Late-first-or early-second-century Christian writing; attributed to Barnabas, an associate of the apostle Paul. A prophecy within it seems to place its date between the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70 and the Roman emperor building a pagan temple on its former site in 135: "The ones who destroyed the Temple will themselves rebuild it. That's happening now: During the war, the enemy destroyed the Temple. Yet, in this present time, the enemy's servants will rebuild the Temple."

Clement of Alexandria and Origen quoted from the Epistle of Barnabas, which also appears in Codex Sinaiticus (in an appendix to the New Testament). However, it was ultimately excluded from the New Testament, probably due to (1) the recognition that, since the Jewish temple was not rebuilt "in this present time," it contained a false prophecy and (2) its persistent anti-Jewish tone. See also Barnabas; canon; Codex Sinaiticus; temple, Herod's.