The Epistle of Barnabas

To this end, the Lord endured to offer His flesh to corruption, so that we might be sanctified through the forgiveness of sins, achieved by His blood of sprinkling. It is written about Him, partly regarding Israel and partly about us, and the Scripture says: “He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities: with His stripes we are healed. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a silent lamb before its shearer.” Therefore, we ought to be deeply grateful to the Lord, because He has revealed past events to us, given us wisdom concerning the present, and not left us without understanding about what is to come.

The Scripture says, “Not unjustly are nets spread out for birds.” This means that a person perishes justly if, knowing the way of righteousness, they rush into the way of darkness.

Furthermore, my brethren: if the Lord endured suffering for our souls, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the creation of the world, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” understand why He endured suffering at the hands of men. The prophets, having received grace from Him, prophesied about Him.

And He (since it was necessary for Him to appear in flesh) endured what He did to abolish death and reveal the resurrection from the dead, to fulfill the promise made to the fathers, and by preparing a new people for Himself, to show, while He dwelt on earth, that He, when He has raised mankind, will also judge them.

Moreover, in teaching Israel and performing great miracles and signs, He preached the truth to them and greatly loved them.

But when He chose His apostles to preach His Gospel, He chose them from among those who were sinners above all sinners to show He came “not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Then He revealed Himself to be the Son of God. For if He had not come in the flesh, how could men have been saved by seeing Him? Considering that looking upon the sun, which will cease to exist and is the work of His hands, their eyes are unable to bear its rays.

Therefore, the Son of God came in the flesh for this reason: to bring together the sins of those who had persecuted His prophets to death. For this purpose, then, He endured. For God says, “The stroke of his flesh is from them;” and “when I strike the Shepherd, then the flock's sheep shall be scattered.” He chose to suffer this way, for it was necessary that He suffer on the tree. For the one who prophesies about Him says, “Spare my soul from the sword, fasten my flesh with nails; for the assemblies of the wicked have risen against me.” And again, he says, “Behold, I have given my back to lashes, and my cheeks to blows, and I have set my face firm as a rock.”