THE SABBATH IN THE EPISTLE OF - PDF document

THE SABBATH IN THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies The Epistle of Barnabas cont aim earliest definite Sabbath and Barnabas epistle named himself, he remains anonymous. Apparently 2d century applied the name of Barnabas For a reference which very likely earlier, also more The Epistle of Barnabas placed between Temple in Cochba rebellion 133-135. to the first Testament (7th ed. ; London, 1896)~ pp. qr,4z. SABBATH IN BARNABAS IS are quite Biblical Gnostics made much allegorization also. However, allegory does ifso facto designate a writer author's time and Their [Hebrew Christians'] tastes, must mind, if readily disgusted our author's [Barnabas] fancies a or absence epistle can be judged is The end-point teachings must all overlying allegories this is done a surpris- ingly large doctrine is encountered author is quite lo doctrinal points 7 The covenantal 13 : 1-4, has many 22-31 theology is 8 One classic 10 unclean animals are interpreted in terms world. Aside allegory involved in this the author contained in i.e., accepts several (KO under note 133. 10 For example : creatorship is is found in Eden. originally made has through is corrupt, and contrary personal devil are in Biblical references on miracles, suffered, died bodily resurrected, 6. be resurrected will receive a future eternal kingdom. SABBATH IN BARNABAS 153 be taken in its context, and that context is one of unrelenting anti- Judaism. l3 The Epistle Barnabas contains the strong- est anti-Judaistic statement to be found among the Apostolic Fat hers. l4 motivation for strongly anti-Judaistic in part, l5 being one and not liken yourselves who pile upon sin, covenant remains in this . . (4 : 6, 7) men being led Gentiles almost consecrated Him in . . hope is in vain 2) first quotation writer's initial readers. The second passage Who were these "certain or Judaizing Christians l8 "The writer is antagonism he Antijudaic heresies of the second century." J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers (London, 1926)~ p. 239. The quotations in this 14 are, above Judaizing Christians. early time Christians from Jews so clearly means antinomist." ibid. 16 "The between Jews keeping with the state population of various elements which were continually in op. cit., p. 240. SABBATH IN BARNABAS I55 death, and (Chs. 2, 5, 7, 8, 12) 2. covenant made Sinai was their idolatry there, was never reoffered 14) 3. The Promised Land: "The not apply to the Christian's present and heart is abolish- Abraham was Is (Ch. g) 5. unclean animals interpreted as l9 this intent," not apply (Ch. 15) 7. The Temple: The literal Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and abolished. The true temple is the Christian in whom God dwells. (Ch. 16) The fact dissociate from also, along 18 The writer arrived conclusion because numerical values for (g : 7, more genuine are worthyJ' 9). One writer wittily adds, [Nicaea] two hundred certainly have much greater." C. R. Gregory,Canon and Text of the New Testament (New York, 1go7), p. 78. f See above note 8. SABBATH IN BARNABAS I57 his discussion writer's position is clear. a covenant Sinai, "But by turning was shown Law. "They themselves were found worthy" reofiered. but they way for ever, just received This covenant is (14: 5)- unanswered is, Jewish religion have toward no binding validity did (etc.) have comment on recognition shown might weaken his in the situation in which he Jewish beliefs Barnabas a thoroughly Sinai covenant. 23 subject related some passages 28 "The Epistle is a striking progressive method treats the practices and of old as having always no fantastic forestatement F. J. A. Hort, in Foakes-Jackson, op. cit.. p. 100. SABBATH IN BARNABAS I59 the six creation days as representing ~,ooo years each, "He meaneth this, thousand years Lord shall bring six days the Sabbath, "when His Son shall comeJJ (15: 5). Then comes the eighth day, "which is the beginning of another worldJJ (15 : 8). This millennia1 is found in the literature. The in the 26 The day-millennium equation is he [Adam] seventy years thousand years; are as and therefore For this he did for he remained for a system, as Barnabas. This next is found Enoch (Slavonic), seventh day, on which he rested his works, I appointed eighth day first-created after revolve in thousand, and eighth thousand there a time not-counting, endless, with neither years nor hours. as a6 essentially pre-Hellenistic,. early third century B.C. to the late fourth I?. Age to (2nd rev. ed. ; Baltimore, 1g57), pp. 346, 347. Jubilees 4 : 30,31. "It is hence obvious that already before the Christian era 1,ooo one world-day." R. The Apocrypha Pseudepigrapha Old Testament (Oxford, 1g13), 11, 451. I1 Enoch 32 treated as a written by 30-70; Charles, op. cit., 11, 425. Subsequent studies have Into the Christian era. H. H. Rowley, The Rebvance of Apocalyptic SABBATH IN BARNABAS 161 chapter apparently of shall come,. sun and stars, then seventh day." 33 two passages lies a chapter deals with 34 apocalyptic is another location IV Barnabas but into 3= world age 11) This is parallels between I1 in the 1st century A.D. In I1 Baruch these twelve ages 36 Ezra and I1 in turn 33 Barnabas 15 : 5. Other writers of Jewish zpocalyptic also mention Jubilees, "all luminaries (shall) be renewed" 91 : 15-17 "The powers given seven-fold Zoroastrian idea the final all the 3* IV Ezra 7 describes a 400-year with His death with all days after this all those in Judgement," quoted above 7 Pit" and as (parts )are already, and the tenth and the tenth : also disposed world which I have created defined periods as I1 Baruch 26-28 ; 53 ; 68, 69. SABBATH IN BARNABAS 163 This relationship 41 reason for this is apocalyptic cited above by several centuries Pahlavi books, which their interpretation is a perplexing problem 42 earlier teachings orally for a long period 43 destroyed by as usual, probably enshrines 44 remains a 1961), 57, 58. 41 "The for a Judaeo-Christian dependence purely eschatological thinking is and not convincing, for . . and a short in Yasht. the last 09. cit., p. 57. 42 question is very obscure no two specialists agree in their interpretation is particularly clear if the latest competent writers (e.g., though in Sassanian times (third-seventh centuries " Albright, op. cit., 358, 363. 43 .preached a Gathas .Judging from Were transmitted orally 800, and perhaps than I IOO years." Albright, op. cit., 359, 360. 1st and 2d for Zoroaster consequently his this oral transmission became 300 years longer. 44 Zaehner, op. cit., p. 25. SABBATH IN BARNABAS 165 a fairly At least a Fathed7 from Justin 48 or lesser Hippolytus (d. camed logical conclusion. world age terminates with Christ's 6,000 event can the date 5,500 B.C. for creation 500. by calculation, 49 and ,it millennia1 ages Lactantius later same method say, these error theo- movement away from 6,000 as found in the Augustine accepted millennia1 earlier career, but later, 47 Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian (probably), Hippolytus, Julius Africanus, Cyprian, Commodian, Victorinus of Pettau, Augustine. Space prohibits a see especially Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, (Washington, 1946-54), vol. I, under the appropriate sections, in conjunction with the writings the Fathers. 48 Justin mentions the I day = 1,000 year principle in Jubilees 4 : 30, 31 Adam's unfulfilled Trypho, is a lost fragment of martyr and on number six at length on six, he declares all things six classes,. ." ANF, I, 302. 49 Froom, op. cit., p. 278. 60 "I myself, too, once held this opinion." Augustine, De civitate Dei, xx. 7. SABBATH IN BARNABAS 167 in order to classify Barnabas as amillennialist is that the 15th epistle makes identical with respect 56 are not Barnabas is premil- lennialist. problem arises because did not clearly differentiate days and has left room for 56 his lack clarity on premillennial is certainly reasonable way 57 reasons for 55 be of will be a seventh all right, will be perfection no doubt about his seventh eighth day." op. cit., p. 35. 56 are actually 1,000 day as (15 : 5). "In 15 rested from 15 thousand years i.e., the millennium." Charles, op. cit., 11, 427. 2. day starts (15 leads him by this what he says here with what he says 5-7, where the Sabbatical millennium in which sin is overcome is the seventh." Barrett, op. cit., p. 370. Is it Barnabas eighth may turn out seventh, and sixth, and seventh a in six Stvomata, vi. 16. 67 one Catholic writer diagrams Barnabas' his readers, "Days 12 13 1415 16-the presentl 8 eternity" - and he adds, "His begins when the day of eternity, 'the eighth day.' " J. A. Kleist, The Epistle of Barnabas Christian Writers," I948), p. 179. SABBATH IN BARNABAS 169 it to To arrive literal days, were wholly These "days" into the future each "day" 1,000 first assumption, most logical sense is simply ancient Hebrew writer's for him 2 legendary, symbolic, prophetic, or To interpret this basic principle preted according obvious meaning, 61 The second assumption Barnabas established by transposing the original verb forms of the LXX, 62 the third rests go : 4. 63 so As opposed to the geologic-ages theory or Philo's example, which place supposed symbolism 61 Adventist principles see Royal day Adventist A USS, I (I 963), 81-go. 62 "In this interpretation two points are involved: the expansion of 'days' past tense (auv&zkhaacv) the future (ouvzkh~oe~). The latter change Barnabas makes no 6,000 years. Gen ii. 2 continues that on the seventh day God rested (xa~kxauoev). This aorist also is changed into a future." Barrett, op. cit., p. 370. 63 ''Clearly he is applying a ready-made kxxix. h.) eschatological mathematics, though very service- SABBATH IN BARNABAS I7I this subject, is important writer did reasons he did not give: He did not cite any did not discontinue Sabbathkeeping. for discontinuing Sabbathkeeping. and terminated in this epistle imply time and question is, the party the then they mentioned earlier, Barnabas' more likely directed against and practice Christian readers from Judaizing Christians Judaism itself). 65 The epistle gives no Testament tradition the Sabbath there said on point is this letter a strong Sabbathkeeping for them wrote his 15th chapter against it, with the warning that anyone so doing has "gone utterly astray" (15: epistle is not found but rather in clear demonstration upon such a thoroughly unbiblical face with into Judaism." Kleist, op. cit., p. 34. SABBATH IN BARNABAS I73 cycle, or some such similar G9 negative aspect writer did for his use He cited no command or inference from Christ for He cited Apostles for verses used millennia1 ages theory) . 69 basic question whether "the eighth in general SabbathJSunday assumed much importance, although i.e., Venerable Bede in his Times," 4, mentioned, "The days, and returns and Yost, op. cit., p. 66. These zd century statements eight-day market-day was giving way seven-day astrologic Mithraism. "The astrologic week, used as Augustus,. 1st given legal recognition made laws 'the venerable day of the Sun.' " Horn, et al., op. cit., pp. 1140, weekday names he wrote emperor, referring to the first and seventh days of sun," and "the Apology, were known and by avoided arousing his wrote against Trypho Judaeo-Christian terminology the first the seventh day, along with (Did., 41, 138). Had Justin spoken of "the day of the sun" (or Trypho he of paganism. The fact that Justin used the eighth day in converse With acquainted with it not just a Christian phrase. SABBATH IN BARNABAS I75 a far certainly is or other, and after some fashion other,--ob- served and distinguished from the other days of the week. 73 statements in SabbathISunday controversy are found in he and in 2d are anti-Judaistic and anti-Sabbatarian, and they both cite Sunday in localities. These first and is interesting and their to the information supplied still striking statements Socrates Lord's supper] Rome, on ancient tradition, have do this. 74 and almost 7s Question (Edinburgh, 1865), I, 316. See also the comment of Westcott under note 2. 73 W. Domville quoted in op. cit. 74 Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, v. 22. 76 Sozomen, Ecclesiastical Histmy, vii. 19.