バルナバによる福音書に言及する最初期の文書は知られている二つの写本のうちの一方と調和することが広く認められており、マドリードで作成されたモリスコ写本BNM MS 9653に含まれており、1634年頃にチュニジアでイブラヒム・アル・タイビリが書いたものであるという[5]。彼は聖書がいかにムハンマドの出現を予告しているかを述べる際に「光を見出すことのできるバルナバによる福音書」(西: "y así mismo en Evangelio de San Bernabé, donde se hallará la luz")と言及している。この福音書に関する文書が初めて公刊されたのは1717年であり、スペイン語写本に関する簡潔な言及が Adriaan Relandの『モハメッド教について』に見出される;[6] 1718年にはイタリア語写本に関するより詳細な説明がアイルランドの理神論者ジョン・トーランドによってなされた[7]。1734年にはジョージ・セールの『コーランを準備する言明』において両写本が言及された。:
公子オイゲンのイタリア語写本は1713年にジョン・フレデリック・クラマーから彼に贈呈されたものである;[11] 同写本はその後1738年にオイゲンの他の蔵書と共にウィーンのオーストリア国立図書館に移動された。1709年より少し前のアムステルダムにおいて、クラマーがトーランドにこの写本を貸出し、トーランドは以下のように書いた; 「(クラマー氏は)件の都市の名士の蔵書からそれを持ち出した; 彼は生涯の間その断片に高い価値を置き続けたと評された。珍品としてか彼の宗教のモデルとしてかは私は知らない[12]。」 Michel Fremauxはこの前の持ち主を追跡・同定したり何らかのカタログ・目録に対応する写本が載せられているのを発見したりしようとしたが成功していない。しかし、トーランドの批評は氏名不詳の前の持ち主が宗教上反三位一体論者またはユニテリアンであることを示唆していると考えられる; また、この写本はジョヴァンニ・ミケーレ・ブルートかクリストフォルス・サンディウスの書類に紛れてアムステルダムに来たのだろうとFremauxが推測している[6]; 彼らはそれぞれトランシルヴァニア、ポーランド出身で、宗教関係の写本の収集家であった。
イタリア語写本は506ページあり、そのうちp43からp500までがバルナバによる福音書である。イスラーム圏のスタイルであるページの外周に赤い枠が書かれた中に本文が記されている。p5からp42にも赤い枠が書かれている; しかし(クラマーによる公子オイゲンへの紹介文の他は)赤い枠の中は空白であり、ある種の序文や準備的な記述のための余白だったのではないかと考えられるが、スペイン語写本の序文と比較するとこの余白はあまりにも大きい[13]。非文法的なアラビア語で各章に簡単な説明が加えられたり傍注がつけられたりしている;[14] それら説明・傍注にはまた時にはトルコ語単語やトルコ語の統語論的な特徴が現れる[15]。また装丁もトルコ語でなされており、これが本来のものだと考えられる;[16] しかし紙にはイタリア語のすかし模様が入っており[2]、そのすかし模様は1563年から1620年にかけて用いられたものである[2]。同一人物がこの写本の本文とアラビア語の注を書いており、左から右に文字を書く習慣がある点で明らかに「西洋」である[17]。各ページの最下部には見出し語が書かれているが、これは印刷用の写本において一般的な慣習であった。この写本は未完であるように見える、というのはプロローグと222個の章ではページ上部に枠どられた余白があるが、そのうち28個の余白だけに語句が記入されているからである。このイタリア語写本が最もよく広まった Lonsdale and Laura Raggによる1907年の英語版の底本となっている。Raggsの英語版はラシード・リダーによりすぐさまアラビア語に訳され、1908年にエジプトで出版された[18]。
1792年にモンクハウス博士が死去して以降のスペイン語写本の原本の消息は不明である; しかし、スペイン語写本の写しが1970年代にシドニー大学のフィッシャー・ライブラリーでチャールズ・ニコルソンの蔵書群の中から発見された。英語で「"Transcribed from ms. in possession of the Revd Mr Edm. Callamy who bought it at the decease of Mr George Sale ... and now gave me at the decease of Mr John Nickolls, 1745"」とラベリングされた状態であった[20]。このシドニー写本は130ページあるがp116の下部に「Cap 121 to 200 wanting」とあるように元のテクストの全体は含んでおらず、p117は(スペイン式の算法で)第200章から再開している。シドニー写本とセールがスペイン語で引用した章句の対応箇所を比較すると実質的な違いはないがセールの死んだ1736年から1745年の間のいつかにスペイン語写本の80ほどの章が失われたようである。
Jesus answered: "The name of the Messiah is admirable, for God himself gave him the name when he had created his soul, and placed it in a celestial splendour. God said: 'Wait Mohammed; for thy sake I will to create paradise, the world, and a great multitude of creatures, whereof I make thee a present, insomuch that whoso bless thee shall be blessed, and whoso shall curse thee shall be accursed. When I shall send thee into the world I shall send thee as my messenger of salvation, and thy word shall be true, insomuch that heaven and earth shall fail, but thy faith shall never fail.' Mohammed is his blessed name." Then the crowd lifted up their voices, saying: "O God, send us thy messenger: O Admirable One, come quickly for the salvation of the world!"
Whereupon Jesus said: "Ye deceive yourselves; for David in spirit calleth him lord, saying thus: 'God said to my lord, sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. God shall send forth thy rod which shall have lordship in the midst of thine enemies.' If the messenger of God whom ye call Messiah were son of David, how should David call him lord? Believe me, for verily I say to you, that the promise was made in Ishmael, not in Isaac."
If I work iniquity, reprove me, and God will love you, because you shall be doing his will, but if none can reprove me of sin it is a sign that you are not sons of Abraham as you call yourselves, nor are you incorporate with that head wherein Abraham was incorporate. As God lives, so greatly did Abraham love God, that he not only brake in pieces the false idols and forsook his father and mother, but was willing to slay his own son in obedience to God.
The high priest answered: "This I ask of you, and I do not seek to slay you, wherefore tell us: Who was this son of Abraham?" Jesus answered: "The zeal of your honour, O God, inflames me, and I cannot hold my peace. Truly I say, the son of Abraham was Ishmael, from whom must be descended the Messiah promised to Abraham, that in him should all the tribes of the earth be blessed." Then was the high priest wroth, hearing this, and cried out: "Let us stone this impious fellow, for he is an Ishmaelite, and has spoken blasphemy against Moses and against the Law of God."
この箇所で、バルナバによる福音書はイエスの発言としてアブラハムが生贄に捧げようとした息子はイサクではなくイシュマエルだという話を引用し、ユダヤ教およびキリスト教の教えを否定してイスラームの教えと一致している。引用部の最後の「彼において地上の全種族が祝福された」という文とムハンマドという名の意味が「褒め称えられた(祝福された)」であることとの間にも関係を見いだしうる(Life of Prophet Muhammadを参照)
イエスは神でもなければ神の子でもない
バルナバによる福音書によれば、イエスは自分が神格化されることを予見し、前もって否定していた:
And having said this, Jesus smote his face with both his hands, and then smote the ground with his head. And having raised his head, he said: "Cursed be every one who shall insert into my sayings that I am the son of God."
And having said this Jesus went out of the Temple. And the common people magnified him, for they brought all the sick folk whom they could gather together, and Jesus having made prayer gave to all their health: whereupon on that day in Jerusalem the Roman soldiery, by the working of Satan, began to stir up the common people, saying that Jesus was the God of Israel, who was come to visit his people.
Jesus answered: "And you; what say you that I am?" Peter answered: "You are Christ, son of God". Then was Jesus angry, and with anger rebuked him, saying: "Begone and depart from me, because you are the devil and seek to cause me offences."
Jesus said again: "I confess before heaven, and call to witness everything that dwells upon the earth, that I am a stranger to all that men have said of me, to wit, that I am more than man. For I am a man, born of a woman, subject to the judgment of God; that live here like as other men, subject to the common miseries."
Then answered the priest, with the governor and the king, saying: "Distress not yourself, O Jesus, holy one of God, because in our time shall not this sedition be any more, seeing that we will write to the sacred Roman senate in such wise that by imperial decree none shall any more call you God or son of God." Then Jesus said: "With your words I am not consoled, because where you hope for light darkness shall come; but my consolation is in the coming of the Messenger, who shall destroy every false opinion of me, and his faith shall spread and shall take hold of the whole world, for so has God promised to Abraham our father."
Dearly beloved the great and wonderful God hath during these past days visited us by his prophet Jesus Christ in great mercy of teaching and miracles, by reason whereof many, being deceived of Satan, under presence of piety, are preaching most impious doctrine, calling Jesus son of God, repudiating the circumcision ordained of God for ever, and permitting every unclean meat: among whom also Paul hath been deceived, whereof I speak not without grief; for which cause I am writing that truth which I have seen and heard, in the intercourse that I have had with Jesus, in order that ye may be saved, and not be deceived of Satan and perish in the judgment of God. Therefore beware of every one that preacheth unto you new doctrine contrary to that which I write, that ye may be saved eternally.
Jesus, weeping, said: "O Barnabas, it is necessary that I should reveal to you great secrets, which, after that I shall be departed from the world, you shall reveal to it." Then answered he that writes, weeping, and said: "Suffer me to weep, O master, and other men also, for that we are sinners. And you, that are a holy one and prophet of God, it is not fitting for you to weep so much."
Jesus answered: "Believe me, Barnabas that I cannot weep as much as I ought. For if men had not called me God, I should have seen God here as he will be seen in paradise, and should have been safe not to fear the day of judgment. But God knows that I am innocent, because never have I harboured thought to be held more than a poor slave. No, I tell you that if I had not been called God I should have been carried into paradise when I shall depart from the world, whereas now I shall not go thither until the judgment. Now you see if I have cause to weep.
"Know, O Barnabas, that for this I must have great persecution, and shall be sold by one of my disciples for thirty pieces of money. Whereupon I am sure that he who shall sell me shall be slain in my name, for that God shall take me up from the earth, and shall change the appearance of the traitor so that every one shall believe him to be me; nevertheless, when he dies an evil death, I shall abide in that dishonour for a long time in the world. But when Muhammad shall come, the sacred Messenger of God, that infamy shall be taken away. And this shall God do because I have confessed the truth of the Messiah who shall give me this reward, that I shall be known to be alive and to be a stranger to that death of infamy."
Jesus turned himself to him who writes, and said: "Barnabas, see that by all means you write my gospel concerning all that has happened through my dwelling in the world. And write in a similar manner that which has befallen Judas, in order that the faithful may be undeceived, and every one may believe the truth."
2012年2月には、アンカラ民族学博物館に52ページあるシリア語の聖書の写本が所蔵されていたことがトルコ文化観光省により確認された[66]。トルコの新聞によるとその写本は2000年にキプロスで警察が密輸業者たちに対して行った作戦の間に発見されたもので、その後警察の倉庫に保管されていたという;[67] そしてこの写本の内容はバルナバによる福音書と考えられるというのである。しかし、その後アンカラ写本の内容に関してもその年代や真正性の科学的調査に関しても確認されていない[66]。2012年3月に中世シリア語文献の専門家アサド・サウマ博士が、民族学博物館に所蔵されていた写本は自分が以前に部分的に分析したものと同一だと考えられると報告した。調査した文献の一部は福音書のランダムな章句や引用から成ると彼は述べている; また、それらとバルナバによる福音書との一致を見出すことはできなかったとも彼は述べている。 (in Arabic)
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 202
^ abJoosten, Jan (January 2002). “The Gospel of Barnabas and the Diatessaron”. Harvard Theological Review95 (1): 73–96.
^Wiegers, G.A. (April–June 1995). “Muhammad as the Messiah: A comparison of the polemical works of Juan Alonso with the Gospel of Barnabas”. Biblitheca OrientalisLII (3/4): 274.
^ abFremaux, Michel; Cirillo, Luigi (1999). Évangile de Barnabé 2nd Edn revised. Beauchesne. pp. 14. ISBN9782701013893
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. lxv–lxxi. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Sale, George (1877). The Koran: Preliminary Discourse. Frederick Warne. pp. 79. ISBN0-524-07942-0
^ abcCirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 244
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xlvi. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. pp. x. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. lxvii. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Fremaux, Michel; Cirillo, Luigi (1999). Évangile de Barnabé 2nd Edn revised. Beauchesne. pp. 4. ISBN9782701013893
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xlix. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Fremaux, Michel; Cirillo, Luigi (1999). Évangile de Barnabé 2nd Edn revised. Beauchesne. pp. 12. ISBN9782701013893
^ abRagg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xiii. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Fremaux, Michel; Cirillo, Luigi (1999). Évangile de Barnabé 2nd Edn revised. Beauchesne. pp. 8. ISBN9782701013893
^Fremaux, Michel; Cirillo, Luigi (1999). Évangile de Barnabé 2nd Edn revised. Beauchesne. pp. v. ISBN9782701013893
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 77
^Fletcher, J.E. (1976). “The Spanish Gospel of Barnabas”. Novum TestamentumXVIII: 314–320.
^Sox, David (1984). The Gospel of Barnabas. Allen & Unwin. pp. 65. ISBN0-04-200044-0
^Wiegers, G.A. (April–June 1995). “Muhammad as the Messiah: A comparison of the polemical works of Juan Alonso with the Gospel of Barnabas”. Biblitheca OrientalisLII (3/4): 278.
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 88
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. pp. xi. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xii. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Wiegers, G.A. (April–June 1995). “Muhammad as the Messiah: A comparison of the polemical works of Juan Alonso with the Gospel of Barnabas”. Biblitheca OrientalisLII (3/4): 245–292.
^Bernabé Pons, Luis F (1998). , El texto morisco del Evangelio de San Bernabé. Universidad de Granada. pp. 155
^Joosten, Jan (April 2010). “The date and provenance of the Gospel of Barnabas”. Journal of Theological Studies61 (1): 200–215. doi:10.1093/jts/flq010.
^Joosten, Jan (April 2010). “The date and provenance of the Gospel of Barnabas”. Journal of Theological Studies61 (1): 214.
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 533
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 50
^Burchill, Christopher (1989). The Heidelberg Antitrinitarians. Bibliotheca Dissidentum: vol XI. pp. 124
^Sox, David (1984). The Gospel of Barnabas. Allen & Unwin. pp. 73. ISBN0-04-200044-0
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. pp. xv. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 176
^ abRagg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxxiii. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Wiegers, G.A. (April–June 1995). “Muhammad as the Messiah: A comparison of the polemical works of Juan Alonso with the Gospel of Barnabas”. Biblitheca OrientalisLII (3/4): 285.
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxix. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^ abRagg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxxv. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 216
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxvii. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 53
^Slomp, Jan (1978). “The Gospel in Dispute. A Critical evaluation of the first French translation with an Italian text and introduction of the so-called Gospel of Barnabas”. Islamochristiana4 (1): 83.
^Burchill, Christopher (1989). The Heidelberg Antitrinitarians. Bibliotheca Dissidentum: vol XI. pp. 110
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 230
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxxvi. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Cirillo, Luigi; Fremaux, Michel (1977). Évangile de Barnabé. Beauchesne. pp. 233
^Pulcini, Theodore (2001). “In the Shadow of Mount Carmel: the Collapse of the 'Latin East' and the origines of the Gospel of Barnabas”. Islam and Christianity12 (2): 191–200. doi:10.1080/09596410120051773.
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxxi. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Wiegers, G.A. (April–June 1995). “Muhammad as the Messiah: A comparison of the polemical works of Juan Alonso with the Gospel of Barnabas”. Biblitheca OrientalisLII (3/4): 246.
^Wiegers, G.A. (April–June 1995). “Muhammad as the Messiah: A comparison of the polemical works of Juan Alonso with the Gospel of Barnabas”. Biblitheca OrientalisLII (3/4): 279.
^Slomp, Jan (1978). “The Gospel in Dispute. A Critical evaluation of the first French translation with an Italian text and introduction of the so-called Gospel of Barnabas”. Islamochristiana4 (1): 94.
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxxix. ISBN1-881316-15-7
^Ragg, L & L (1907). The Gospel of Barnabas. Oxford. xxiv. ISBN1-881316-15-7
The Ragg's English translation was soon recopied in numerous unauthorised reprintings, chiefly in British India; and remains widely available to this day, both in paperback form and on the internet. These editions however, lack the Ragg's introduction and notes; as also their transcription of the Italian text and translations of the Arabic notes. They also differ from the original due to transcription errors. The Oxford University Press has not reprinted the 1907 text; however, now that it is out of copyright, a facsimile of the 1907 edition has been produced by Kessinger Publishing.
Ragg, L and L – The Gospel of Barnabas (Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish MT, 2009, 578pp).
A second Italian edition – in parallel columns with a modernised text:
Eugenio Giustolisi and Giuseppe Rizzardi, Il vangelo di Barnaba. Un vangelo per i musulmani? (Milano: Istituto Propaganda Libraria, 1991).
The complete text of the Italian manuscript has been published in photo-facsimile; with a French translation and extensive commentary and textual apparatus:
Cirillo L. & Fremaux M. Évangile de Barnabé: recherches sur la composition et l'origine, Editions Beauchesne, Paris, 1977, 598p
In 1999 Michel Fremaux issued a second edition of the manuscript facsimile, updated to take account of the recently rediscovered transcription of the Spanish manuscript:
Cirillo L. & Fremaux M. Évangile de Barnabé: Fac-simile, traduction et notes, Editions Beauchesne, Paris, 1999, 364pp
The text of the Spanish manuscript has been published with introduction, and annotations identifying variant readings in the Spanish and Italian texts:
Luis F. Bernabé Pons, El texto morisco del Evangelio de San Bernabé (Granada: Universidad de Granada, 1998), 260p
外部リンクとテクスト
Lonsdale & Laura Ragg, The Gospel of Barnabas, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907. ISBN 1-881316-15-7.