# Epistle of Barnabas 12.2

- Author: Anonymous
- Work: [Epistle of Barnabas](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/barnabas/) (*Epistula Barnabae*)
- Date: ca. 70–135 (often ca. 130) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:382–384; Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 340–407 (Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/barnabas/12/2/

Summary: Moses' outstretched arms in battle were a type of the cross.

## Greek text

λέγει δὲ πάλιν τῷ Μωϋσῇ, πολεμουμένου τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἵνα ὑπομνήσῃ αὐτοὺς πολεμουμένους, ὅτι διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν παρεδόθησαν εἰς θάνατον· λέγει εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Μωϋσέως τὸ πνεῦμα, ἵνα ποιήσῃ τύπον σταυροῦ καὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος πάσχειν, ὅτι, ἐὰν μή, φησίν, ἐλπίσωσιν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα πολεμηθήσονται. τίθησιν οὖν Μωϋσῆς ἓν ἐφʼ ἓν ὅπλον ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πυγμῆς, καὶ ὑψηλότερος σταθεὶς πάντων ἐξέτεινεν τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ οὕτως πάλιν ἐνίκα ὁ Ἰσραήλ. εἶτα, ὁπόταν καθεῖλεν, ἐθανατοῦντο.

## English translation (Claude)

And again he speaks to Moses, when Israel was being attacked by foreigners, and in order to remind them, while they were being attacked, that they had been handed over to death because of their sins: the Spirit speaks to Moses' heart, that he should make a type of the cross and of the one who was to suffer, because, he says, unless they hope in him they will be warred against forever. Moses, then, piled weapon upon weapon in the midst of the battle, and standing higher than everyone he stretched out his hands, and so Israel was again winning. Then, whenever he lowered them, they were being killed.

## Scripture references

- Exod 17:8: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 17:11: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 17:12: allusion, medium confidence

## Citation (SBL)

Barn. 12.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/barnabas/12/2/).