By IANS,
Ankara : A handwritten Bible, believed to be 1,500 years old, is stored at a museum here. The 52-page Bible is written in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke.
The holy book, kept at the Ethnography Museum, includes a drawing of the Last Supper that shows Jesus dining with his 12 Apostles.
The crucifixion of Jesus, a cave and a large rock, thought to be his grave, were also depicted in the Bible, Xinhua Friday quoted the Turkish daily Today’s Zaman as saying.
The book was discovered by a policeman during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000. For years it was kept at a courthouse, and only recently it was handed over to the museum.
Zulkuf Yilmaz, head of the general directorate of museums and cultural assets, said the book could be the Gospel of Barnabas. “I hope that is the case.”
The Gospel of Barnabas contradicts the canonical New Testament account of Jesus and his ministry but has strong parallels with the Islamic view of Jesus.
Much of its content and themes are in line with Islamic ideas, and it includes a prediction by Jesus of the Prophet Muhammad coming to earth.
The Bible will be sent abroad for carbon dating to determine its actual age, and will be put on public display after restoration, Yilmaz added.