The Gospel of Barnabas is a sixteenth-century pseudepigraphal text that falsely claims to be authored by the New Testament church leader Barnabas and presents alternative narratives of Jesus’ life and teachings. It contains numerous theological errors, including teaching that God has a soul (Genesis 1:1), denying salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), misrepresenting heaven as having nine levels, and portraying Jesus as a prophet rather than the Messiah or Son of God (John 1:1, 3:16). Historically, it includes inaccuracies such as placing Jesus’ birth during Pilate’s rule (Luke 2:2), claiming Adam and Eve ate an apple (Genesis 3:6), and suggesting Jesus sailed to Nazareth, a town with no coastline. The text also shows clear Muslim influence, mentioning Muhammad by name, promoting the shahadah, and rejecting the Trinity (John 1:1), which aligns with Islamic teachings rather than biblical truth. While the Gospel of Barnabas may provide some insight into sixteenth-century religious thought and alternative interpretations of Gospel stories, it is neither inspired Scripture nor reliable for understanding Jesus or salvation.
The Gospel of Barnabas (not to be confused with the Acts of Barnabas or Epistle of Barnabas) is a pseudepigraphal book that claims to be written by the New Testament church leader Barnabas and offers alternative accounts of important biblical events. It is nearly as long as the four Gospels of the New Testament put together, offering a large wealth of information that can appear to harmonize Gospel accounts from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The earliest known copies are in Spanish and Italian, with the Spanish version now lost. The Gospel of Barnabas is believed to have been written sometime in the sixteenth century. Muslim apologists often use it because of its alleged prediction of Muhammad.
Muslim influence is seen throughout the text. The shahadah prayer is mentioned directly (chapter 39). Muhammad is noted by name. The Trinity is spoken against (a major Muslim criticism of Christianity), and Jesus is noted as a prophet rather than the Messiah or Son of God—all consistent with Muslim teachings. Differences in the Italian version of the Gospel of Barnabas appear to support Muslim beliefs, leading some to argue that it was first written in Spanish, while many others argue that it was first written in Italian.
Along with theological inconsistencies, historical inaccuracies have also been found within the Gospel of Barnabas. For example, it teaches Jesus was born in the time of Pilate (though Pilate became leader in AD 26), that Adam and Eve ate an apple as the forbidden fruit (the fruit is unspecified in the Bible), and that Jesus sailed across the Sea of Galilee to Nazareth (though Nazareth is not a coastal town).
Both Muslim claims of the Gospel of Barnabas supporting its teachings and the acceptance of the Gospel of Barnabas as accurate, inspired writing are to be rejected. The book came about fifteen hundred years after the New Testament and includes clearly inaccurate information. While it remains interesting in terms of historical and literary study, its claims of authorship dating to the biblical Barnabas or of being inspired are not trustworthy.
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