Christians
and Jews: Hebrews, Barnabas, and Later Anti-Jewish Literature
Chapter
Summary:
When
scholars refer to the “catholic” epistles (Hebrews, James, 1 and
2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude), they use the term “catholic”
to mean “general” or “universal.” The catholic epistles were not
written to specific communities with specific problems. Rather,
they address universal issues in Christianity.
Early
Christian Self-Definition
All
social groups establish criteria by which individuals are measured
as a means of defining group boundaries. Christianity eventually
sought an identity independent of Jews who did not believe Jesus
was the Messiah. The development of this identity is apparent in
some early Christian writings.
Continuity
and Superiority: The Epistle to the Hebrews
Although
Hebrews is often called a letter, it does not contain an epistolary
prescript, it does not name the author or the addressees, and it
does not include an opening prayer or thanksgiving. It is more likely
an early Christian homily. The book is anonymous, although it has
traditionally been attributed to Paul. The emphases in the book,
however, are not Pauline.
The
Epistle to the Hebrews asserts the superiority of Christ to the
prophets, the angels, Moses, Joshua, and the Jewish priesthood.
Christ brings a superior covenant, a superior tabernacle, and makes
a superior sacrifice. Like many other authors whose task is Christian
self-definition, this author uses the Hebrew Scriptures to illustrate
the authenticity of his claims. For example, several Old Testament
prophets mention a new covenant that God will make with the Jews.
Drawing on Platonic thought, this author argues that the old covenant
was a foreshadowing of the new, an imperfect reflection of a perfect
reality.
Scholars
do not know when or where this book was written. It is clear, though,
that the author was concerned to define group boundaries. He argued
that Christianity represented the perfection of Judaism. Christianity
was the religion foretold by the prophets. Those who did not believe
that Jesus was the Messiah, moreover, were not the true people of
God.
Discontinuity
and Supremacy: The Epistle of Barnabas
Rather
than seeing Judaism as the foreshadowing of Christianity, Barnabas
portrayed Judaism as a false religion. According to this author,
the Jews broke their covenant as soon as soon as they received it.
Whereas the author of Hebrews claimed that the Old Testament contained
prophecies of the new covenant and its perfection of Judaism, Barnabas
claimed that the Old Testament was not a Jewish book but a Christian
one.
The
Epistle of Barnabas received its name from early Christians
who suggested that it was written by Paul’s companion, Barnabas.
Modern scholars, though, believe that the book was written long
after Barnabas’s death, perhaps around 130 C.E. The book was included
in the New Testament in parts of Egypt through the fourth century.
Barnabas
accused the Jews of misunderstanding the Old Testament: they relied
on a literal reading of the text, but its meaning was apparent only
through allegory. Barnabas, however, did not completely do away
with literal interpretations: the story of Moses breaking the tablets
of the law was, according to Barnabas, a true account that reflected
the broken covenant between the Jews and God.
Barnabas
defined Christianity by rejecting the authenticity of all Jewish
claims. Christianity did not stand in relationship to Judaism. The
Old Testament, furthermore, belonged solely to Christians; the Jews
had no right to claim it.
Conclusion:
The Rise of Christian Anti-Judaism
The
authors of Hebrews and Barnabas, as well as those of other early
Christian anti-Jewish books, sought to justify their beliefs in
the face of the much larger and more recognized religion of Judaism.
While Christian tradition began by defining itself as the inheritor
of God’s promises, by the second century, some Christians began
to claim that Judaism was a false and misguided religion. Christians
rejected a connection with Judaism but continued to affirm their
relationship to the promises in the Old Testament. For these Christian
authors, the anti-Jewish rhetoric was an attempt to distinguish
Christianity from Judaism.
