Barnabas was a Jew born in Cyprus. His real name was Joseph. He was one of the leading followers of Jesus and possessed an important post among the apostles. His nick-name, Barnabas, means" a person who gives advice and encourages good deeds. "The Christian world knows Barnabas as a great saint who together with Saint Paul was a man who set out to propagate Christianity. The Christians celebrate June 11th as Saint Paul's day. Barnabas wrote down exactly what he had heard and learned from Hadrat Isa. Barnabas' book and other Bibles were popular and were read during the first three hundred years of Christianity. In the year 325, when the first Nicaea (Iznik ) council decided to abolish all the Bibles written in the Hebrew language, Barnabas' Bible was destroyed too. This was accomplished by officially threatening to kill anyone who kept or read the bibles other than the four books authorized. The other Bibles were translated into Latin, but Barnabas' Bible suddenly disappeared. Pope Damasus got a copy of Barnabas' Bible by chance in the year 383 and kept it in his papal library. Until the year 993 (1585), Barnabas' Bible remained in that library. In that year Fra Marino, a friend of Pope Sixtus, saw the book there and developed a deep interest in it. (Fra means brother and monk in Italian.) This was because Fra Marino knew that around the year 160 Iraneus (130-200), one of the leading exponents of Christianity, had put forward the belief that "there is only one God, and Jesus is not the son of God." Iraneus also said: "Saint Paul wanted to introduce the wrong idea of the Trinity into the Christian creed because he had been influenced by the Roman custom of worshipping many gods." Fra Marino also knew that Iraneus had referred to Barnabas' Bible as a proof in his criticism against Saint Paul. For this reason, Fra Marino read Barnabas' Bible with the utmost attention and translated it into Italian between the years 1585-1590. After changing many hands, this Italian manuscript came into the possession of Cramer, one of the counsellors to the King of Prussia. In 1120 (1713), Cramer presented this valuable manuscript to Prince Eugene de Savoie (1663-1736), who had established a great reputation in Europe for having defeated the Turks at Zanta and for having taken back Hungary and the fortress of Belgrade. After Prince Eugene's death, Barnabas' Bible, together with the rest of his private library, was transferred to the Royal Library (Hofbibliothek) in Vienna in 1738.
Two Britons, Mr. and Mrs. Ragg, who first found the Italian translation of Barnabas' Bible in the Royal library, translated it into English and that translation was printed in Oxford in 1325 (1907). It is strange, but this translation mysteriously disappeared from the market. Only one copy of the translation exists in the British Museum and another one is in the Library of the U.S. Congress in Washington. With great effort, the Qur'anic Council of Pakistan managed to reproduce the English version in 1973. The following passages have been taken from that book:
From the seventieth chapter of Barnabas' book: "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 offense!' 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.' "
The seventy-first chapter states: "Then said Jesus: 'As God liveth, I am not able to forgive sin, nor is any man, but God alone forgiveth.' "
The seventy-second chapter says: "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 real messenger, over whose head will rest a white cloud. He shall come with great power against the ungodly, and shall destroy idolatry upon the earth, and punish the idolaters. And it rejoiceth me because that 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...' "
In the ninety-sixth chapter it writes: "Jesus answered: 'I am not the Messiah, whom all the tribes of the earth expect, even as God promised to our father Abraham. But w hen 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 doctrine 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 the 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 the salvation of them that shall believe in him, and blessed is he who shall believe his words.' "
From the ninety-seventh chapter: "Then said the priest: 'How shall the Messiah be called and what sign shall reveal 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 a celestial splendor. God said: "Wait Mohammed; 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." Ahmad is his blessed name.' Then the crowd lifted up their voices, saying: 'O God, send us thy messenger; O Ahmad come quickly for the salvation of the world!"
The hundred and twenty-eighth chapter states: "Accordingly, brethren, I, a man, dust and clay, that walk upon the earth, say unto you: Do penance and know your sins. I say, brethern, that Satan, by means of the Roman soldiery, deceived you when ye said that I was God. Wherefore, beware that ye believe them not, seeing they are under the curse of God."
From the hundred and thirty-sixth chapter: This chapter, after giving information about Hell, tells how Hadrat Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) will save his followers from Hell.
From the hundred and sixty-third chapter: "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 herat. 'He s Ahmad, 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 an occasion for good works among men, through the abundant mercy which he shall bring. For he is a white cloud full of the mercy of God, which mercy God shall sprinkle upon the faithful like rain.' "
The Gospel of Barnabas gives the following information about the last days of Hadrat Isa ('alaihi 's-salam), chapters 215-222: "When the Roman soldiers came into the house to arrest Hadrat Isa, he was taken out through the window by Kerubiyyun (four great angels: Gabriel, Michael, Rafael, and Uriel), and they took him up into heaven since they were ordered by Allahu ta'ala to do that. The Roman soldiers arrested Yahuda (Judas), who was leading them, saying, "You are Isa." In spite of all his denials, pleadings and entreaties, they took him by force to a cross which had been prepared, and crucified him. Then, Hadrat Isa came into the sight of his mother, Mary (Maryam) and his apostles (hawaris). He said to Mary: 'Mother! You see I have not been crucified. Instead of me, the treacherous Judas (Yahuda) has been crucified and died. Stay away from Satan! He will make every effort to deceive humanity. I will call you as my witnesses for all the things that you have heard and seen.' Then, he prayed to Allahu ta'ala for the salvation of the faithful, and for the conversion of sinners. He turned to his disciples and said: 'May God's grace and mercy be with you.' Then before their eyes the four angels carried him up into heaven."
As it is seen, Barnabas' Bible informs us about the advent of the last Prophet ('alaihi 's-salam), six hundred or a thousand years before his coming and mentions only one God. It rejects the Trinity.
