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Wikipedia's first sentence called it "work purporting to be a depiction of the life of jesus by his disciple barnabas". Today it says "non-canonical". We saved the article's opening at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

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The opening as it read in 2005

Gospel of Barnabas is a work purporting to be a depiction of the life of Jesus by his disciple Barnabas . The earliest known manuscripts have been dated to the late sixteenth century, and are written in Italian and in Spanish ; although the Spanish version now only survives in an eighteenth century copy.¹ It is about the same length as the four canonical gospels put together (the Italian manuscript has 222 chapters); with the bulk being devoted to an account of Jesus' ministry, much of it harmonised from accounts also found in the canonical gospels .² This work is written from a highly pro- Islamic viewpoint, not only mentioning Muhammad by name, but including the shahada (chapter 39). It is strongly anti- Pauline and anti- Trinitarian in tone. In this work, Jesus, is described as a prophet and not the son of God , while Paul is called "the deceived". Furthermore, the Gospel of Barnabas mentions in detail that Jesus was not crucified but rather raised alive to heaven—a docetist theme found in the Gospel of Peter that was taken up in the Qu'ran —while Judas Iscariot the traitor was crucified instead. These beliefs in particular that Jesus is a prophet of God, not crucified but raised alive, conform with Muslim beliefs. Other passages however directly contradict the text of the Qur'an; as for instance in the account of the Nativity , where Mary is said to have given birth to Jesus without pain; or as in Jesus's ministry, where he permits the drinking of wine and enjoins monogamy . Narrative themes, and some highly distinctive phraseology, are shared with the Divine Comedy of Dante (Ragg). If (as most students surmise) the Gospel of Barnabas is seen as an attempted synthesis of elements from both Christianity and Islam, then sixteenth and seventeenth century parallels can be suggested in Morisco and anti-Trinitarian writings; but there are no known earlier precursors. The Spanish version includes an account of the discovery of the Gospel of Barnabas in the private study of Pope Sixtus V ( 1585 - 1590 ), an account which appears to many students to be historically incongruous; and this, together with paleographic inconsistencies in the surviving Italian manuscript, has led a number of scholars to conclude that the two known manuscripts may have been prepared in support of an exercise in forensic falsification , intended to discredit or incriminate some leading Catholic ecclesiastic in the Roman Curia of the 1590s (David Sox; The Gospel of Barnabas 1984). There are a number of contemporary parallels for such an exercise - most notably the "Casket Letters" supposedly forged to incriminate Mary Queen of Scots . Some scholars who maintain this view consequently dismiss the entire Gospel as a hoax ; but the majority would consider it more likely that the supposed forgers made use of a pre-existing heterodox text.³ The Gospel is considered by the majority of academics (including Christians and some Muslims) to be a pious fraud ; however, some academics suggest that it may contain some remnants of an earlier apocryphal work edited to conform to Islam, perhaps Gnostic (Cirillo, Ragg) or Ebionite (Pines) or Diatessaronic (Joosten), and some Muslim scholars consider it genuine. Some Islamic organizations cite it in support of the Islamic view of Jesus ; Islamic views are treated below.⁴

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The opening as it stood in 2010 13 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The Gospel of Barnabas is a substantial book depicting the life of Jesus ; and claiming to be by Jesus's disciple Barnabas , who in this work is one of the twelve apostles . Two manuscripts are known to have existed, both dated to the late sixteenth century and written respectively in Italian and in Spanish; although the Spanish manuscript is now lost, its text surviving only in a partial eighteenth-century transcript. Barnabas is about the same length as the four canonical gospels put together (the Italian manuscript has 222 chapters); with the bulk being devoted to an account of Jesus' ministry, much of it harmonised from accounts also found in the canonical gospels . In some key respects, it conforms to the Islamic interpretation of Christian origins and contradicts the New Testament teachings of Christianity . This Gospel is considered by the majority of academics, including Christians and some Muslims (such as Abbas el-Akkad ) to be late and pseudepigraphical ; however, some academics suggest that it may contain some remnants of an earlier apocryphal work edited to conform to Islam, perhaps Gnostic or Ebionite or Diatessaronic . Some Muslims consider the surviving versions as transmitting a suppressed apostolic original. Some Islamic organizations cite it in support of the Islamic view of Jesus . This work should not be confused with the surviving Epistle of Barnabas . Neither should it be confused with the surviving Acts of Barnabas (see ahead, section Earlier occurrences of a Gospel of Barnabas ). Harvard Theological Review . 95 (1): 73– 96. : Unknown parameter |month= ignored ( help ) Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas . Oxford. xiv. : Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored ( |no-pp= suggested) ( help ) Cirillo, Luigi (1977). Évangile de Barnabé . Harvard Theological Review . 95 (1): 73– 96. : Unknown parameter |month= ignored ( help )

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The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The Gospel of Barnabas is a book depicting the life of Jesus , and claims to be by the biblical Barnabas , who in this work is one of the twelve apostles . Two manuscripts are known to have existed, both dated to the late 16th century and written respectively in Italian and in Spanish—although the Spanish manuscript is now lost, its text surviving only in a partial 18th-century transcript. Barnabas is about the same length as the four canonical gospels put together, with the bulk being devoted to an account of Jesus' ministry, much of it harmonized from accounts also found in the canonical gospels . In some key respects, it conforms to the Islamic interpretation of Christian origins and contradicts the New Testament teachings of Christianity . This Gospel is considered by the majority of academics, including Christians and some Muslims (such as Abbas el-Akkad ) to be late and pseudepigraphical ; however, some academics suggest that it may contain some remnants of an earlier apocryphal work (perhaps Gnostic , Ebionite or Diatessaronic ), redacted to bring it more in line with Islamic doctrine. Some Muslims consider the surviving versions as transmitting a suppressed apostolic original. Some Islamic organizations cite it in support of the Islamic view of Jesus . This work should not be confused with the surviving Epistle of Barnabas , nor with the surviving Acts of Barnabas . Harvard Theological Review . 95 (1): 73– 96. The Gospel of Barnabas .

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The opening as it stood in 2020

Pseudepigraphic gospel The Gospel of Barnabas is a book depicting the life of Jesus , which claims to be by the biblical Barnabas who in this work is one of the twelve apostles . Two manuscripts are known to have existed, both dated to the late 16th or early 17th centuries, with one written in Italian and the other in Spanish, its text surviving only in a partial 18th-century transcript. Barnabas is about the same length as the four canonical gospels put together, with the bulk being devoted to an account of Jesus' ministry, much of it harmonized from accounts also found in the canonical gospels . In some key respects, it conforms to the Islamic interpretation of Christian origins and contradicts the New Testament teachings of Christianity . The text of this Gospel is late and pseudepigraphical . However, some academics suggest that it may contain remnants of an earlier, apocryphal work (perhaps Gnostic , Ebionite or Diatessaronic ), redacted to bring it more in line with Islamic doctrine. Some Muslims consider the surviving versions as transmitting a suppressed apostolic original in support of the Islamic view of Jesus . This work should not be confused with the surviving Epistle of Barnabas , nor with the surviving Acts of Barnabas . El texto morisco del Evangelio de San Bernabé . Harvard Theological Review . 95 (1): 73– 96. The Gospel of Barnabas .

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 10 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Pseudepigraphic gospel Facsimile of two pages of the Italian manuscript The Gospel of Barnabas is a non-canonical , pseudepigraphical gospel written in the Late Middle Ages and attributed to the early Christian disciple Barnabas , who (in this work) is one of the apostles of Jesus . It is about the same length as the four canonical gospels combined and largely harmonises stories in the canonical gospels with Islamic elements such as the denial of Jesus' crucifixion . The gospel presents a detailed account of the life of Jesus. It begins with the nativity of Jesus , which includes the annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to Mary which precedes Jesus' birth . The gospel follows his ministry , ending with the message of Jesus to spread his teachings around the world. Judas Iscariot replaced Jesus at the crucifixion . The gospel survives in two manuscripts (in Italian and Spanish), both dated to the Middle Ages. It is one of three works with Barnabas' name; the others are the Epistle of Barnabas and the Acts of Barnabas , although they are not related to each other. The earliest known mention of the Gospel of Barnabas has been discovered in a 1634 manuscript by a Morisco which was found in Madrid , and the earliest published reference to it was in the 1715 book Menagiana by the French poet Bernard de la Monnoye . The gospel's origins and author have been debated; several theories are speculative, and none has general acceptance. The Gospel of Barnabas is dated to the 13th to 15th centuries, much too late to have been written by Barnabas ( fl. 1st century CE ). Many of its teachings are synchronous with those in the Quran and oppose the Bible , especially the New Testament ; some, however, contradict the Quran. Geneviève Gobillot, Évangiles , in M. "The Date and Provenance of the "Gospel of Barnabas" " .

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The opening as it stood in 2025

Pseudepigraphic gospel Not to be confused with Epistle of Barnabas . Facsimile of two pages of the Italian manuscript The Gospel of Barnabas is a non-canonical , pseudepigraphical gospel , written during the Late Middle Ages and attributed to the early Christian disciple Barnabas , who (in this work) is one of the apostles of Jesus . It is about the same length as the four canonical gospels combined and largely harmonizes stories in the canonical gospels with Islamic elements such as the denial of Jesus' crucifixion . The gospel presents a detailed account of the life of Jesus. It begins with the nativity of Jesus , which includes the annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to Mary which precedes Jesus' birth . The gospel follows his ministry , ending with the message of Jesus to spread his teachings around the world. Judas Iscariot replaced Jesus at the crucifixion . The gospel survives in two manuscripts (in Italian and Spanish), both dated to the Middle Ages. It is one of three works with Barnabas' name; the others are the Epistle of Barnabas and the Acts of Barnabas , although they are not related to each other. The earliest known mention of the Gospel of Barnabas has been discovered in a 1634 manuscript by a Morisco which was found in Madrid , and the earliest published reference to it was in the 1715 book Menagiana by the French poet Bernard de la Monnoye . The gospel's origins and author have been debated; several theories are speculative, and none has general acceptance. The Gospel of Barnabas is dated to the 13th to 15th centuries, much too late to have been written by Barnabas ( fl. 1st century CE ). Many of its teachings are synchronous with those in the Quran and oppose the Bible , especially the New Testament . Geneviève Gobillot, Évangiles , in M. "The Date and Provenance of the "Gospel of Barnabas" " .

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