A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 5. Christianity and Judaism 23§ 5. Christianity and JudaismThe Christian Church grew up not on Jewish but on Gentilesoil. In a very short time the Gentiles formed the overwhelmingmajority within the Church. As they did not become Jews anddid not observe the Jewish ceremonial law, a problem arose as tothe place of the Jewish law, which was accepted without questionas of divine authority. One solution is given by the author of theso-called Epistle of Barnabas, which should be compared withthe solution given by St. Paul in his epistles to the Galatians andto the Romans. The number of conversions from Judaism rapidlydeclined, and very early an extreme hostility toward Christianitybecame common among the Jews.(a) Barnabas, Epistula, 4, 9.The epistle attributed to Barnabas is certainly not by theApostle of that name. Its date is much disputed, but may besafely placed within the first century. The author attemptsto show the contrast between Judaism and Christianity by [015]proving that the Jews wholly misunderstood the Mosaic lawand had long since lost any claims supposed to be derivedfrom the Mosaic covenant. The epistle is everywhere markedby hostility to Judaism, of which the writer has but imperfectknowledge. The book was regarded as Holy Scripture byClement of Alexandria and by Origen, though with somehesitation. The position taken by the author was undoubtedlyextreme, and not followed generally by the Church. It was,however, merely pushing to excess a conviction alreadyprevalent in the Church, that Christianity and Judaism wereLondon, 1889; smaller ed. (containing all the Apostolic Fathers), London.1890.The most recent edition of the Apostolic Fathers is that of Kirsopp Lake, inthe Loeb Classical Library, 1912 (text and translation on opposite pages).