The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Gospel of Barnabas, and the New Testament

160 Pages·1993·5.58 MB·English

by  M. A. Yusseff

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The
Dead Sea
Scrolls
TheG ospel
of Barnabas
~New
Testament
\1. A. Yusst·ff
R-B-# 5 78
American Trust Publications
10900 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46231
Copyright© 141311993, by American Trust Publications,
10900 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46231, USA.
All rights reserved
LCCN: 85-073210
ISBN: 0-89259-132-3
First Edition 1985
Second Edition 1993
Dedicated to the memory
of my parents
who nourished me
with love - spiritually,
materially,
and intellectually.
CONTENTS
Preface ............................................................................................... i
Introduction - Jesus: A God or a Prophet ................................. iii
M. Tariq Quraisbi
The Discovery and Significance of the Scrolls ............................ 1
Roots of Israelite Culture .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 2
Israelite Opposition to Hellenization and
the Essenes' Emergence .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . ... .. . 3
The Nazerenes: A Sect of the Essenes .. .. .. .... .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. 4
Some Parallels between Essene and Nazarene Beliefs .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7
Themetic Coherence between the Gospel of Barnabas
and Genuine Scholarship . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10
Jesus' Charge of corruption against the Jews .......................... 13
Jesus' birth - the Reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Faith ........... 14
The Dusk, The Beginning of the Age of the Gentiles .............. 21
The Waywardness of the Israelites .. .. ........ .......... .... .. .. .. ...... ..... 21
The Minor Prophets ................................................................. 22
Jesus' True Mission . ... .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. . ... .. .. .. ... ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ... .. .. .. 24
The Coming of the Gentiles .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. 27
The Third Empire .. . .. .. . . .. . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . .. .. . .. .. .. 29
The Fourth Empire .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . .. .. .. . .. . . .. .. .. .. . .. .. . . . . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . .. . . 32
The Beginning of the anti-Christ Doctrine ................................ 35
The Gentile Tendency to make men gods ............................... 35
Jesus' warning that the Gentile would make Him a god ......... 37
The Trinity: a Pagan Expression .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 40
Blasphemy and Division in Palestine .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 4 3
Who were the Nicolaitans? ...................................................... 48
The Origins of the Nicolaitan Heresy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 51
The Nicolai tan Heresy .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . .. . .. .. .. .. . . .. . . . . .. .. .. . . .. 54
R.B.# 578
The Gnostic Origin of the Christian Church ............................. 59
The Ebionites as a sect distinct from the Nazacenes . .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . 59
Ebionites' opposition to Paul the first Christian ...................... 61
The Modernization of Paganism . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 65
Paul's inadvertant admission that He
was guilty of fabrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
The Fonnulation of the Greek Gospels ...................................... 73
Nazarene's opposition to Nicolaitan Heresy . . . .... ..... ........... ... .. 73
The Spurious nature of the Greek Gospels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
The Ceaseless corruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
The Gospel of John - A Gnostic work . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. . 84
Is The Gospel of Barnabas the Original Source? .••.•.......•...•...... 87
Barnabas and the compilation of the Gospel . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Paul's decision to become a Nicolaitan ................................... 89
Further evidence concerning the great antiquity of
the Gospel of Barnabas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
The Jewish Rebellion, the anti-Semitism of the Gentiles
and the survival of the Gospel of Barnabas . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
The establishment of the Christian Church and
the Nicolai tan Conspiracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . 97
The Prophet Who was to Come .......•....•.......•.........•..•.•.•........... 103
Conflicting Messianic Prophecies at the time of Jesus . . . . . .. . . . . 104
The Harassment of the Nazarenes and Jesus' Prophecy about
the coming Messiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ... I 08
The Messiah that Jesus spoke of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
A Messiah from the Ishmaelites ............................................. Ill
Evidence from beyond Israel . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Hiding the Truth behind the double Meaning ....................... 116
The esoteric (hidden) meaning .. .. .. .. .... .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 117
Appendix
List of Biblical Authorities 125
Index •..............................•..•.•.........•...................•.......................... 129
1be Scrolls, 1be Gospel of Barnabas, and Neu• Testament
PREFACE
As far back as 1961, I became aware of the Essenes as one who best fitted
the description of the people of the Qumran (Dead Sea) Scrolls. Over the
years while reading a number of scholarly works on the Scrolls and the
Essenes, I became familiar with Essenic terminology. One day when I came
across a copy of The Gospel of Barnabas , the abundance of Essenic
terminology in its text struck me with a sense of discovery - a discovery I
wanted to share with others. If its critics were right, how could this gospel
account ofJesus' life and ministry read so much, in its expression, like the
work of one accustomed to using and thinking in Essenic concepts and
terminology? How could this be unless the biblical scholars who felt that
there was some connection between the Nazarenes and the Essenes were
right. Drawing upon my research training, I set about analyzing The Gospel
of Barnabas from a historical perspective and compared it with the
Qumran Scrolls for terminology and similarity of thought.
This work is the first of a series of works based on a scientific approach to
discern the truth. Too bad the critics of this astonishing document- to my
knowledge - have been overly biased and dedicated to the blind defense
of their particular system of religious beliefs that certain statements in the
text of the Gospel, which on the surface appear to be suspect, have been
seized upon in an effort to discredit this amazing document. My own
religious belief stand on its own, with, or without, The Gospel ofB arnabas,
in light of scientific investigation. Therefore, there is no reason for me to
fall into this same kind of erroneous thinking in analyzing this ancient
work. Let us pursue the "truth" and leave the indifferent to themselves.
M.A. Yusseff
January, 1986
1be Scrolls, 1be Gospel of Barnabas, and New Testament iii
Introduction
JESUS: A GOD OR
A PROPHET?
Whether 1be Gospel ofB arnabas is genuine or not is a question tied to
another question- whether Jesus is God incarnate or not. For ifJ esus is
not God, then the present gospels of the New Testament fall apart and the
search for an authentic gospel becomes inevitable.
To begin with, Jesus' humanity is not a new issue that arose with the
modem criticism of the biblical texts or with the rise of Islam. The history
of Christianity is rife with such discussions. Nor has there been a dearth of
such Christians who dared to deny Jesus' divinity and then were silenced
by death or by a vehment charge of heresy. One need not delve far back into
the Christian past for its intolerance to this aspect ofc hristology. As early as
1546 in Munster, Holland, 30,000 people were put to death because they
denied Jesus' divinity.• Only eight years ago, Professor Robert Alley was
sacked from the chairmanship of the Department ofReligion, University of
Richmond (Virginia), because he denied that Jesus ever claimed to be the
2
Son of God. Times have changed, otherwise he would have lost his head -
something that Rev. John Gray the leader of Scotland's Presbyterian
Church could not resist saying on the publication of]ohn Hick's 1beMytb
ofG od Incarnate in July 1977: "If the authors were honorable, they would
have resigned their professorship of theology and divest themselves of
their status as Christian ministers. .. In a more militant age I would not have
bothered myself with mere words. I would have laid a charge of heresy. "3
No wonder during the last 1600 years or so 1be Gospel ofB arnabas was
first anathematized and later forced out ofc irculation for its alleged heresy.
'Earl Morse Wilbur, A History ofU nitarianism - Socianianism and its Antecedents, Beacon
Press, Boston, 1945, p.41.
27be Wasblngton Post, January 5, 1978 and Islamic Horizons, March 1978.
Yfbe International Tribune, July 1977.