The Epistle of Barnabas and the Deuteronomic Tradition
Polemics, Paraenesis, and the Legacy of the Golden-Calf Incident
by James N. Rhodes
The Epistle of Barnabas , an anonymous Christian writing of the late first or early second century C.E., makes a provocative claim: because of its worship of the golden-calf, Israel lost its covenant status forever at Sinai. As a result of this bold assertion, many recent scholars have concluded that Barnabas disinherits the Jews at Sinai and has no notion of salvation history.In this work James N. Rhodes reassesses the theology of the Epistle of Barnabas , seeking to reopen the question of the author’s view of Israel. He claims that recent scholarship has focused too narrowly on Barnabas’s treatment of the golden-calf incident, overlooking the author’s equally strong interest in the death of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem.The author suggests that the apostasy at Sinai serves Barnabas as a dramatic illustration of Israel’s failures. It does not, however, mark the end of Israel’s story. He identifies several indications that Barnabas believed Israel’s covenant remained intact long after the golden-calf incident. He further shows how Barnabas subtly but repeatedly links the rejection of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalem, concluding that this connection is of the highest importance for understanding the author’s view of Israel’s legacy.James N. Rhodes situates the author’s thought within the ongoing Deuteronomistic tradition by comparing the epistle to several Jewish and Christian writings that evince similar interest in the destruction of Jerusalem and the status of Israel’s covenant. He concludes that the Epistle of Barnabas was written in the early second century to warn Gentile Christians of the danger of failing to live up to God’s covenant. The fate of Israel is viewed as a cautionary tale that the privileges of the covenant can indeed be lost.
- By (author) James N Rhodes
Other Titles in this Series
Reconsidering the Relationship between Biblical and Systematic Theology in the New Testament
Essays by Theologians and New Testament Scholars
Volume 369
Women, Men, and Angels
The Qumran Wisdom Document 'Musar leMevin' and its Allusions to Genesis Creation Traditions
Volume 201
Die Jüngerinnen und Jünger im Thomasevangelium
Ein narratologisch inspirierter Zugang zum Text als Einheit
Sunde als Zielverfehlung bei Paulus
Eine Studie zum stoisch-sokratischen Kolorit paulinischer Hamartiologie
Volume 614
The Baptismal Episode as Trinitarian Narrative
Proto-Trinitarian Structures in Mark's Conception of God
Volume 535
Veranderte Endzeitvorstellungen
Die Rezeption der Offenbarung des Johannes beim ersten christlich-lateinischen Dichter Commodian
Volume 504
The Use of Scripture in the Apocryphon of John
A Diachronic Analysis of the Variant Versions
Volume 441
Remembrance of Things Past?
Albert Schweitzer, the Anxiety of Influence, and the Untidy Jesus of Markan Memory
Volume 351
Schriftdiskurse im Johannesevangelium
Eine narrativ-intertextuelle Analyse am Paradigma von Joh 4 und Joh 7
Volume 380
The Formative Stratum of the Sayings Gospel Q
Reconsidering Its Extent, Message, and Unity
Volume 545
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