The Gospel of Barnabas

77.

'Verily I say unto you, that on the day of judgment many shall say to God: "Lord, we have preached and taught by thy law." Against them even the stones shall cry out, saying: "When ye preached to others, with your own tongue ye condemned yourselves, O workers of iniquity."

'As God liveth,' said Jesus, 'he who knoweth the truth and worketh the contrary shall be punished with such grievous penalty that Satan shall almost have compassion on him. Tell me, now, hath our God given us the law for knowing or for working? Verily I say unto you, that all knowledge hath for end that wisdom which worketh all it knoweth.

'Tell me, if one were sitting at table and with his eyes beheld delicate meats, but with his hands should choose unclean things and eat those, would not he be mad?'

'Yea, assuredly,' said the disciples.

Then said Jesus: 'O mad beyond all madmen art thou, O man, that with thine understanding knowest heaven, and with thine hands choosest earth; with thine understanding knowest God, and with thine affection desirest the world; with thine understanding knowest the delights of paradise, and with thy works choosest the miseries of hell. Brave soldier, that leaveth the sword and carrieth the scabbard to fight! Now, know ye not that he who walketh by night desireth light, not only to see the light, but rather to see the good road, in order that he may pass safely to the inn? O miserable world, to be a thousand times despised and abhorred! Since our God by his holy prophets hath ever willed to grant it to know the way to go to his country and his rest: but thou, wicked one, not only willest not to go, but, which is worse, hast despised the light! True is the proverb of the camel, that it liketh not clear water to drink, because it desireth not to see its own ugly face. So doth the ungodly who worketh ill; for he hateth the light lest his evil works should be known. But he who receiveth wisdom, and not only worketh not well, but, which is worse, employeth it for evil, is like to him who should use the gifts as instruments to slay the giver.'