The Gospel of Barnabas · Chapter 17 “After me shall come the Splendour of all the prophets… he is the messenger of God,” and “God is our father — hath he no sons?” John's Paraclete sayings, and the Gospel-based reading of God's fatherhood:
The True Faith and the Oneness of God
Philip answered: 'We are content to serve God, but we desire, however, to know God. For Isaiah the prophet said: "Verily thou art a hidden God," and God said to Moses his servant: "I am that which I am."
Jesus answered: 'Philip, God is a good without which there is naught good; God is a being without which there is naught that is; God is a life without which there is naught that liveth; so great that he filleth all and is everywhere. He alone hath no equal. He hath had no beginning, nor will he ever have an end, but to everything hath he given a beginning and to everything shall he give an end. He hath no father nor mother; he hath no sons, nor brethren, nor companions. And because God hath no body, therefore he eateth not, sleepeth not, dieth not, walketh not, moveth not, but abideth eternally without human similitude, for that he is incorporeal, uncompounded, immaterial, of the most simple substance. He is so good that he loveth goodness only; he is so just that when he punisheth or pardoneth it cannot be gainsaid. In short, I say unto thee, Philip, that here on earth thou canst not see him nor know him perfectly; but in his kingdom thou shalt see him for ever: wherein consisteth all our happiness and glory.'
Philip answered: 'Master, what sayest thou? It is surely written in Isaiah that God is our father; how, then, hath he no sons?'
Jesus answered: 'There are written in the prophets many parables, wherefore thou oughtest not to attend to the letter, but to the sense. For all the prophets, that are one hundred and forty-four thousand, whom God hath sent into the world, have spoken darkly. But after me shall come the Splendour of all the prophets and holy ones, and shall shed light upon the darkness of all that the prophets have said, because he is the messenger of God.'
And having said this, Jesus sighed and said: 'Have mercy on Israel, O Lord God and look with pity upon Abraham and upon his seed, in order that they may serve thee with truth of heart.
His disciples answered: 'So be it, O Lord our God!'
Jesus said: 'Verily I say unto you, the scribes and doctors have made void the law of God with their false prophecies, contrary to the prophecies of the true prophets of God: Wherefore God is wroth with the house of Israel and with this faithless generation.' His disciples wept at these words, and said: 'Have mercy, O God, have mercy upon the temple and upon the holy city, and give it not into contempt of the nations that they despise not thy holy covenant.' Jesus answered: 'So be it, Lord God of our fathers.'
Philip answered: 'We are content to serve God, but we still desire to know him. For the prophet Isaiah said, "Truly, you are a hidden God," and God said to Moses his servant, "I am that which I am."'
Jesus answered: 'Philip, God is the good without whom nothing is good; God is the being without whom nothing exists; God is the life without whom nothing lives. He is so great that he fills all things and is everywhere. He alone has no equal. He has no beginning and will never have an end, but he has given everything a beginning and will give everything an end. He has no father or mother, no sons, brothers, or companions. Because God has no body, he does not eat, sleep, die, walk, or move, but remains eternally without human likeness, for he is incorporeal, uncompounded, immaterial, and of the simplest substance. He is so good that he loves goodness alone, and so just that when he punishes or pardons, no one can dispute his judgment. In short, Philip, I tell you that here on earth you cannot see him or know him perfectly; but in his kingdom you will see him forever, and in this consist all our happiness and glory.'
Philip answered: 'Master, what do you mean? It is surely written in Isaiah that God is our father; how, then, can he have no sons?'
Jesus answered: 'Many parables are written in the prophets, so you must not attend only to the letter, but to the meaning. All the prophets whom God has sent into the world—one hundred and forty-four thousand—have spoken in obscure language. But after me will come the Splendor of all the prophets and holy ones, and he will shed light upon the darkness of all that the prophets have said, because he is the Messenger of God.'
Having said this, Jesus sighed and prayed: 'Have mercy on Israel, O Lord God, and look with pity upon Abraham and his descendants, so that they may serve you with sincerity of heart.'
His disciples answered: 'So be it, O Lord our God!'
Jesus said: 'Truly, I tell you, the scribes and teachers of the Law have made the law of God ineffective through their false prophecies, which contradict the prophecies of God's true prophets. Therefore, God is angry with the house of Israel and with this faithless generation.' His disciples wept at these words and said: 'Have mercy, O God, upon the temple and the holy city. Do not give them over to the contempt of the nations, lest the nations despise your holy covenant.' Jesus answered: 'So be it, Lord God of our fathers.'
Philip answered: 'We are content to serve God, but we desire, however, to know God. For Isaiah the prophet said: "Verily thou art a hidden God," and God said to Moses his servant: "I am that which I am."
Jesus answered: 'Philip, God is a good without which there is naught good; God is a being without which there is naught that is; God is a life without which there is naught that liveth; so great that he filleth all and is everywhere. He alone hath no equal. He hath had no beginning, nor will he ever have an end, but to everything hath he given a beginning and to everything shall he give an end. He hath no father nor mother; he hath no sons, nor brethren, nor companions. And because God hath no body, therefore he eateth not, sleepeth not, dieth not, walketh not, moveth not, but abideth eternally without human similitude, for that he is incorporeal, uncompounded, immaterial, of the most simple substance. He is so good that he loveth goodness only; he is so just that when he punisheth or pardoneth it cannot be gainsaid. In short, I say unto thee, Philip, that here on earth thou canst not see him nor know him perfectly; but in his kingdom thou shalt see him for ever: wherein consisteth all our happiness and glory.'
Philip answered: 'Master, what sayest thou? It is surely written in Isaiah that God is our father; how, then, hath he no sons?'
Jesus answered: 'There are written in the prophets many parables, wherefore thou oughtest not to attend to the letter, but to the sense. For all the prophets, that are one hundred and forty-four thousand, whom God hath sent into the world, have spoken darkly. But after me shall come the Splendour of all the prophets and holy ones, and shall shed light upon the darkness of all that the prophets have said, because he is the messenger of God.'
And having said this, Jesus sighed and said: 'Have mercy on Israel, O Lord God and look with pity upon Abraham and upon his seed, in order that they may serve thee with truth of heart.
His disciples answered: 'So be it, O Lord our God!'
Jesus said: 'Verily I say unto you, the scribes and doctors have made void the law of God with their false prophecies, contrary to the prophecies of the true prophets of God: Wherefore God is wroth with the house of Israel and with this faithless generation.' His disciples wept at these words, and said: 'Have mercy, O God, have mercy upon the temple and upon the holy city, and give it not into contempt of the nations that they despise not thy holy covenant.' Jesus answered: 'So be it, Lord God of our fathers.'