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F.P. Cotterell, “The Gospel of Barnabas,” Vox Evangelica 10 (1977): 43-47.
time. The Basilidians, in the very beginning of Christianity, denied that Christ himself
suffered but that Simon the Cyrenean was crucified in his place. The Cerinthians before
them, and the Carpocratians next (to name no more of those who affirmed Jesus to have
been a mere man), did believe the same thing; that it was not himself, but one of his
followers very like him that was crucified.’9
It is generally accepted that Muhammad’s knowledge of Christianity came at second hand and
from heretical sects such as the Collyridians. The idea of a substitute crucifixion could
certainly have stemmed from some such heretical sect.
V. THE GOSPEL OF BARNABAS IN MUSLIM APOLOGETIC
In 1976, Ashram Publications of Karachi published a first edition of ten thousand copies of a
booklet, The gospel vs the gospels10 and some of these have found their way to Britain. The
tract once more presents the Gospel of Barnabas as the gospel, concealed by the Christian
church in favour of the (fraudulent) canonical gospels.
[p.47]
It opens with an extract from Barnabas representing the commissioning of Barnabas by Jesus
to write the gospel:
‘And Jesus turned himself to him who writeth and said, “See Barnabas that by all means
then (thou?) write my gospel concerning all that hath happened through my dwelling in
the world. And in like manner that which hath befallen Judas, in order that the faithful
may be undeceived and everyone may believe the truth.” ’
The leaflet itself is a curious compilation, depending, in its first part, on selected extracts from
St. Augustine, H. G. Wood and F. C. Burkitt (who becomes Burlsett at one point) and others
and using such sources as the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Thompson’s Chain-Reference Bible
and Black’s Bible Dictionary. Polycarp of Smyrna is Poly Corp. A quite extraordinary
attempt is made to have Solomon speak of Muhammad: Solomon is made to say:
‘His mouth is most sweet; yea he is Mohammad (mah£maddþm), altogether lovely. This is
my beloved and this is my friend, O daughter of Jerusalem.’
(Song of Solomon 5: 16)
Muhammad makes an odd third in Solomon’s love song.
. . . . .
The purpose of the booklet is to press the claims of Barnabas; Geoffrey Parrinder comments
that it was
‘...unknown even to Muslim apologetics till the sixteenth century.’11

9
 Sale, op. cit., p. 38 of the translation. 10 Begum Aisha Bawany Wakf, The Gospel vs the Gospel, Ashram Publications, Karachi, 1976. 11 G. Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an, Sheldon Press, London, 19762
, p. 111.