From: RBNXHS@ROHVM1.bitnet
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: What the Gospel of Barnabas says about Muhammad (SAWS)
Date: 16 Dec 1992 01:02:23 GMT
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab
Reply-To: RBNXHS@ROHVM1.bitnet
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Originator: gwydion@wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu

In response to my article on "Gospel of Barnabas":
>The Gospel of Barnabas was widely used as a canonical book in the
>North African Churches, esp. Tripoli in Libya, prior to its being
>condemned as an Apocryphal book in the 4th century c.e. Bishop Irenaeus
>used to quote verses from it to prove that Jesus was inferior to God,
>and such could not be worshipped as Pauline Churches were doing in Asia
>Minor and Roman territories in Europe.

John Emery commented:
I've searched for this aporcyphal book and have found no reference to
it.  Could you please share your sources with me?

My comments:
============
Toland in his "Miscellaneous works" (published posthumously in 1747)
vol. 1, ch. 15 refers to Glasian Decree of 496 C.E. where "Evangelium
Barnabe" is included in the list of forbidden (Apocryphal) books.
The Gospel of Barnabas is also included in the list of 60 books in
the Stichometry of Nicephorous (Serial no. 24).
A Greek version of the Gospel is also found in a solitary fragment,
the rest is burned, and is preserved in a museum.

John commented:
Ireneous was under Polycarp who was under the Apostle John.  The apostle
John's writing clearly uphold the deity of the Lord Jesus.  Ireneous
himself contended that God the Creator was known both in the Father and
the Son.  You mentioned that he used the Gospel of Barnabas to prove
that Jesus was inferior to God.  Could you give me the references to
where this is contained in Iraneous' writings?  In Against Heresies?

My comments:
============
I think you are confusing John the Elder with John, the supposed
author of the last gospel of NT. John the apostle of Jesus is beleived
to have been killed by Herod Agrippa shortly before his death in 44
C.E. For details, I have to write a separate piece and show that
early fathers of christianity did not agree with the Trinitarian
view as professed by most christians today. (I am flying overseas
this evening, so please, wait until I return in mid-January.)
Irenaeous, indeed, considered Jesus to be inferior to God.

>                        The christian church today deny that such a
>gospel ever existed, and that piece found on his breast was either a
>gospel of Matthew or an epistle of Barnabas. We simply don't know what
>happened to that Greek piece, although we shall not be surprised if the
>copy was burned later to hide information contained in it.

John commented:
Why would the Christian church do such a thing?  There already exist
many, many apocrypal and pseudepigrapha writings that have elements
that contradict the apostles' testimony and teachings.  These writings
have been recognized as non-canonical and have not effected the truth
of the Lord Jesus.  In other words, there are many extant writings that
Christians consider false.

My comment:
==========
Trinitarians have always burned and destroyed writings/materials which
they considered to be offensive or contrary to their faith/beliefs.
And this practice continued for several centuries, even until the
beginning of the 20th centurey. That is why, when the English transla-
tion of the Gospel of Barnabas appeared in the English market, it
was promptly removed, finding out that too many English-speaking
Trinitarians may change their faith. Yes, not a single copy was to be
found, except in the library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the
British Museum.

< John wanted to know why christians would change their faith if
they accept the authenticity of the Gospel of Barnabas. I am going
to provide the reason, by quoting from the Gospel. Before that
let me give a brief introduction to the subject, for new readers
who are unfamiliar with this subject.>
====================================

I have in the past referred to the Gospel of Barnabas as a source
for what Eesa (AWS) said in relation to Muhammad (SAWS). Barnabas was
an original disciple of Eesa. His name was Joses (or Joseph). He was
given the title of Barnabas by his fellow companions. He  was
a Cypriot Jew, who accepted the message of Jesus, and believed in him
as a true Prophet/Messenger of Allah. Many miracles are attributed to
him. He is believed to have been martyred in Cyprus.  The so-called
New Testament (NT) book of Acts of Apostles mention him in many places
e.g., his apostolic mission to the gentile peoples of Asia Minor, where
he was accompanied by Saul (Paul) of Tarsus, a one-time persecutor of
Judeo-christians:
              "And Joses, who by the  apostles was surnamed
Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of
consolation), a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having
land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the
apostles'  feet."  (4:36-37)  His eminence as a man who had
been very close to Jesus had made him a prominent member of
the small nucleus of disciples in Jerusalem who had gathered
together after the heavenly ascension of Jesus. It was his position
within the Jerusalem church, which convinced others to accept Paul
initially as an apostle for Jesus  (Acts 9:26-27).
Barnabas was a dynamic evangelist who
preached the teachings of Jesus to the gentiles and jews
alike. ".. For he  (Barnabas) was a good man, and full of
the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto
the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek
Saul: and when he had found him, he brought him unto
Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they
assembled themselves with the church, and taught much
people. ..." (The Acts 11:24-26)  In several other places
the evangelical mission of Barnabas is mentioned in details
(e.g., The Acts 12:25, ch. 13-15).  Among other references
are Paul's epistles to the Galatians: "And when  James,
Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the
grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas
the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the
heathen, and they unto the circumcision." (2:9), and the
Colossians, where he wrote, "Ar-is-tarchus my fellow
prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas,
(touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto
you, receive him)..." (4:10)

As shown above Paul and Barnabas cooperated in their earlier
evangelical missions. But later, a serious rift took place
between them and they parted from each other. (The Acts
15:35-40) In the Acts, Barnabas disappears mysteriously
after this rift, obviously due to the fact that the recording of
the Acts of the Apostles was done by the gentile followers of Paul,
notably Luke. The Acts would have us believe that the reason for the
rift was about accompanying Mark. I seriously doubt if that
was the only reason for the disagreement between the two. Most modern
scholars also reject that reason cited in the Acts. Barnabas himself
provided a number of reasons in the introduction to his Gospel, most
imprtantly the corruption of Jesus's message by Paul. It was not only
Barnabas with whom Paul had a dissension, but it was with most of the
original members of the Jerusalem church, comprising of Judeo-christians
who believed that Paul was contaminating Jesus's message and was
introducing ideas contrary to those preached by Jesus to his disciples.
(Ref: Prof. Brandon's "Jesus and the Zealots", "The Trial of Jesus of
Nazareth, and John Steen's "Barnabas and Paul: Brothers in Conflict")
It is therefore not surprising to find that Barnabas and the rest of
the original Judeo-christian disciples of Jesus totally disappear from
the Acts (ch. 16 onwards). The rest of the Acts only mention about
Paul's missionary activities. It is highly doubtful that other
disciples did not write anything about their own activities. Anyhow
the NT does not include any of those books relating to activities of
other members of the Jerusalem church. We cannot but
question why the writings relating to Judeo-christians' activities
did not become part of the NT canon. Was it because the teachings and
activities of other members were significantly different than what
Paul was teaching? The answer seems to be in the affirmative, esp.
due to the fact that it was the Pauline christians who decided as to
what books/epistles to be included in the christian canon, and what to
be rejected.

        The  Gospel of Barnabas, which was accepted as a
canonical gospel in the churches in North Africa (including
Alexandria) prior to 325 C.E., was decreed as an Apocryphal book
by the Trinitarian church.Bishop Irenaeus (130-200 C.E.)
used to quote extensively from this gospel in support of his
monotheistic beliefs.  This shows that this gospel was in
circulation  possibly in the first and definitely in the
second centuries of christianity.  Despite three successive
decrees in 382 (Decree of the Western Churches), 465 (Decree
by Pope Innocent) and 496 C.E (Glasian Decree) to destroy
gospels not conforming to Pauline christianity, this gospel
survived quite mysteriously.

This Gospel in quite remarkable terms, speaks about the
appearance of Muhammad (SAW), and that Isa (AWS) was not
crucified (the proof can also be found within the gospel
according to Luke 24:36-43. See also Ref. 13 and 14 for
further readings), etc .  Such resemblances to our Islamic
faith is very striking, especially, due to the fact that it
was written some six centuries before the Prophetic mission
of Muhammad (SAW).  If any christian would believe in this
remarkable gospel, then he/she would have no other
alternative but to accept the truth concerning Islam and
profess, "La ilaha il-lAllah, Muhammadur Rasulullah."

Trinitarian clergymen and missionaries thenceforth have launced
a smear campaign to prove that the gospel attributed to Barnabas
is only a forgery of the late 16th century (you have seen a good
example of that mud-slinging by Batista and co., who borrowed from
the writings of missionaries like Lonsdale Ragg, Jan Slomp and D. Sox.)
These trinitarian missionaries did not have anything to offer in their
biased, wilful, distorted criticism but to suggest that the gospel
is possibly written by a Muslim. What do you expect from these spiteful
trinitarians? Yes, the gospel is written by a Muslim, for Jesus himself
was a Muslim, and so were his rightly guided disciples, including
Barnabas. The true religion with Allah has been and will remain always
Islam. The message preached by all the prophets of God, from Adam (AWS)
to Muhammad Ahmad Mustafa (SAWS) was Islam, and nothing else. (I suggest
my interested readers to read Br. G. Houseini's excellent articles
on this subject, which were posted in the SRI Net). The criticisms of
these spiteful trinitarians have been adequately answered by M.A.
Yusseff in his books, "Gospel of Barnabas" and "The Dead Sea Scrolls,
the Gospel of Barnabas and the New Testament" (both published by the
American Trust Publications. He answers every question that these
trinitarian skeptics could produce.

With that introductory comments, let me now quote from the Gospel.
(Let me caution my Muslim readers that we don't equate the Gospel
of Barnabas with the Injil, which was revealed to Eesaa (AWS),
despite the fact that it could well have been the most authentic
collection of Jesus's sayings. It is definitely much more reliable
than the pseudepigraphic gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
in the NT.)
------------------------------------------

The gospel of Barnabas mentions
what Jesus spoke about the creation of Adam. When God gave
Adam soul, "'Adam, having sprung up upon his feet, saw in
the air a writing that shone like the sun, which said:
"There is only one God, and Muhammad is the messenger of
God."Whereupon Adam opened his mouth and said: "I thank
Thee, O Lord my God, that thou hast deigned to create me;
but tell me. I pray Thee, what meaneth the message of these
words: "Muhammad is the messenger of God." Have there been
other men before me?" 'Then said God: "Be thou welcome, O My
servant Adam. I tell thee that thou art the first man I have
created. And he whom thou hast seen [mentioned] is thy son,
who shall come into the world many years hence, and shall be
My messenger, for whom I have created all things; who shall
give light to the world when he shall come; whose soul was
set in a celestial splendour sixty thousand years before I
made anything." [Barnabas, Ch. 39]

When the disciples wanted to know  about the messenger of
God, Jesus said, " 'Verily I say unto you, that every
Prophet when he is come hath borne to one nation only the
mark of the mercy of God. And so their words were not
extended save to that people to which they were sent. But
the messenger of God, when he shall come, God shall give to
him as it were the seal of his hand, insomuch that he shall
carry salvation and mercy to all the nations of the world
that shall receive his doctrine. He shall come with power
upon the ungodly, and shall destroy idolatry, insomuch that
he shall make Satan confounded: for so promised God to
Abraham, saying: Behold, in thy seed I will bless all the
tribes of the earth; and as thou hast broken in pieces the
idols, O Abraham, even so shall thy seed do.'  James
answered: 'O master, tell us in whom this promise was made;
for the jews say "in Isaac," and the Ishmaelites say "in
Ishmael." ' Jesus answered: 'David, whose son was he, and of
what lineage?' James answered: 'Of Isaac; for Isaac was
father of Jacob, and Jacob was father of Judah, of whose
lineage is David.' Then said Jesus: 'And the messenger of
God when he shall come, of what lineage will he be?' The
disciples answered: 'Of David.' Whereupon Jesus said: 'Ye
deceive yourselves; for David in spirit calleth him lord,
saying thus: "God said to my lord, sit thou on My right hand
until I make thine enemies thy footstool. God shall send
forth thy rod which shall have lordship in the midst of
thine enemies." If the messenger of God whom ye call Messiah
were son of David, how should David call him lord? Believe
me, for verily I say to you, that the promise was made in
Ishmael, not in Isaac.' Thereupon said the disciples: 'O
master, it is thus written in the book of Moses, that in
Isaac was the promise made.' Jesus answered, with a groan:
'It is so written, but Moses wrote it not, nor Joshua, but
rather our rabbins, who fear not God. Verily I say unto you,
that if ye consider the words of the angel Gabriel, ye shall
discover the malice of our scribes and doctors. For the
angel said: "Abraham, all the world shall know how God
loveth thee; but how shall the world know the love that thou
bearest to God? Assuredly it is necessary that thou do
something for love of God." Abraham answered: "Behold the
servant of God, ready to do all that which God shall will."
Then spake God, saying to Abraham: "Take thy son, thy
firstborn Ishmael, and come up the mountain to sacrifice
him." How is Isaac firstborn, if when Isaac was born Ishmael
was seven years old? .... Verily I say unto you, that Satan
ever seeketh to annul the laws of God;  and therefore he
with his followers ... today have contaminated almost all
things, so that scarcely is the truth found. ... 'I
therefore say unto you that the messenger of God is a
splendor that shall give gladness to nearly all that God
hath made, for he is adorned with the spirit of
understanding and of counsel, the spirit of wisdom and
might, the spirit of fear and love, the spirit of prudence
and temperance, he is adorned with the spirit of charity and
mercy, the spirit of justice and piety, the spirit of
gentleness and patience, which he hath received from God
three times more than he hath given to all his creatures. O
blessed time, when he shall come to the world! Believe me
that I have seen him and have done him reverence, even as
every Prophet hath seen him: seeing that of his spirt God
giveth to them prophecy. And when I saw him my soul was
filled with consolation, saying: "O Muhammad, God be with
thee, and may he make me worthy to untie thy shoe latchet,
for obtaining this I shall be a great Prophet and holy one
of God."  [Barnabas, Ch. 43,44]

In the chapters 190-192 the same theme is carried in a
discourse that took place between Jesus and a jewish scribe.
It is reported that Jesus asked, "Tell me, brother, thou art
a doctor learned in the law - in whom was the promise of the
Messiah made to our father Abraham? In Isaac or in Ishmael?"
The scribe answered: 'O master, I fear to tell thee this,
because of the penalty of death. .... I have seen an old
book written by the hand of Moses and Joshua (he who made
the sun stand still as thou hast done), servants and
Prophets of God, which book is the true book of Moses.
Therein is written that Ishmael is the father of Messiah,
and Isaac the father of the messenger of the Messiah. And
thus saith the book, that  Moses said: "Lord God of Israel,
Mighty and Merciful, manifest to Thy servant the splendour
of Thy glory." Whereupon God showed him his messenger in the
arms of Ishmael, and Ishmael in the arms of Abraham. Nigh to
Ishmael stood Isaac, in whose arms was a child, who with his
finger pointed to the messenger of God, saying: "This is he
for whom God hath created all things." 'Whereupon Moses
cried out with joy: "O Ishmael, thou hast in thine arms all
the world, and paradise! Be mindful of me, God's servant,
that I may find grace in God's sight by means of thy son,
for whom God hath made all.'  ' ... In that book it is not
found that God hath locked up His mercy in Israel alone, but
rather that God hath mercy on every man that seeketh God his
Creator in truth. ...' Then said Jesus: "See that thou never
again keep back the truth, because in the faith of the
Messiah God shall give salvation to men, and without it
shall none be saved.' " [Barnabas, Ch. 190-192]

At another occasion, Jesus spoke about  the judgement of
God, 'The judgement day of God will be so dreadful that,
verily I say unto you, ... that not alone shall the
reprobate fear, but the saints and elect of God, so that
Abraham, shall not trust in his righteousness, and Job shall
have no confidence in his innocence. And what say I? Even
the messenger of God shall fear, for that God, to make known
His Majesty, shall deprive His messenger of memory, so that
he shall have no remembrance how that God hath given him all
things. Verily I say unto you that, speaking from the heart,
I tremble because by the world I shall be called God, and
for this I shall have to render an account. As God liveth,
in whose presence my soul standeth I am a mortal man as
other men are, for although God has placed me as Prophet
over the house of Israel for the health of the feeble and
correction of sinners, I am the servant of God, and of this
ye are witness, how I speak against those wicked men who
after my departure from the world shall annul the truth of
my gospel by the operation of Satan. But I shall return
towards the end, and with me shall come Enoch and Elijah,
and we will testify against the wicked, whose end shall be
accursed.' [Barnabas, Ch. 52]

Then Jesus spoke about the signs of the dooms day. "... And
having said this, Jesus smote his face with both his hands,
and then smote the ground with his head. And having raised
his head, he said: 'Cursed be every one who shall insert
into my sayings that I am the son of God.' At these words
the disciples fell down as dead, whereupon Jesus lifted them
up, saying: 'Let us fear God now, if we would not be
affrighted in that day.' 'When these signs be passed, there
shall be darkness over the world forty years, God alone
being alive, to whom be honour and glory for ever. When the
forty years be passed, God shall give life to His messenger,
who shall rise again like the sun, but resplendent as a
thousand suns. He shall sit, and shall not speak, for he
shall be as it were beside himself. God shall  raise again
the four angels favoured of God, who shall seek the
messenger of God, and, having found him, shall station
themselves on the four sides of the place to keep watch upon
him. Next shall God give life to all the angels, who shall
come like bees circling round the messenger of God. Next
shall God give life to all his Prophets, who, following
Adam, shall go every one to kiss the hand of the messenger
of God, committing themselves to his protection. Next shall
God give life to all the elect, who shall cry out: "O
Muhammad, be mindful of us!" At whose cries pity shall awake
in the messenger of God, and he shall consider what he ought
to do, fearing for their salvation. Next shall God give life
to every created thing, and they shall return to their
former existence, but every one shall besides possess the
power of speech. ... After this shall God cause Satan to be
raised up, at whose aspect every creature shall be as dead,
for fear of the horrid forms of his appearance. May it
please God,' said Jesus, 'that I behold not that monster on
that day. The messenger of God alone shall not be affrighted
by such shapes, because he shall fear God only. 'Then the
angel, at the sound of whose trumpet all shall be raised,
shall sound his trumpet again, saying: "Come to the
judgement, O creatures, for your Creator willeth to judge
you." Then shall appear in the midst of heaven over the
valley of Jehoshaphat a glittering throne, over which shall
come a white cloud, whereupon the angels shall cry out:
"Blessed be Thou our God, who hast created us, and saved us
from the fall of Satan." Then the messenger of God shall
fear, for that he shall perceive that none hath loved God as
he should. .... 'The messenger of God shall go to collect
all the Prophets, to whom he shall speak, praying them to go
with him to pray God for the faithful. And every one shall
excuse himself for fear; nor, as God liveth, would I go
there, knowing what I know. Then God, seeing this, shall
remind His messenger how He created all things for love of
him, and so his fear shall leave him, and he shall go nigh
unto the throne with love and reverence, while the angels
sing: "Blessed be Thy holy name, O God, our God."  ... 'And
God shall speak unto His messenger, saying: "Thou art
welcome, O My faithful servant; therefore ask what thou
wilt, for thou shalt obtain all." The messenger of God shall
answer, "O Lord, I remember that when Thou didst create me,
Thou saidst that Thou hadst willed to make for love of me
the world and paradise, and angels and men, that they might
glorify Thee by me, Thy servant. Therefore, Lord God,
Merciful and Just. I pray Thee that Thou recollect Thy
promise made unto Thy servant." 'And God shall make answer
even as a friend who jesteth with a friend, and shall say:
"Hast thou witnesses of this, My friend Muhammad?" And with
reverence he shall say: "Yes, Lord." Then God shall answer:
"Go, call them, O Gabriel." Then angel Gabriel shall come to
the messenger of God, and shall say: "Lord, who are thy
witnesses?" The messenger of God shall answer: "They are
Adam, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, David, and Jesus son of
Mary." 'Then shall the angel depart, and he shall call the
aforesaid witnesses, who with fear shall go thither. ...Then
every one of them shall answer: "There are with us three
witnesses better than we are, O Lord." And God shall reply:
"Who are these three witnesses?" Then Moses shall say: "The
book that Thou gavest to me is the first"; and David shall
say: "The book that Thou gavest to me is the second"; and he
who speaketh to you shall say: "Lord, the whole world,
deceived by Satan, said that I was Thy son and Thy fellow,
but the book that Thou gavest me said which Thy messenger
affirmeth." Then shall the messenger of God speak, and shall
say: "Thus saith the book that Thou gavest me, O Lord." And
when the messenger of God hath said this, God shall speak,
saying: "All that I have now done, I have done in order that
every one should know how much I love thee." [Barnabas, Ch.
53-55]

This gospel mentions that Jesus once asked his disciples,  "
'What do men say of me?' They said: 'Some say that thou art
Elijah, others Jeremiah, and others one of the old
Prophets.' Jesus answered: 'And ye; what say ye that I am?'
Peter answered: 'Thou art Christ, son of God.' Then was
Jesus angry, and with anger rebuked him, saying: 'Begone and
depart from me, because thou art the devil and seekest to
cause me offence!' And he threatened the eleven, saying:
'Woe to you if ye believe this, for I have won from God a
great curse against those who believe this.' .... Peter
wept, and said: 'Lord, I have spoken foolishly: beseech God
that He pardon me.' .... Jesus besought God for Peter, the
eleven and Peter weeping, and saying: 'So be it, so be it, O
blessed Lord our God.' " [Barnabas, Ch. 70]

The gospel mentions that disciples were very troubled
hearing that one of them would betray Jesus. Jesus tried to
console them saying, " 'Let not your heart be troubled,
neither be ye fearful ..... As for me, I am now come to the
world to prepare the way for the messenger of God, who shall
bring salvation to the world. But beware that ye be not
deceived, for many false prophets shall come, who shall take
my words and contaminate my gospel.' Then said Andrew:
'Master, tell us some sign, that we may know him.' Jesus
answered: 'He will not come in your time, but will come some
years after you, when my gospel shall be annulled, insomuch
that there shall be scarcely thirty faithful. At that time
God will have mercy on the world, and so He will send His
messenger, over whose head will rest a white cloud, whereby
he shall be known of one elect of God, and shall be by Him
manifested to the world. He shall come with the great power
against the ungodly, and shall destroy idolatry upon the
earth. And it rejoiceth me because through him our God shall
be known and glorified, and I shall be known to be true; and
he will execute vengeance against those who shall say that I
am more  than man.' " [Barnabas, Ch. 72] (It is widely known
from the Arabic and Islamic history that wherever Muhammad
(SAW) went a white cloud would follow him and provide him
with the shade.)

The gospel discusses a discourse that Jesus had with a
Samaritan woman regarding the Messiah to come: "Jesus
answered: 'I am indeed sent to the house of Israel as a
Prophet of salvation: but after me shall come the Messiah,
sent of God to all the world: for whom God hath made the
world. And then through all the world will God be
worshipped, and mercy received, insomuch that the year of
jubilee, which now cometh every hundred years, shall by the
Messiah be reduced to every year in every place.' "
[Barnabas, Ch. 82]

The gospel shows that the Roman government and the jewish
high priest were afraid of a foreseeable sedition as a
result of immense popularity of Jesus with the common
masses. The priest wanted to know the real identity of
Jesus, " '.. Jesus, .. we need to know who thou art, for the
quieting of our nation.' Jesus answered: "I am Jesus, son of
Mary, of the seed of David, a man that is mortal and feareth
God, and I seek that to God be given honour and glory.' The
priest answered: 'In the book of Moses it is written that
our God must send us the Messiah, who shall come to announce
to us that which God willeth, and shall bring to the world
the mercy of God. Therefore, I pray thee tell us the truth,
art thou the Messiah of God whom we expect?' Jesus answered:
'It is true that God hath so promised, but indeed I am not
he, for he is made before me, and shall come after me.' The
priest answered: '.... I pray thee in the name of all Judea
and Israel that thou for love of God shouldst tell us in
what wise the Messiah will come.' Jesus answered: 'As God
liveth, in whose presence my soul standeth, I am not the
Messiah whom all the tribes of earth expect, even as God
promised to our father Abraham saying: "In thy seed will I
bless all the tribes of the earth." But when God shall take
me away from the world, Satan will raise again this accursed
sedition, by making the impious believe that I am God and
son of God, whence my words and my doctrines shall be
contaminated, insomuch that scarcely shall there remain
thirty faithful ones: whereupon God will have mercy upon the
world, and will send His messenger for whom He hath made all
things; who shall come from the south with power, and shall
destroy idols with the idolaters; who shall take away the
dominion from Satan which he hath over men. He shall bring
with him the mercy of God for salvation of them that shall
believe in him, and blessed is he who shall believe his
words. ... My consolation is in the coming of the messenger,
who shall destroy every false opinion of me, and his faith
shall spread and shall take hold of the whole world, for so
hath God promised to Abraham our father. And that which
giveth me consolation is that his faith shall have no end,
but shall be kept inviolate by God.' The priest answered:
'After the coming of the messenger of God shall other
Prophets come?' Jesus answered: 'There shall not come after
him true Prophets sent by God, but there shall come a great
number of false prophets, whereat I sorrow.  ..' ... Then
said the priest: 'How shall the Messiah be called, and what
sign shall reveal of his coming?' Jesus answered: 'The name
of the Messiah is admirable, for God Himself gave him the
name when He had created his soul, and placed it in
celestial splendour. God said: "Wait Muhammad; for for thy
sake I will to create paradise, the world, and a great
multitude of creatures, whereof I make thee a present,
insomuch that whoso shall bless thee shall be blessed, and
whoso shall curse thee shall be accursed. When I shall send
thee into the world I shall send thee as My messenger of
salvation, and thy word shall be true, insomuch that heaven
and earth shall fail, but thy faith shall never fail.
Muhammad is his blessed name.' " [Barnabas, Ch. 96,97]

In the 112nd chapter, the gospel discusses about the
betrayal of one of Jesus's disciples and that, contrary to
the common belief among christians, he will not die on the
cross: "Jesus answered: 'Believe me, Barnabas, that I cannot
weep as much as I ought. For if men had not called me God, I
should have seen God here as He will be seen in paradise,
and should have been safe not to fear the day of judgement.
.. Nay, I tell thee that if I had not been called God I
should have been carried into paradise when I shall depart
from the world, whereas now I shall  not go thither until
the judgement. Now thou seest if I have cause to weep. Know,
O Barnabas, that for this I must have great persecution, and
shall be sold by one of my disciples for thirty pieces of
money. Whereupon I am sure that he who shall sell meshall be
slain in my name, for that God shall take me up from the
earth, and shall change the appearance of the traitor so
that every one shall believe him to be me; nevertheless,
when he dieth an evil death, I shall abide in that dishonour
for a long time in the world. But when Muhammad shall come,
the sacred messenger of God, that infamy shall be taken
away. And this shall God do because I have confessed the
truth of the Messiah; who shall give me this reward, that  I
shall be known to be alive  and to be a stranger to that
death of infamy.' " [Barnabas, Ch. 112]  The same theme that
Jesus is not going to die on the cross is reiterated in the
140th chapter where Jesus is reported to have said, " '
Believe ye, O men, that I am come into the world with a
privilege which no man hath had, nor will even the messenger
of God have it; seeing that our God created not man to set
him in the world, but rather to place him in paradise. ... I
say not this because I have to die now: seeing that I am
sure thatI shall live even nigh to the end of the world.' "
[Barnabas, Ch. 140]

In the 124th chapter the gospel discusses why God sent
scriptures through the Prophets at different times. Jesus
said: " ..'Verily I say unto you that if the truth had not
been erased from the book of Moses, God would not have given
to David our father the second. And if the book of David had
not been contaminated, God would not have committed the
Gospel to me; seeing that the Lord our God is unchangeable,
and hath spoken but one message to all men. Wherefore, when
the messenger of God shall come, he shall come to cleanse
away all wherewith the ungodly have contaminated my book.' "
[Barnabas, Ch. 124]

In the 136th and 137th chapters, the gospel mentions a
discourse about punishment in hell: "Jesus answered: '... As
for the faithful, who are in seventy two grades, those of
the two last grades, who have had faith without good works -
the one being sad at good works, and the other delighting in
evil - they shall abide in hell seventy thousand years.
After those years shall the angel Gabriel come into hell,
and shall hear them say: "O Muhammad, where are thy promises
made to us, saying that those who have thy faith shall not
abide in hell for evermore?" ... Then shall the messenger
speak to God and say: "Lord, my God, remember the promise
made to me Thy servant, concerning them that have received
my faith, that they shall not abide for evermore in hell."
.. 'Then shall God command the four favourite angels of God
that they go to hell and take out every one that hath the
faith of   His messenger, and lead him into paradise. And
this they shall do. And such shall be the advantage of the
faith of God's messenger, that those that shall have
believed in him, even though they have not done any good
works, seeing they died in this faith, shall go into
paradise after the punishment of which I have spoken.' "
[Barnabas, Ch. 136, 137]

When asked about predestination by his disciples, Jesus
answered: " 'So secret is predestination, O brethren, that I
say unto you, verily, only to one man shall it be clearly
known. He it is whom the nations look for, to whom the
secrets of God are so clear that, when he cometh into the
world, blessed shall they be that listen to his words,
because God shall overshadow them with His mercy even as
this palm-tree overshadoweth us. Yet, even as this tree
protecteth us from the burning heat of the sun, even so the
mercy of God will protect from Satan them that believe in
that man.' The disciples answered: 'O Master, who shall that
man be of whom thou speakest, who shall come into the
world?' Jesus answered with joy of heart: 'He is Muhammad,
messenger of God, and when he cometh into the world, even as
the rain maketh the earth to bear fruit when for a long time
it hath not rained, even so shall he be occasion of good
works among men, through the abundant mercy which he shall
bring. For he is a white cloud full of mercy of God, which
mercy God shall sprinkle upon the faithful like rain.' "
[Barnabas, Ch. 163]

As mentioned earlier, there seems to be a great deal of
controversy as to the child of Abraham who was meant for
sacrifice. Muslims claim that it was Ismail (AWS) while the
jews and christians relying on the Bible maintain that it
was Ishaq (AWS). The gospel of Barnabas discusses this issue
in the chapter 208 and provides the reason why the jewish
higher echelons wanted Jesus dead. This particular discourse
between the jewish high priest and Jesus took place in the
temple in Jerusalem where the latter went with a great
multitude of people. The jewish high priest asked Jesus, "'
This I ask of thee, and I do not seek to slay thee,
wherefore tell us: 'Who was this son of Abraham?' Jesus
answered: 'The zeal of Thine honour, O God, enflameth me,
and I cannot hold my peace.  Verily I say, the son of
Abraham was Ishmael, from whom must be descended the Messiah
promised to Abraham, that in him should all the tribes of
the earth be blessed.'  Then was the high priest wroth,
hearing this, and cried out: 'Let us stone this impious
fellow, for he is an Ishmaelite, and hath spoken blasphemy
against Moses and against the law of God.' Whereupon every
scribe and Pharisee, with the elders of the people, took up
stones to stone Jesus, who vanished from their eyes and went
out of the temple. " [Barnabas, Ch. 208]

The gospel then discusses how Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus
for thirty pieces of gold and led soldiers to the place
where Jesus was [Ch. 214], and how the angels of God rescued
Jesus just before they arrived [Ch. 215], how God changed
Judas to look and sound like Jesus who was captured  by the
soldiers believing that he was Jesus [Ch. 216], and was
crucified on the cross [Ch. 217]. The gospel also reports
that  some ungodly people stole the body of Judas from the
sepulchre and spread the news that Jesus was risen again
[Ch. 218]. It also mentions how Jesus later visited his
mother and a number of disciples  [Ch. 219] and cleared the
confusion regarding his apparent death: " 'Believe me,
mother, for verily I say to thee that I have not been dead
at all; for God hath reserved me till the end of the world.'
", and also how the myth regarding this would be cleared by
the messenger of God [Barnabas, Ch. 220].

I know that this information is going to shock most non-
Muslims today. But this was the belief of judeo-christians
including the Basilidians and Ebionites. As a further proof,
let me share another piece of information. In December 1945,
an Egyptian peasant, digging for soft and fertile soil near
the village of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, exhumed a red
earthenware jar containing thirteen scrolls bound in a
leather. In these scrolls, Jesus is depicted as saying, "I
did not succumb to them as they had planned. ... And I did
not die in reality but in appearance, lest I be put to shame
by them. ... For my death which they think, happened to them
in their error and blindness, since they nailed their man
unto the death..." [The Second Treatise of the Great Seth].

 I shall end here with a verse from the Glorious Qur'an,
"Allazeena aataina-hoomool kitaba ya'refunahu kama ya'refuna
abna-aa'hoom. Wa-inna fariqam minhoom la yak'toomoonal
haqqa wa hoom ya'lamoon." [Surah al-Baqarah, v. 146]
meaning: "Those unto whom We gave the Scripture recognize
(this Revelation, the Qur'an) as they recognize their sons.
But lo! a party of them knowingly conceal the truth."

-----------------------------------------

References:


13. Ahmed Deedat, Resurrection or Resuscitation, IPC,
Durban, South Africa.

14. Ahmed Deedat, Crucifixion or Cruci-fiction, IPC, Durban,
South Africa.

16. J. Robinson, The Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Nag
Hammadi Library in English, Nag
      Hammadi, Egypt, p.332.


Xref: sparky soc.religion.islam:2065 soc.culture.arabic:5667 soc.culture.afghanistan:1509