“…There are some who trouble you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:7). *** I recently chatted with Saman, an Iranian parishioner in Hamburg who will begin pastoral formation at Riga Luther Academy this September. He commented on how in Iran, Muslim theologians claim that there are many contradictions in Christianity, with some Christians saying that it was Jesus who was beaten shortly before His crucifixion, while others claim Judas was whipped. Similarly, some say Jesus was crucified, while others postulate that Judas was slain on the cross—so the assertion of the Iranian mullahs. I pointed out that the Bible unequivocally states that only Jesus experienced these tribulations (Mt 27, Mk 15, Lk 23, Jn 19). Shedding light on this matter, Saman explained that, while in Iran conversion to Christianity is punished with prison or even death, there is one particular “Bible” that, surprisingly, is allowed. However, this is not Holy Scripture but rather a non-canonical and pseudepigraphical text known as the “Gospel of Barnabas”—a document attributed to Paul’s travel companion Barnabas (see Book of Acts), but which is a forgery, written hundreds of years after Barnabas’ first-century travels. Orthodox Christianity has always dismissed this fake document. Yet the “Gospel of Barnabas” conveniently fits with Islamic teaching, which denies Jesus’ crucifixion and contains countless other errors that contradict biblical teaching. No wonder the Iranian government is quite happy to permit the circulation of this fraudulent document, which can easily confuse people who might be interested in Christianity. Praise God that you live in a free country and have access to the true canonical books of the Bible, faithfully translated, through which our Lord speaks to you clearly and without contradiction, declaring that even though you are a sinner, *He* died for you, rose again, and, if you believe and are baptized (Mk 16:16), grants you eternal life.
The Tiews in Germany 