The Medieval Gospel of Barnabas
THE FIFTEEN DAYS OF SIGNSIn chapter 53. of the Gospel of Barnabas we find a description of the apocalytpic Last Days. Jesus describes the various signs of Judgement to his disciples, ennumerating fifteen days of signs. This passage bears a strong resemblance to a section of the thirteenth century Christian 'Lives of Saints' known as the 'Golden Legend' which also counts fifteen days of signs.
Here is the passage from Vol. 1 of the Golden Legend:
As touching the signs, S. Luke saith in the twenty-fifth chapter: Erunt signa in sole, luna et stellis, etc. There shall be great signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and in the earth oppression of people anguishous for the confusion of the sound of the sea and of the waves. The three first signs be determined in the Book of the Apocalypse in the sixth chapter. Sol factus est niger tanquam saccus cilicinus: et luna facta est sicut sanguis, et stellæ ceciderunt super terraim. Then shall be the time that the sun shall be black as a sack, gross and rude, and the moon shall be as blood, and the stars shall fall on the earth. The sun is said dark, forasmuch as he is deprived of his light, as though he wept for the dying of men. For S. Austin saith that, the vengeance of God shall be so cruel at the day of doom, that the sun shall not dare behold it. Or as for to speak of the proper signification spiritually to be understood, is that, the Son of Justice, Jesu Christ, shall be then so dark that no man shall dare know him. The heaven is here taken for the air, and the star judge in great fear. The sixth sign, the edifices and buildings shall fall down: and in this sixth day thunders and tempests full of fire shall grow in the west, where the sun goeth down against the firmament, in running to the east. The seventh sign, the stones shall smite and hurtle together and shall cleave in four parts, and each part shall smite other, ne none. The eighth sign shall be the moving and general trembling of the earth, which shall be so. The ninth sign, all the earth shall be even and plain, and all the mountains and valleys shall be brought into powder and be all like. The tenth day, the men shall issue out of the caves and shall go by the ways and fields as men aliened and out of their wit, and shall not con speak one to another. The eleventh day the bones of dead men shall issue out of their burials and places and shall hold them upon their sepulchres, and from the sun rising unto it go down, the sepulchres shall be open, to the end that the dead bodies may all issue. The twelfth sign all the stars shall fall from the heaven and shall spread out rays of fire, and then great quantity shall grow. In this twelfth day it is said that all the beasts shall come to the field howling, and shall not eat ne drink. The thirteenth sign, all living shall die, to the end that they should arise with the dead bodies. The fourteenth day the heaven and the earth shall burn. The fifteenth day shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and all things and all dead men shall arise.
Here is the passage from the Gospel of Barnabas:
53. After this, as that day draws near, for fifteen days, shall come every day a horrible sign over the inhabitants of the earth.
The first day the sun shall run its course in heaven without light, but black as the dye of cloth; and it shall give groans, as a father who groans for a son near to death.
The second day the moon shall be turned into blood, and blood shall come upon the earth like dew.
The third day the stars shall be seen to fight among themselves like an army of enemies.
The fourth day the stones and rocks shall dash against each other as cruel enemies.
The fifth day every plant and herb shall weep blood.
The sixth day the sea shall rise without leaving its place to the height of one hundred and fifty cubits, and shall stand all day like a wall.
The seventh day it shall on the contrary sink so low as scarcely to be seen.
The eighth day the birds and the animals of the earth and of the water shall gather themselves close together, and shall give forth roars and cries.
The ninth day there shall be a hailstorm so horrible that it shall kill [such] that scarcely the tenth part of the living shall escape.
The tenth day shall come such horrible lightning and thunder [such] that the third part of the mountains shall be split and scorched.
The eleventh day every river shall run backwards, and shall run blood and not water.
The twelfth day every created thing shall groan and cry.
The thirteenth day the heaven shall be rolled up like a book, and it shall rain fire, so that every living thing shall die.
The fourteenth day there shall be an earthquake so horrible that the tops of the mountains shall fly through the air like birds, and all the earth shall become a plain.
The fifteenth day the holy angels shall die, and God alone shall remain alive; to whom be honour and glory."
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." At these words the disciples fell down as dead, whereupon Jesus lifted them up, saying: 'Let us fear God now, if we would not be affrighted in that day.'
The parallels between the two passages are obvious. The Barnabas author has made a number of changes, but it is nevertheless clear that this section of his text is based either directly or indirectly upon the Golden Legend (or the same source). The interesting variation is the Fourteenth Day "the tops of the mountains" etc. which appears to be Koranic. See Surah Ta Ha 20:105+. The Koran has: "My Lord will uproot [the mountains] and scatter them as dust. He will leave them as plains smooth and level."
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