16

St. Barnabas, his Mystical Allusion to the Cross.

§ ii. 4.

ner in which St. Clement of Alexandria quotes it, a monument of
the age next after the Apostles, and almost as undoubtedly, judging
by internal evidence, it was meant as what in our days would be
called a popular hortatory tract, intended to reconcile the Christians
of the circumcision to the utter rejection of the Jewish people.
And by one expression in it', we may perhaps reasonably assign
its date to the year 136 or thereabouts; when Adrian, having
overthrown the rebel Jews under Bar Cochab, was most active
in building Ælia on the site of Jerusalem, and a Gentile Christian
Church was beginning to flourish there. To this, as it may seem,
the author of the Epistle applies the prophecy of Isaiah, (xlix. 17.)
according to the reading of the LXX.: “Thou shalt be quickly
builded by those who were thy destroyers:' this," says he,
now in course of accomplishment. For their rising in war led to
the subversion of their city by their enemies; but now the very
servants of the same enemies are building it up again."

"is

This date deserves notice, because it suggests a sufficient reason for the freedom with which the author, in a popular tract, exhibits the method of symbolical exposition, which was generally rather withdrawn from ordinary eyes. The calamity, perhaps, was great and astounding enough to justify disclosures otherwise irregular, for the consolation and establishment of the faithful.

However, certain it is that this epistle, which is addressed to Christian men and women without distinction, might be not unfitly selected for a specimen of the mystical way, as applied to the Old Testament.

(4.) As concerning the Passion and Cross of our LORD in particular, (to say nothing of the sacrifice of Isaac, the typical nature whereof, as it seems, no age of Christians has ever denied, notwithstanding the silence of Scripture,) St. Barnabas has the following passage2: "Israel being attacked by the aliens, with a view, amongst other things, of signifying to the people, that their transgressions were the cause of their being given over to death, the SPIRIT speaks inwardly to Moses, to form a type of the Cross, and of Him who was to suffer: that if men refuse to trust in Him, they will have no peace for ever. Moses therefore places one shield on another in the middle of the mound;

Warrant in Scripture for St. Barnabas's Mysticism. 17

and being thus posted high above all, he stretches out his hands, § ii. 5. and so Israel began again to be victorious: afterwards, when on the contrary he let down his hands, again they were slaughtered. Wherefore? That men might know there is no chance of salvation, except they put their trust in Him. And in another Prophet he says, 'All the day long I have stretched forth my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people.""

What is very observable, the Author next goes on to mention, with just the same tone of confidence, and no more, the typical meaning of the Brasen Serpent; observing, with his usual piety, "Thou hast in this also the glory of JESUS; that in Him, and to Him, are all things."

Had it seemed good to God's providence, that the discourse of our LORD to Nicodemus should have been lost, as so many other of His divine words were, would not the Christian interpretation of this latter miracle have seemed to many forced and fanciful, just as that of the former may perhaps seem now? And ought not this single consideration to stop the mouths of all, who have any reverence in their hearts, when they find themselves tempted to join in hasty censure or scorn of such interpretations? For aught they know, they may be scorning or censuring the very lessons of our Divine Master Himself.

(5.) I proceed to another historical type, which to many may appear more extravagant. The Author is reasoning on the history of Abraham, to prove the insufficiency of Jewish circumcision out of the Old Testament itself. So far, as will occur to every one, he is treading in the steps of St. Paul. After producing many passages to that purpose, he closes the subject with the following 1: "Consider whether there be not abundant instruction on this whole matter, in the account given us, that Abraham, who first gave men circumcision, did thereby perform a spiritual and typical action, looking forward to the Son: and that, upon receiving certain doctrines conveyed in three (mystical) letters. For He saith, Abraham circumcised of his house men to the number of three hundred and eighteen. What then is

1 Ep. S. Barnab. c. ix.

VOL. VI.-89.

§ ii. 6.

18

Mystical Meaning of Gen xiv. 14.

the mysterious truth thus vouchsafed to him?

Observe the

eighteen first, then the three hundred. Of the two letters which stand for 18, 10 is represented by I, 8 by H. Thou hast here the word JESUS :" i. e., the two first letters, which formed as it were a cypher of the sacred Name, familiar to the eyes and thoughts of the Christians of that generation as was also the third of the numeral letters in question, which the writer next goes on to explain: "Because the Cross, which is signified to the eye by the letter Tau, was intended to bring the grace, [to which he looked forward ;] he adds the three hundred also," the letter Tau representing that number. "By the two first letters then the name JESUS is indicated, and by the third the Cross."

On this commentary, which as well as the former has been adopted by multitudes of the early interpreters, several remarks occur, which it may be well to put down, as they will each of them apply to a whole class of examples, and to difficulties which are certain to arise in many of our minds, though we were never so resolutely on our guard against prejudices of mere taste and association.

(6.) First, it may be observed that the several circumstances, which may appear at first sight startling in this exposition, though not perhaps united in any one Scriptural example, have yet, each severally, undoubted sanction of Scripture. Thus, the use of the numeral letters as a cypher, to convey some mysterious truth, has a well-known precedent in the Book of Revelation. Again, the passage in St. Barnabas is an instance of the combination of texts apparently remote, but really bearing on the same subject for the number, three hundred and eighteen, is not mentioned in the account of the circumcision of Abraham's family, but is borrowed from the previous enumeration occasioned by the war with Chedorlaomer 2. Now, this sort of combination of remote texts appears to be warranted, in one in

1 For example, S. Clem. Alex. Strom. vi. 84; S. Ambr. de Fide, i. init, and § 121; S. Aug. Quæst. in Jud. 37; S. Hil. de Synod. 86.

2 Compare Gen. xvii. 27; xiv. 14.

The Greek Bible recognised by the Fathers.

19

stance at least, by our blessed LORD Himself. "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?'" So far is taken from Isaiah, but the conclusion of the sentence, "Ye have made it a den of thieves," was addressed by Jeremiah to a subsequent generation'.

Now whether the fact were really so or not, (if it were, it was surely by special providence,) that Abraham's household at the time of circumcision was exactly the same number as before: still the argument of St. Barnabas will stand. As thus: circumcision had from the beginning a reference to our SAVIOUR, as in other respects, so in this: that the mystical number, which is the cypher of JESUS crucified, was the number of the first circumcised household, in the strength of which Abraham prevailed against the powers of the world. So St. Clement of Alexandria, as cited by Fell3: "It is commonly supposed that we have here an indication of a correspondency between the case of Abraham's household and the method of salvation : of the victory obtained by those who have betaken themselves to the Holy Sign and Name, over those who led them captive, and the innumerable tribes of unbelievers, who follow in their train."

(7.) Nor is warrant of Scripture wanting for that which must otherwise seem most inadmissible in this interpretation; the appeal namely to the Greek Bible, as having something like divine authority. And this again is a topic which meets us throughout the remains both of the Greek and Latin Fathers. The Septuagint, and Latin versions clearly made from it, are everywhere unscrupulously quoted as the words of inspiration; with the single exception, perhaps, of St. Jerome. Some of the Fathers' opponents would insinuate, that this rests altogether on the tradition reported by Aristeas, of a miraculous consent among the original translators, even in the minutest point. But this is refuted by the language of St. Augustin, who speaks doubtfully of that tradition, but without any doubt of this particular version being so overruled by a prophetic Spirit, that

1 See Isa. lvi. 7; Jer. vii. 11.

3 In loc. S. Barn.

2 Strom. vi. 11.

4 De Doct. Christ. ii. 22.

§ ii. 7.

§ ii. 7.

20

The Greek Bible recognised by St. Paul.

even in those places where it swerved from the Hebrew Verity, there was a special providential design in such variation'.

Now, can it be denied, that this idea receives countenance from the mode in which the Old Testament is quoted in the New? In the Epistle to the Hebrews, for example, St. Paul argues at large the necessity of the Mediator's death, from the use of the word dia0kn, "Testament," in the LXX. to represent that Hebrew διαθήκη, word which is commonly translated Covenant. "For this cause,"

does not

says he, "it is a New Testament, of which CHRIST is said to be
Mediator, that by means of death the called might receive the
promise; for where a Testament is pleaded, the death of the
testator must necessarily be alleged. For a Testament is valid
in the case of the dead, since it never avails, as long as the tes-
tator is alive"." And he goes on to show how the word was
applicable to the Mosaic covenant also, i. e. by the typical death
of the sacrifices. Who does not see that this reasoning is grounded
entirely on the Greek version? since the Hebrew
in any way answer to the notion of a last will. St. Paul's reason-
ing implies therefore thus much at least concerning the LXX.;
that in their rendering of this very critical word, they were provi-
dentially directed to the use of a term, which should convey an
allusion to a great Christian mystery. And so far the Apostle
warrants the judgment of St. Augustin: "Whoever besides
shall truly translate any portion of the Old Testament from
Hebrew into another language:" (St. Jerome, of course, was
in his mind :) "his version will be found either to agree
with that of the LXX., or if it appears not to agree, in
that very disagreement we must believe that there exists some
deep prophetic meaning." Nay, even St. Jerome, when he is
impugning their authority, seems to own that there might
exist in them a modified and inferior kind of inspiration. "I
do not condemn, I do not blame the LXX., but I confidently
prefer the Apostles to them all. CHRIST speaks to me by the lips
of those, concerning whom I read, that they stand even before
2 Heb. ix. 15-20. 3 S. Aug. ubi sup.
10. Ed. Vallars. Venet. 1770.

De Civ. Dei, xviii. 43.
Prolog. in Gen. t. ix. p.

5 1 Cor. xii. 28.