A Bible written over 1,500 years ago was discovered in Turkey. The book causes concern in the Vatican, because it contains the Gospel of Barnabas, who was one of Christ's disciples and traveled with the Apostle Paul.
The ancient manuscript was “rediscovered” in the vault of the Ankara Chamber of Justice. Now it will be transferred to the Ethnographic Museum of Ankara. The thin leather pages of the manuscript bear inscriptions in gold letters in Assyrian, which is a dialect of Aramaic.
This Old Testament list was held by the Turkish authorities after the relic was confiscated from smugglers in 2000 during an operation on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The gang was charged with smuggling antiques, conducting illegal excavations and storing explosives. During the hearing, it became known that the book is 1500-2000 years old.
The Turkish authorities recognized the found Bible as a cultural property, giving it the status of a museum value, and now, after twelve years of waiting, the find was handed over to the Ethnographic Museum in Ankara under police protection. Experts disagree about the origin of the manuscript and its authenticity. There are other aspects that concern specialists: whether the find has copies, and whether they were exported outside Turkey.
The religious authorities in Tehran insist that it follows from the text that Jesus was not crucified, was not the Son of God, but he was a prophet, and Paul, an "impostor." The book also says that Jesus ascended to heaven alive without being crucified and Judas Iscariot was crucified in his place. The text also predicts the coming of the last Islamic messiah - something that has not yet happened.
The Vatican expressed concern about the find, and asked the Turkish authorities with Catholic experts to evaluate the contents of the book. It is believed that the Catholic Church at the Council of Nicaea censored the Gospels that are part of the Bible, removing some, possibly including the Gospel of Barnabas. A copy of the ancient manuscript is estimated at 40 million Turkish lira ($ 28 million).