Before we ever hear a word from the Epistle of Barnabas, we need to slow down and locate ourselves. This episode introduces one of the earliest and most unsettling Christian texts outside the New Testament—written anonymously in the early second century, shaped by sharp theological conflict, and driven by an urgent question of identity. Who really understands the Scriptures? Who are the true heirs of the covenant? In this introduction, we set Barnabas in his historical moment, examine the occasion that provoked such an uncompromising argument, and prepare ourselves for a letter that is confident, severe, and often uncomfortable. This is not gentle pastoral theology. It is early Christianity drawing hard lines while it was still figuring out who it was.

Readings:

The Epistle of Barnabas — Introduction

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