The first mention in historical writings of the 'gospel of Barnabas' was in the 17th Century. Most scholars agree that it was written in the 14th or 15th Century, well over a 1000 years after
The food restrictions placed on the Israelites in the Old Testament in passages like Leviticus 11, were given by God in order to mark them out as His people. It was a way of making them distinctive from all the nations around them. They were to be set apart, or holy, in this way. When Jesus came, he fulfilled the law, and brought about a new way of becoming holy. We are no longer holy by keeping the law, by rather we are made holy by having faith in Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit.
The phrase comes from Acts 2:42 which says of the early church that: “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Legalism is keeping the law in order toget right with God orearn God’s favour. However, the Bible consistently teaches that we cannot get right with God (be justified) or earn God’s favour by keeping the law, so legalism is futile. As Paul says in Galatians 2:15-16 “15 ‘We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
A key passage on this topic is in Romans, Chapters 3-5. It is part of a long argument, in which the Apostle Paul is discussing the doctrine of Justification - how people can be made right with God. We can’t look at the whole passage in this answer, but we suggest you read it through for yourself. The heart of the answer to this question is found in Romans 4:9-11: “... We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
