The Gospel of Barnabas · Chapter 127
Jesus Preaches on Humility in the Temple
Jesus departed from the desert and entered into Jerusalem; whereupon all the people ran to the temple to see him. So after the reading of the psalms Jesus mounted up on the pinnacle where the scribe used to mount, and, having beckoned for silence with his hand, he said: 'Blessed be the holy name of God, O brethren, who hath created us of the clay of the earth, and not of flaming spirit. For when we sin we find mercy before God, which Satan will never find, because through his pride he is incorrigible, saying that he is always noble, for that he is flaming spirit.'
'Have ye heard, brethren, that which our father David saith of our God, that he remembereth that we are dust and that our spirit goeth and returneth not again, wherefore he hath had mercy upon us? Blessed are they that know these words, for they will not sin against their Lord eternally, seeing that after the sin they repent, wherefore their sin abideth not. Woe unto them that extol themselves, for they shall be humbled to the burning coals of hell. Tell me, brethren, what is the cause for self-exaltation? Is there, perchance, any good here upon earth? No, assuredly, for as saith Solomon, the prophet of God: "Everything that is under the sun is vanity." But if the things of the world do not give us cause to extol ourselves in our heart, much less doth our life give us cause; for it is burdened with many miseries, since all the creatures inferior to man fight against us. O, how many have been slain by the burning heat of summer; how many have been slain by the frost and cold of winter; how many have been slain by lightning and by hail; how many have been drowned in the sea by the fury of winds; how many have died of pestilence, of famine, or because they have been devoured of wild beasts, bitten of serpents, choked by food! O hapless man, who extolleth himself having so much to weigh him down, being laid wait for by all the creatures in every place! But what shall I say of the flesh and the sense that desire only iniquity; of the world, that offereth nought but sin; of the wicked, who, serving Satan, persecute whosoever would live according to the law of God? Certain it is, brethren, that if man, as saith our father David, with his eyes should consider eternity, he would not sin.'
'To extol oneself in one\'s heart is but to lock up the pity and mercy of God, that he pardon not. For our father David saith that our God remembereth that we are but dust and that our spirit goeth and returneth not again. Whoso extolleth himself, then, denieth that he is dust, and hence, not knowing his need, he asketh not help, and so angereth God his helper. As God liveth in whose presence my soul standeth, God would pardon Satan if Satan should know his own misery, and ask mercy of his Creator, who is blessed for evermore.'
Jesus left the desert and entered Jerusalem, where all the people ran to the temple to see him. After the reading of the psalms, Jesus went up to the place from which the scribe usually spoke and, signaling for silence with his hand, said: 'Blessed be the holy name of God, O brothers, who created us from the clay of the earth and not from flaming spirit. When we sin, we may find mercy before God; Satan will never find it, because through his pride he is beyond correction and continually claims that he is noble, since he is a spirit of fire.'
'Have you heard, brothers, what our father David says of our God—that he remembers we are dust and that our spirit departs and does not return, and therefore he has had mercy upon us? Blessed are those who understand these words, for they will not remain forever in sin against their Lord: after sinning they repent, and therefore their sin does not remain. Woe to those who exalt themselves, for they will be humbled to the burning coals of hell. Tell me, brothers, what cause is there for self-exaltation? Is there any good on earth that provides such a cause? Certainly not, for Solomon, the prophet of God, says, "Everything under the sun is vanity." If worldly things give us no cause to exalt ourselves in our hearts, still less does our life, burdened as it is with many miseries. All creatures lower than man fight against us. How many have been killed by the burning heat of summer; how many by the frost and cold of winter; how many by lightning and hail! How many have drowned at sea through the fury of the winds; how many have died from plague or famine, been devoured by wild beasts, bitten by serpents, or choked by food! O wretched man, who exalts himself although so many things weigh him down and every creature lies in wait for him everywhere! And what shall I say about the flesh and the sense, which desires only wickedness; the world, which offers nothing but sin; and the wicked, who serve Satan and persecute anyone who wishes to live according to God's law? It is certain, brothers, that if a person, as our father David says, kept eternity before his eyes, he would not sin.'
'To exalt oneself in one's heart is to shut out God's pity and mercy so that he does not pardon. Our father David says that our God remembers that we are only dust and that our spirit departs and does not return. Whoever exalts himself therefore denies that he is dust; and because he does not recognize his need, he does not ask for help and thus angers God his helper. As God lives, in whose presence my soul stands, God would pardon Satan if Satan recognized his misery and asked mercy from his Creator, who is blessed forever.'
Jesus departed from the desert and entered into Jerusalem; whereupon all the people ran to the temple to see him. So after the reading of the psalms Jesus mounted up on the pinnacle where the scribe used to mount, and, having beckoned for silence with his hand, he said: 'Blessed be the holy name of God, O brethren, who hath created us of the clay of the earth, and not of flaming spirit. For when we sin we find mercy before God, which Satan will never find, because through his pride he is incorrigible, saying that he is always noble, for that he is flaming spirit.'
'Have ye heard, brethren, that which our father David saith of our God, that he remembereth that we are dust and that our spirit goeth and returneth not again, wherefore he hath had mercy upon us? Blessed are they that know these words, for they will not sin against their Lord eternally, seeing that after the sin they repent, wherefore their sin abideth not. Woe unto them that extol themselves, for they shall be humbled to the burning coals of hell. Tell me, brethren, what is the cause for self-exaltation? Is there, perchance, any good here upon earth? No, assuredly, for as saith Solomon, the prophet of God: "Everything that is under the sun is vanity." But if the things of the world do not give us cause to extol ourselves in our heart, much less doth our life give us cause; for it is burdened with many miseries, since all the creatures inferior to man fight against us. O, how many have been slain by the burning heat of summer; how many have been slain by the frost and cold of winter; how many have been slain by lightning and by hail; how many have been drowned in the sea by the fury of winds; how many have died of pestilence, of famine, or because they have been devoured of wild beasts, bitten of serpents, choked by food! O hapless man, who extolleth himself having so much to weigh him down, being laid wait for by all the creatures in every place! But what shall I say of the flesh and the sense that desire only iniquity; of the world, that offereth nought but sin; of the wicked, who, serving Satan, persecute whosoever would live according to the law of God? Certain it is, brethren, that if man, as saith our father David, with his eyes should consider eternity, he would not sin.'
'To extol oneself in one\'s heart is but to lock up the pity and mercy of God, that he pardon not. For our father David saith that our God remembereth that we are but dust and that our spirit goeth and returneth not again. Whoso extolleth himself, then, denieth that he is dust, and hence, not knowing his need, he asketh not help, and so angereth God his helper. As God liveth in whose presence my soul standeth, God would pardon Satan if Satan should know his own misery, and ask mercy of his Creator, who is blessed for evermore.'