Abstract
The Epistle of Barnabas is not particularly well served with commentaries on its text. There is of course Prostmeier’s magisterial German-language commentary in the KAV series (1999). However, in English, the last commentary of note was Robert Kraft’s mid-length treatment in his volume of commentary on Barnabas and the Didache (1965). This gap in a detailed treatment of the text of the Epistle of Barnabas is now addressed with the appearance of Jonathon Lookadoo’s commentary, which is the third volume published in the impressive and helpful Apostolic Fathers Commentary Series edited by Paul Hartog and Shawn Wilhite,
It is worth noting that the author Jonathon Lookadoo is already making a major contribution to the study of the Apostolic Fathers. His first monograph, The High Priest and the Temple (Mohr Siebeck, 2018), dealt with priestly and temple imagery in the writings of Ignatius. This represented the published version of his PhD thesis written at the University of Otago under the supervision of Prof. Paul Trebilco. Even more recently, Lookadoo published a splendid introduction and overview of the issues that surround the complex text of the Shepherd of Hermas – The Shepherd of Hermas: A Literary, Historical, and Theological Handbook (T&T Clark, 2021). This volume, therefore, is his third (in four years!) covering the writing of another author grouped in the collection known as the Apostolic Fathers. Moreover, it certainly does not disappoint, and it makes a splendid and much needed contribution to scholarship on the Epistle of Barnabas.
Following the format of the series, the volume is arranged in three major parts. First there is a translation of the text of the Epistle of Barnabas into English (pp. xxxiii-lv). This contribution should not be overlooked, since it provides insight into some of the interpretational insights adopted in the commentary. Next, in what is labelled Part I, the author presents the introduction to the Epistle of Barnabas, as well as two essays on critical topics. The introduction covers topics that one might expect to find. First the surviving manuscripts are described and documented. These comprise of Greek witnesses – the text in the fourth-century Codex Sinaiticus, the eleventh century Codex Hierosolymitanus, a family of at least ten texts related to that contained in the eleventh Codex Vaticanus Graecus 859 which combines the part of the text of Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians (Pol. Phil. Salut.-9.2) with the text of Barnabas 5.7-end, and the fragment of Barn 9.1-6 contained in Papyrus PSI 757 (P). Alongside these manuscripts, Lookadoo also outlines the versional manuscripts that survive in Latin, Syriac, and questionably Coptic (pp. 4-11). Following on from this, there is a discussion of quotations or places where the Epistle of Barnabas is mentioned by other early Christian writers. Here Lookodoo draws attention to the way in which this text ‘maintained a great deal of authority for its readers in the centuries that followed its composition’ (p. 16).
Next the classic introductory questions of provenance and date are discussed. Lookadoo notes that the three most commonly suggested geographical locations for the place of composition of this text are Alexandria, Asia Minor, and Syria/Palestine (p. 17). The last two certainly do not provide great precision. Without making absolutist claims, Lookadoo favours Alexandria. He sees four strands of cumulative evidence leading to this conclusion. First, he notes the range of Alexandrian authors who cite the text in subsequent decades and centuries. Second, he views the type of figural exegesis present in the Epistle of Barnabas as being attested in other Alexandrian writers. Third, the anti-cultic interpretations find precedent in Alexandrian Jewish writers, most notably Philo. Fourth, it is argued that the Epistle’s references to circumcision are better understood in an Egyptian setting where the practice was more common than in Syria, for instance. Lookadoo notes that such arguments, either individually or cumulatively, are not decisive. However, he sees them as being suggestive of a possible Alexandrian provenance.
In terms of dating, it is noted that the letter knows of the destruction of the Temple (Barn 16.3-4) and that it is cited by Clement of Alexandria. This provides a broad and secure date range of 70-200 C.E. However, two further pieces of evidence are discussed that, it is argued, help narrow that range. The first is the series of references to kingdoms, beasts, and horns (Barn 4.3-5), with the ten kings who will rule over the earth being seen as Roman emperors. The second piece of evidence reports the rebuilding project after the destruction of the temple: ‘those who tore down this temple will build it themselves’ (Barn 16.3). Taken together, Lookadoo proposes ‘a Hadrianic date for the final text of the Epistle of Barnabas, most likely in 130-32 CE during the immediate lead up to the Second Jewish revolt’ (p. 26). Following this, the identity of the author and integrity of the letter as a unified composition are both examined.
Next Lookadoo presents two critical essays. The first analyses the use of scripture in the Epistle of Barnabas (pp. 33-50). It is noted that the Epistle of Barnabas regularly cites material drawn from Isaiah, Genesis, and the Psalter. It can be noted that this aligns with wider Christian practice. It is noted that the Epistle of Barnabas has three hermeneutical orientations. First, scripture is revelatory – it is given by God and reveals God’s identity. Second, it is prophetic, in that it ‘comes through the prophets who received grace to understand how God would act’ (p. 50). Third, scripture can only be interpretated rightly through the correct lens. Here, perhaps Lookadoo could have emphasized more fully the Christological aspect that Barnabas brings to the reading of Jewish scriptures.
The second essay is more wide-ranging. It discusses aspects of the theology of the Epistle of Barnabas (pp. 51-67). Lookadoo provides the important caveat that the text is simply an epistle written in a specific historical situation, therefore one should not expect to find a fully articulated theological scheme. However, he does detect a coherence of thought. The letter discusses the identity and revelation of God, which results in a presentation of ‘two paths’ to describe how humans might orient their lives. He then turns to discussing God’s commandments for those who wish to follow the path of light. This discussion of the law, however, ‘leads naturally to the key polemical topic in the letter’ (p. 62). Here Lookadoo discusses the letter’s excoriating attack against historic Israel and contemporary Judaism, which views the lack of fidelity at the beginning of the Sinai covenant as signalling that Israel completely lost the covenant. However, it is argued that this discussion also has a paraenetic function warning his readers not to fall into the same fate. Moreover, according to Lookadoo, the eschatological outlook of the Epistle of Barnabas adds urgency to the author’s exhortation to the reader to live and to believe in a correct and faithful manner. Together, these essays take readers beyond standard introductory questions and lead to a deeper appreciation of the key themes and theological commitments in the letter.
The bulk of the volume is devoted to the commentary section (pp. 71-223). Here the English translation is not repeated. However, there is a frequent use of Greek, although the commentary is fully accessible for those without this primary language. Throughout, the commentary is careful and balanced, with the author seeking not to go beyond statements in the texts under discussion. It is noticeable that Lookadoo wishes to provide readers with a sense of the overall flow of the thought of the letter, and carefully articulates those links for readers of the commentary. The volume also contains a helpful bibliography of relevant secondary literature.
Lookadoo has provided another excellent treatment of a writing in the corpus of the Apostolic Fathers. More specifically, the lack of a recent English-language commentary on the Epistle of Barnabas has now been addressed, and this accessible and readable volume will facilitate closer engagement with, and a better understanding of what is at times a somewhat troubling text. This is volume that will be consulted widely and appreciatively by all who engage with it.