JC wasn't crucified, says 1500-year-old bible

[Confused Ape]

In the ensuing two years it would seem that no one has actually done a C14 test - or released the results if they have. The language has also morphed from Aramaic to Syriac all of which makes things highly suspicious.

Syriac Language

Syriac (ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Leššānā Suryāyā) is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent and Eastern Arabia.[2][3][4] Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries,[5]

Gospel Of Barnabas - Possible Syriac Manuscripts

In February 2012, it was confirmed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism that a 52-page biblical manuscript in Syriac had been deposited in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.[60] Newspaper reports in Turkey claimed that the manuscript had been found in Cyprus in 2000, in an operation conducted by police against smugglers, and had been kept in a police repository since then;[61] and further speculated that the text of the manuscript could be that of the Gospel of Barnabas. No subsequent confirmation has been made, either as to the contents of the Ankara manuscript, or as to any findings of scientific tests for its age and authenticity.[60]

As the church has shown with the shroud of Turin gullible fools will line up to see a "mystery" but a "fake?" Not so much. Better to retain the air of "mystery." "Believed to be 1,500 years old" will get the turnstiles clicking in the museum!

There mightn't have been any attempt on the Ethnography Museum's part to create an air of mystery.

In March 2012 Dr Assad Sauma, an expert in medieval Syriac texts, reported that the manuscript deposited in the Ethonography Museum could be identified with one for which he had formerly undertaken a partial analysis. He stated that the portions of text that he had examined had consisted of random gospel verses and quotations; and also that he had been unable to find any correspondence between them and the text of the Gospel of Barnabas. (in Arabic)

I did a bit more digging and found a clue in this article - Seized from smugglers, the leather-bound 'gospel' which Iran claims will bring down Christianity and shake world politics

The Basij Press claims the text was written in the 5th or 6th century and it predicted the coming of the Prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam. It says the Christian world denies the existence of such a gospel.

The Basij report suggests that the discovery is so immense that it will shake world politics. 'The discovery of the original Barnabas Bible will now undermine the Christian Church and its authority and will revolutionize the religion in the world,” it states. 'The most significant fact, though, is that this Bible has predicted the coming of Prophet Mohammad and in itself has verified the religion of Islam.'

Although Turkish authorities believe the text to be genuine, other observers have questioned its authenticity. Erick Stakelbeck, a terrorism analyst and a close observer of Iranian affairs, told WND.com: 'The Iranian regime is committed to stamping out Christianity by any means necessary. 'Whether that means executing Christian converts, burning Bibles or raiding underground churches.'

Christians have rejected the Gospel of Barnabas as a medieval forgery. I went looking for an Islamic viewpoint and found this on an Islamic website.

What Is The Islamic View on the Gospel of Barnabas?

The vast majority of Muslim academics and scholars of comparative religion have deemed the so-called Gospel of Barnabas as pseudepigraphical, meaning that it is a forgery, probably a pious fraud, that was written for polemical reasons and dubiously attributed to the apostle Barnabas, the traveling companion of Paul according to the Book of Acts in the New Testament.

The article goes on to say something about textual criticism and inaccuracies before finishing with -

Many Muslim scholars erroneously conflate the Gospel of Barnabas with the Epistle of Barnabas; the latter is found in the oldest complete Greek manuscript of the New Testament on earth called the Codex Sinaiticus (circa 375 CE). The Epistle of Barnabas is completely different than the so-called Gospel of Barnabas of the sixteen century CE Italian manuscript. Therefore, serious academic inquiry into the gospel reveals that Muslims should approach it with extreme caution as it certainly appears to be of very dubious origins.

It seems, then, that the Muslims who believe the Gospel is authentic are of the fundamentalist persuasion. Most of them are too busy creating havoc to visit Turkey just to look at an old book.