar'na-bas pis"! Ov).
(1) Title and History. The title of this an cient composition is found in the Stichometries (or catalogues of the sacred books) of the ninth century; but from that period to the seventeenth century the work itself remained entirely un known. Jacob Sirmond, a Jesuit, in copying the transcript of a Greek manuscript of l'olycarp's Epistle to the Philippians, which belonged to Turrianus (a member of the same order), dis covered another piece appended to it, which proved to be the Epistle (so called) of Barnabas. It was also found in two manuscripts of Poly carp, at Rome, which Cressolius collated. Sir mond sent a copy to the Benedictine, Hugo Menard, who had not long before found an an cient Latin translation of the Epistle of Barnabas in the Abbey of Corbey. About the same time Andreas Schottus (also a Jesuit) obtained a manuscript containing the Epistles of Polycarp and Barnabas; this was transcribed by Claudius Salmasius, and given, with a copy of the Corbey version, to Isaac Vossius. Vossius shortly after paid a visit to Archbishop Usher, who was then preparing for publication an ancient Latin ver sion of the shorter Ignatian Epistles. It was agreed between them to annex to this work the Epistles of Barnabas. But it had hardly been sent to press when the great fire at Oxford oc curred (1644), in which the was de stroyed, with all the archbishop's notes, and only a few pages saved which in the corrector's hands. These were afterwards inserted by Bishop Fell, in the ('reface to his edition of Bar nabas, Oxford. 1685.
(2) Editions. The first edition of Barnabas appeared at Paris. in 1645; it had been prepared by Menard, but, in consequence of his death, was edited by Luke d'Acherry. In the following year a new and much improved edition was published by Vossius, for which he collated three manu scripts; it was appended to his editio princers of the Ignatian Epistles. In 1672 Conic' ins pub lished his magnificent edition of the Apostolic Fathers. Besides the Greek text, and Corbey's version of Ilarnabas, it contained a new transla tion and valuable notes by the editor. The re print, in t724. contained additional notes by Davis and Le Clerc.
In 1685 two editions appeared : Bishop Ft ll's, already noticed. and one by Stephen le Moyne, at Leyden, in the first volume of his Sacra, with copious notes. It is also contained in Rus sel's edition of the Apostolic Fathers. London, 1746. and in the first volume of Galland's Bibli ("theca vetcrum Patrum. Vcn., 1765. A con venient edition is that by Dr. C. J. Heide, in his Patrum .-lpostolieorum Opera. Tubingen, 1839 and I R.12. Four German translations have ap peared. by Arnold (16ori). Gltising !lamb. 1723). Grymeus (t772). and ,\Iiist (1774): it was trans lated into English by Archbishop Wake (The genuine Epistles of the Aostolic Fathers, etc., Lond. t6o3 and t7to) : and a French translation by Le Gras is inserted in Desprez's Bible, Paris.
'717. On comparing the Corbey version with the Greek text, it appears that the latter wants four chapters and a half at the beginning, and the former four chapters at the end; thus each sup plies the deficiencies of the other. It is remarka ble that all the Greek manuscripts hitherto found are similarly defective, which plainly shows that they are all derived from the same source, and form only one family of manuscripts.
(3) Contents. The Epistle of Barnabas con sists of twenty-one chapters. The first part (i :t7) treats of the abrogation of the Mosaic dispensation, and of the types and prophecies re lating to Christ ; the last four chapters are com posed entirely of practical directions and exhor tations. The names and residence of the persons to whom it is addresed are not mentioned, on which account, probably, it was called by Origen a Catholic Epistle (Origen, Contr. Cels. lib. i. P. 49). But if by this title he meant an epistle addressed to the general body of Christians, the propriety of its application is doubtful, for we meet with several expressions which imply a per sonal knowledge of the parties. It has been dis puted whether the persons addressed were Jewish or Gentile Christians. Dr. Hefele strenuously contends that they were of the former class. His chief argument appears to be that it would be unnecessary to insist so earnestly on the abolition of the MoSaie economy in writing to Gentile con verts. But the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians is a proof to what danger Gentile Christians were exposed in the first ages from the attempts of Judaizing teachers; so that, in the absence of more exact information, the supposition that the persons addressed were of this class is at least not inconsistent with the train of thought in the Epistle. But more than this: throughout the Epistle we find a distinction maintained between the writer and his friends on the one hand, and the Jews on the other. Thus in chap. iii, 'God speaketh to them (the Jews) concerning these things, "Ye shall not fast as ye do this day," etc.: but to us he saith, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen?" etc.; and at the end of the same chapter, 'He bath shown these things to all of as that we should not run cs proselytes to the Jew ish law'—`ante ostendit omnibus nobis ut non incurramus tanquarn proselyti ad illorum legem.' This would be singular language to address to persons who were Jews by birth, but perfectly suited to Gentile converts. In chap. xiii he says, 'Let us inquire whether the covenant be with us or with them (the Jews), and concludes with quoting the promise to Abraham (w: . a slight verbal difference), 'Behold I have made thee a father of the nations which without circumcision believe in the Lord,' a passage which is totally irrelevant to Jewish Christians. For other simi lar passages, see Jones On the Canon, part iii, chap. 3o.