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28 Separation and Polemic Jewish "works of evil," and with the "richer and deeper offering" of the Christian standing in contrast to superficial Jewish cultic practice. Christian exegesis interprets scripture as God intended, and this cor­ rect interpretation should lead directly to correct action. The negative inference is also to be drawn: errant Jewish exegesis leads to errant practice. The relationship between exegetical gifts and right action is plainly in evidence when Barnabas formally addresses the first issue on his agenda, the sacrificial cult. Christians are urged to "seek out" (in the LXX and Aquila ekzetein = drs30 ), that is "seek out scripturally," "the ordinances of the Lord" (2:1)which have been hidden from the Jews but revealed to the Christians:"For he has made plain to us through all the Prophets that he needs neither sacrifices nor burnt­offerings nor oblations" (2:4). To conclude the argument Barnabas writes: "We ought to understand, if we are not foolish, the loving intention of our Father, for he speaks to us wishing that we should not err like them (homoios), but seek (zetein31 ) how we should make our offering to him" (2:9). It is God's intention that scripture be properly understood by Christians; therefore it isessential that they themselves interpret it soas to avoid the mistaken conclusions of Jewish exegesis. The same view is repeated in the next line: "Weought, therefore brethren, carefully to enquire concerning our salvation, in order that the evilone (hoponeros) may not achieve a deceitful entry into us and hurl us away from our life" (2:10). The "evil one" is likely a reference to the "evil angel" (angelosponeros) who, it is claimed elsewhere in the epistle (9:4),misled the Jews into their literal practice of circumcision. The "deceitful entry" of the "evilone" against which Christiansmust guard themselves by "careful enquiry" might also be a veiled allusion to the error of Jewish exegesis. The second issue Barnabas addresses is Jewish fasting.The argu­ ment concludes in much the same way as the earlier argument against the sacrificial cult: "The long­suffering one . . . made all things plain to us beforehand that we should not be shipwrecked by conversion to their law" (3:6). Once again the special gift of Christian exegesis is offered as an antidote to exegetically derived Jewish practice. Asin the previous argument the warning against Jewish errors isfollowed by an exhortation to utilize Christian interpretive gifts: "Weought, then, to enquire earnestly into the things which now are, and seek out (ekzetein) those which are able to save us" (4:1). This exhortation isimmediately followed by a further warning against drifting into Jewish practices which may result from associating with Jews: "Let us then utterly flee 30 See H. Greeven, ekzeteo, TDNT 2:894­95. 31 LXX and Aquila also render drs by zeteb, a term which for Barnabas also seems to carry the identical force of ekzeteo. See H. Greeven, zeteo, TDNT 2:892­93. ) Temple and Bet Ha­midrash in the Epistle of Barnabas 29 from the works of lawlessness, lest the works of lawlessness overcome us ... .(2) Let us give no freedom to our souls to have power to walk with sinners and wicked men, lest we be made like them (homoiotho­ menY' (4:1­2). Similar views are advanced when Barnabas allegorizesJewish diet­ ary laws in chapter 10:"Moses received the three doctrines concerning food and thus spoke them in the spirit; but they received them asreally referring to food owing to the lust of their flesh .... (11) See how well Moses legislated. (12)But how wasit possible for them to understand or comprehend these things? But we having righteous understanding of them announce the commandments as the Lord wished" (10:9­12). Again Christian—and not Jewish—exegesis is the prerequisite for right action. As already mentioned, Barnabas believes that Christians have been vouchsafed a unique gift to interpret scripture as a covenantal sign. So when in chapter 9 he comes to interpret the Jewishcovenantal sign of circumcision he can easily collapse the twocompeting signs into one—the "true" circumcisionof the believer isnothing other than the true understanding of revelation. God had repeatedly asked the Jews to hear his word but without success.Christians on the other hand can hear his voice clearly because their ears have been circumcised. The covenantal sign of Christian exegesis is the true circumcision: "The circumcision in which they trusted has been abolished. For he declared that circumcision was not of the flesh...

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