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Abstract

We know little that is certain about the author, origins or provenance of the Epistle of Barnabas, although most assume it to be Egyptian and written in the first third of the first century CE. In large part the letter concerns itself with questions relating to the interpretation of scripture, in particular the Torah. Its author expresses some singular views (the Law of Moses should never have been interpreted in a literal way; the covenant was lost by the Jews as a result of their worship of the golden calf), and he has been seen by some as the first Christian writer ‘adversus Judaeos’.

Keywords

Apostolic Fathers Epistle of Barnabas Torah Covenant

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