The Gospel of Barnabas - chapter 144

Sacred-Texts Islam
  

144.

'As God liveth, in whose presence my soul standeth, God sendeth his prophets and servants into the world in order that sinners may repent; and he sendeth not for the sake of the righteous, because they have no need of repentance, even as he that is clean hath no need of the bath. But verily I say unto you, if ye were true Pharisees ye would be glad that I should have gone in to sinners for their salvation.

'Tell me, know ye your origin, and wherefore the world began to receive Pharisees? Surely I will tell you, seeing that ye know it not. Wherefore hearken to my words.

'Enoch, a friend of God, who walked with God in truth, making no account of the world, was translated into paradise; and there he abideth until the judgment (for when the end of the world draweth nigh he shall return to the world with Elijah and one other). And so men, having knowledge of this, through desire of paradise, began to seek God their creator. For "Pharisee" strictly meaneth "seeketh God" in the language of Canaan, for there did this name begin by way of deriding good men, seeing that the Canaanites were given up to idolatry, which is the worship of human hands.

'Whereupon the Canaanites beholding those of our people that were separated from the world to serve God, in derision when they saw such an one, said "Pharisee!" that is, "He seeketh God"; as much as to say: "O mad fellow, thou hast no statues of idols and adorest the wind; wherefore look to thy fate and come and serve our gods."

'Verily I say unto you,' said Jesus, 'all the saints and prophets of God have been Pharisees not in name, as you are, but in very deed. For in all their acts they sought God their creator, and for love of God they forsook cities and their own goods, selling these and giving to the poor for love of God.'