The Epistle of Barnabas: Early Christian Influence and Controversy | Rite of Fancy
There are many unknowns about this early Christian text, including questions about its authorship and purpose. Despite its name, it was certainly not written by the Barnabas mentioned in Acts 14:14. Instead, scholars believe it came from the pen of a Greek pagan convert, someone writing after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, who was trying to make sense of Christianity’s relationship to Judaism in a world where faith was still being defined.
Most scholars date the document to between 117 and 138 AD, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian and a time of transition and tension within the Roman Empire. Christianity was spreading, yet was still viewed with suspicion. The old Jewish laws were being reinterpreted, and believers were asking themselves what it truly meant to follow Christ. The Epistle of Barnabas attempts to answer that question, but does so in a way that sharply distances Christianity from its Jewish roots.
Although it was never included in the biblical canon, this letter influenced many early Christian thinkers. St. Clement of Alexandria valued it so highly that he placed it in the Codex Sinaiticus, right between Revelation and The Shepherd of Hermas. But others disagreed. Eusebius of Caesarea listed it among disputed works, and St. Jerome later deemed it apocryphal. Throughout Church history, the Epistle of Barnabas has carried that air of suspicion, respected but never fully trusted.
Its content helps explain why. The writer interprets Old Testament laws as symbolic predictions of Christ rather than literal commandments, effectively dismissing Judaism as misunderstanding its own scriptures. That interpretive stance has led many to see the work as deeply anti-Mosaic and even anti-Semitic, a tone that makes modern readers uncomfortable, and rightly so. I couldn’t help but wonder if texts like this contributed, even indirectly, to the long and sorrowful thread of anti-Jewish sentiment that has haunted Christianity for centuries.
Yet even within this flawed document, there are glimmers of inspiration. The author urges believers to practice acts of mercy as a form of “keeping the fast”—to feed the hungry, comfort the sorrowful, and help the oppressed—as a spiritual discipline. I love that thought. It echoes a truth that has always resonated with me: faith should be lived through action. I’ve always preferred “active” prayer, such as my work with The Old Lick Cemetery, and I find beauty in the idea that compassion itself is worship.
In the end, I can’t help but think this work may not have come from a trained theologian at all but rather from an early Christian “influencer.” Someone earnest, enthusiastic, and convinced they had a message the world needed to hear. Perhaps that’s why it feels passionate but uneven, why it inspired so many and yet never became canonical.
Still, it’s a fascinating glimpse into the growing pains of early Christianity, a reminder that even imperfect voices helped shape the faith we know today.
Until my next book adventure!
Don't forget to check out the YouTube of The Epistle of Barnabas here: https://youtu.be/hqWFX90O9So
xoxo a.d. elliott
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller based in Tontitown, Arkansas.
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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