Have you ever stumbled across an ancient Christian text that sounded authoritative but wasn’t in your Bible? The Epistle of Barnabas is one such mysterious document that many sincere believers encounter during deeper study of early church writings. This letter, attributed to the biblical Barnabas (Paul’s companion), contains interpretations of Scripture that initially seem profound—yet it never made it into our Bibles. As we explore together why this text was excluded from the biblical canon, we’re actually uncovering something more significant: God’s providential care in preserving His authoritative Word through the centuries. The story behind this exclusion reveals much about how we received the Scriptures we treasure today.
Biblical Insight
The formation of the New Testament canon wasn’t a single event but a recognition process spanning centuries as the early church discerned which writings truly bore apostolic authority. The essential criteria for canonization included apostolicity (written by an apostle or close associate), catholicity (accepted by the majority of churches), orthodoxy (consistent with the rule of faith), and traditional usage in worship and teaching. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This verse establishes that true Scripture bears divine inspiration—something the early church carefully tested.
The apostle John warned believers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Similarly, the early church tested writings claiming apostolic authority. Regarding texts like the Epistle of Barnabas, they applied tests similar to what Peter implied when recognizing Paul’s writings as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:15-16. Examining the content of Barnabas’ epistle reveals extensive allegorical interpretations of the Old Testament that sometimes stretch beyond the natural reading and historical-grammatical understanding of the text that we see modeled in the canonical epistles.
The early church fathers, while sometimes referencing the Epistle of Barnabas respectfully, ultimately recognized it lacked the consistent witness and apostolic authority present in canonical books. Acts 4:36-37 identifies the biblical Barnabas as “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’).” While this Barnabas was indeed an important early church figure who traveled with Paul, scholarly and historical evidence strongly suggests the epistle bearing his name was written much later (around 70-135 AD) by someone else using his respected name. This pseudonymous authorship, combined with certain theological idiosyncrasies in the text, led early church authorities like Eusebius to classify it as “disputed” rather than universally accepted Scripture.
Practical Wisdom
Understanding why certain ancient texts were excluded from Scripture helps us appreciate the remarkable providence of God in preserving His Word. When we open our Bibles today, we can trust that these books have undergone intense scrutiny and have demonstrated their divine inspiration through centuries of testing. Rather than feeling disappointed that writings like the Epistle of Barnabas were excluded, we should be grateful for the careful discernment of the early church that protected the purity of the biblical message.
This doesn’t mean we can’t read and learn from non-canonical early Christian writings. Just as we might benefit from reading modern Christian books while recognizing they aren’t Scripture, early Christian texts like the Epistle of Barnabas can provide historical insights into the development of Christian thought. However, we must approach them with discernment, testing everything against the authoritative Scriptures we do have. As 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 instructs us: “Test everything. Hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”
The Holy Spirit continues to illuminate the canonical Scriptures in our hearts and minds today, just as He guided the early church in recognizing these texts. When we faithfully study God’s Word with humble hearts, the same Spirit who inspired the writing of Scripture helps us understand and apply it. This divine assistance is part of what makes our Bible not just an ancient document but the living, active Word of God that continues to transform lives through the power of the Messiah’s finished work.
Clearing up Misunderstandings
A common misconception is that church councils “created” the biblical canon through arbitrary decisions or political machinations. In reality, these councils largely confirmed what Christian communities had already recognized through generations of using these texts in worship. The Epistle of Barnabas wasn’t excluded by sudden decree but gradually recognized as not carrying the same authority as writings like Paul’s letters or the Gospels. The canon emerged organically as the Spirit-led church recognized which texts consistently bore witness to the apostolic message about Yeshua.
Another misunderstanding is equating the Epistle of Barnabas with other non-canonical texts like Gnostic gospels or much later forgeries. Unlike these often heterodox writings, Barnabas was generally orthodox and was even included in some early biblical manuscripts like Codex Sinaiticus. It existed in that gray area of respected early Christian literature that was widely read but ultimately not recognized as divinely inspired Scripture. Its exclusion wasn’t about suppressing alternative viewpoints but about recognizing its secondary nature compared to the apostolic witness found in canonical texts.
Some may wonder if valuable spiritual insights were lost when texts like Barnabas were excluded from the canon. While the epistle does contain edifying content, its distinctive interpretations—particularly its strong allegorical approach to Old Testament laws and extreme anti-Jewish polemic—diverged from the more balanced hermeneutic found in canonical books. The Holy Spirit’s guidance of the church preserved writings that would provide the clearest, most reliable foundation for Christian faith and practice across all cultures and centuries.
Conclusion
The story of the Epistle of Barnabas reminds us that God has been sovereignly involved in preserving His Word throughout history. Rather than undermining our confidence in Scripture, understanding the careful process through which our Bible was formed should strengthen our trust in its reliability. The exclusion of certain texts wasn’t arbitrary but reflected the church’s spirit-led discernment of which writings truly carried apostolic authority and divine inspiration.
As believers today, we can approach our Bibles with confidence, knowing these are the very words God intended us to have. Through these Scriptures, we encounter the living Messiah who continues to transform us by His Spirit. Whether studying the canonical books or exploring historical Christian writings beyond them, may we always treasure the precious gift of God’s revealed Word and allow it to shape our lives for His glory.
Did You Know
The Epistle of Barnabas contains a fascinating early Christian interpretation of Leviticus 11 (regarding clean and unclean animals) as moral allegories rather than dietary laws. For example, it suggests that the prohibition against eating pork was actually teaching that people should not be like pigs who forget their master when well-fed but cry out when hungry—an interpretation that demonstrates the highly allegorical approach that differentiated this epistle from the more balanced hermeneutic found in canonical New Testament books.
