is here unimportant, fince it quotes, as we shall see hereafter, not a fingle paffage of the New Teftament. It contains indeed now the fame paffages which Clement and Origen have cited from it. But the unnatural mode of interpretation, (known by the name of myftical) which prevails in it; the fables of the Hyæna, &c. which the author believed; and the affertion that the world would be destroyed in its fix thoufandth year, which is directly contradictory to the affurances of the New Teftament, that the time when it should take place was perfectly unknown, make it certain, that this epiftle was not written by that Barnabas, who was an Apoftle. Nevertheless, the most learned in ancient history are agreed, that it was compofed not later than the fecond century. And we may allow thus much to the teftimonies of the pri

* See Röfler's Library of the Ecclefiaftical Fathers, i. 1.

1

mitive writers, that it was written by a Christian teacher, of the name of Barnabas.

The principal design of this epiftle, is to inculcate the propofition which St. Paul in his writings fo often repeats, and labours fo anxioufly to prove, namely, that Chriftians are free from all obligation to the law of Mofes. But the author no where refers to this Apoftle. St. Paul had already at that time written all his Epiftles: he compofed the laft (the second to Timothy) during his fecond imprisonment at Rome, in the year of Chrift fixty-feven; and Barnabas wrote his in the year feventy. They could not have been unknown to him who was the fellowapostle and affiftant of St. Paul. This is another argument which tends to prove that this epiftle, even if compofed by a certain Barnabas, did not come from the celebrated Apostle of that name.

To

To him who reads this epiftle without any intention of producing teftimonies from it in fupport of the Scriptures of the New Teftament, fcarcely any will be perceptible. What might be produced with the greatest appearance of probability, are two paffages which have been generally brought forward as an evidence for the Gospel of St. Matthew'. Barnabas is speaking in the feventh chapter of the fufferings of Chrift, and delivers this as one of his fayings:-They who will fee me and obtain my kingdom, must receive me with many fufferings and afflictions And in the fourth chapter he introduces-Many are called, but few chofen, as the declaration of certain divine Scriptures. For he makes use of a phrafe which was commonly em

y See Lardner's Credibility, vol. ii. p. 14, 15, of the edition of his works, publifhed in 1788.

* Ουτω, φησιν, δι θελοντες με ιδειν και άψασθαι μου της βασιλείας, οφείλουσι θλίβοντες και παθόντες λαβειν E-Cotel. p. 24.

ployed by the Jews when they quoted their facred books, It is written. Let us beware, fays he, left it should happen to us, as it is written, There are many called, few chofen.

Thefe paffages, it is true, exift in the fame, or in very fimilar words in the Gospel of St. Matthew. But our author does not point out, by a fingle word, by whom thofe expreffions were written, or where they are to be found. The firft paffage does not even prove that the declaration of Chrift alluded to, had been taken from any written information. He might, with equal probability, have received it from the oral narration of the Apoftles. And with respect to the fecond, I find no trace, that Barnabas means here exprefsly the Gospel of St. Matthew. If

= Almost the five first chapters are wanting in the original. In the old Latin verfion the paffage ftands thus, p. 60:-Adtendamus ergo, ne forte, ficut fcrip. tum eft, Multi vocati, pauci electi, inveniamur.

a perfon,

a perfon, for example, fhould read in Plutarch-"We find it related, that the letter of Marcellus, on being received at Rome, did not alleviate the forrow of the Romans, but rather inftilled more terror into them," he would conclude from this paffage

that in the time of Plutarch, credible documents concerning the affairs of the Romans fomewhere exifted;"-but he would not be inclined to prove from it, that Livy had written a Roman history.

If we caft our eyes on the catalogue of fcriptural paffages, which the Apoftolical Fathers are faid to have quoted,

This paffage is actually found in the above mentioned author, in his life of Marcellus, Vitar. Parall. vol. ii. p. 273. edit. London. 729. in v. vol. 4to. He is fpeaking of a letter, in which the Proconful comforts the Romans after a fevere defeat which they had fuffered from Hannibal, in this manner:-" For he himfelf was on his march to drive Hannibal out of the country.-Kai Taura μty, (continues Plutarch) & ABIOS φησιν αναγνωσθεντα τα γραμματα μη της λύπης αφελείν αλλα τῷ φόβῳ προσθείναι.