Christian Texts

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol I: BARNABAS: Chapter V.—The new covenant, founded...

Ante-Nicene FathersEarly Church HistoryPatristics

Summary only - full text stays on its own separately-gated source. Read the full text at the source »

This is a passage of early Christian theological writing, likely from a patristic homily or epistle (the footnotes referencing Codex Sinaiticus suggest a critical edition of an ancient text such as the Epistle of Barnabas). The central argument is that Christ's incarnation, suffering, and death were necessary, willingly undertaken, and prophetically foretold — not random or tragic, but purposeful divine action. The author weaves together Old Testament quotations (Isaiah 53, Psalms, Zechariah) to demonstrate that Jesus fulfilled prophecy in every detail, from being "led as a lamb to slaughter" to the scattering of the disciples. A distinctive claim is that Christ deliberately chose sinners as apostles precisely to demonstrate that he came for the unrighteous, not the righteous — his very selection of companions was a theological act. The text also argues that the physical incarnation was essential to salvation: just as human eyes cannot bear the sun, humans could not have been saved without God appearing in bodily form. The passage closes on the theme of Christ's willing submission to crucifixion, anchored in further prophetic citations, framing the entire passion as self-directed divine purpose rather than defeat.

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol I: BARNABAS: Chapter V.—The new covenant, founded...

Related pages View as graph →