The Myth of the Gospel of Barnabas, Part 2
Pope Shenouda III continues his discussion of what he considers errors, contradictions, and distortions in what is called the Gospel of Barnabas. He focuses in this part on some ideas that the book attributes to God, especially the idea that God is jealous of a person’s love for others. He explains that this idea distorts the concept of love and human relationships, because a person’s love for his family, children, or the holy Temple cannot be a reason for God’s anger against him.
Spiritual Message
The talk emphasizes the need to distinguish between sound spiritual teaching and ideas that attribute qualities or actions to God that do not agree with the Christian faith. It also rejects considering the body to be impure, explaining that the body is God’s creation, that Christ took a body, and that the believer is called to glorify God in his body and spirit. It also discusses what he considers contradictions in the book concerning lying, the Holy Scriptures, the divinity of Christ, angels, asceticism, prayer, and excessive weeping.
Educational Lesson
The talk presents several examples of the manner attributed to Christ in the Gospel of Barnabas and considers that it includes insults and abusive expressions that do not agree with Christ’s way of teaching and rebuking. It also draws attention to internal contradictions in the book and to ideas that he considers illogical concerning subjects such as the purpose of creation, monasticism, sleep, and human relationships.
Practical Spiritual Application
The practical lesson is that a person should examine what he hears from religious teachings in light of the faith and the Holy Scriptures, and should not accept any teaching merely because it has been attributed to a holy person. The talk emphasizes the importance of knowing the Christian faith and distinguishing between sound teaching and distorted ideas. It concludes by indicating that the next discussion will address the relationship between the Gospel of Barnabas and Islam, how it combines some quotations from Islam while contradicting it in essential doctrines, and how some Muslim researchers have also criticized what it contains.
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