The Gospel of Barnabas · Chapter 176 The glory of paradise, “better revealed by the messenger of God.” The coming messenger:
The Glory of Body and Soul in Paradise
'To what doth it serve to say, "They shall feast"?' said Jesus to his disciples. 'Surely God speaketh plain. But to what purpose are the four rivers of precious liquor in paradise, with so many fruits? Assuredly, God eateth not, the angels eat not, the soul eateth not, the sense eateth not, but rather the flesh, which is our body. Wherefore the glory of paradise is for the body the meats, and for the soul and the sense God and the conversation of angels and blessed spirits. That glory shall be better revealed by the messenger of God, who (seeing God hath created all things for love of him) knoweth all things better than any other creature.'
Said Bartholomew: 'O master, shall the glory of paradise be equal for every man? If it be equal, it shall not be just, and if it be not equal the lesser will envy the greater.'
Jesus answered: 'It will not be equal, for that God is just; and everyone shall be content, because there is no envy there. Tell me, Bartholomew: there is a master who hath many servants, and he clotheth all of those his servants in the same cloth. Do then the boys, who are clothed in the garments of boys, mourn because they have not the apparel of grown men? Surely, on the contrary, if the elders desired to put on them their larger garments they would be wroth, because, the garments not being of their size, they would think themselves mocked.
'Now, Bartholomew, lift thy heart to God in paradise, and thou shalt see that all one glory, although it shall be more to one and less to another, shall not produce aught of envy.'
'What would be the purpose of saying, "They will feast"?' Jesus asked his disciples. 'God surely speaks plainly. And what purpose would be served by the four rivers of precious liquid in paradise and its many fruits? God does not eat, the angels do not eat, the soul does not eat, and the sense does not eat; the flesh, which is our body, does. Therefore food is the glory prepared for the body in paradise, while God and the company of angels and blessed spirits are the glory prepared for the soul and the sense. This glory will be revealed more fully by the Messenger of God, who knows all things better than any other creature, since God created all things for love of him.'
Bartholomew said: 'O Master, will the glory of paradise be equal for everyone? If it is equal, that would not be just; but if it is unequal, those who receive less will envy those who receive more.'
Jesus answered: 'The rewards will not be equal, because God is just; yet everyone will be content, because there is no envy there. Tell me, Bartholomew: a master has many servants and clothes them all in the same kind of cloth. Do boys, who are dressed as boys, grieve because they do not wear the clothing of grown men? Certainly not. On the contrary, if adults tried to put their larger garments on them, the boys would be angry because the garments would not fit and they would think they were being mocked.'
'Now, Bartholomew, lift your heart to God in paradise, and you will see that the same glory, although greater for one and less for another, will produce no envy.'
'To what doth it serve to say, "They shall feast"?' said Jesus to his disciples. 'Surely God speaketh plain. But to what purpose are the four rivers of precious liquor in paradise, with so many fruits? Assuredly, God eateth not, the angels eat not, the soul eateth not, the sense eateth not, but rather the flesh, which is our body. Wherefore the glory of paradise is for the body the meats, and for the soul and the sense God and the conversation of angels and blessed spirits. That glory shall be better revealed by the messenger of God, who (seeing God hath created all things for love of him) knoweth all things better than any other creature.'
Said Bartholomew: 'O master, shall the glory of paradise be equal for every man? If it be equal, it shall not be just, and if it be not equal the lesser will envy the greater.'
Jesus answered: 'It will not be equal, for that God is just; and everyone shall be content, because there is no envy there. Tell me, Bartholomew: there is a master who hath many servants, and he clotheth all of those his servants in the same cloth. Do then the boys, who are clothed in the garments of boys, mourn because they have not the apparel of grown men? Surely, on the contrary, if the elders desired to put on them their larger garments they would be wroth, because, the garments not being of their size, they would think themselves mocked.
'Now, Bartholomew, lift thy heart to God in paradise, and thou shalt see that all one glory, although it shall be more to one and less to another, shall not produce aught of envy.'