How did the Letter of Barnabas interpret the Old Testament?

The Letter of Barnabas functions as a treatise on the Christian use of the Old Testament, characterized by a strongly anti-Jewish perspective. The author argues that the Old Testament cannot be fully understood by Jews, asserting that its true significance is accessible only to those who search for types, or prefigurations, of Jesus.12

To extract a Christian meaning from the text, the author rejects Jewish literalism in favor of allegorism, or the use of symbolism. This interpretive approach was part of an early Christian effort to demonstrate that Christians, rather than Jews, represent the true succession of the original people of God. By applying this allegorical method, the author sought to reinterpret the Hebrew Bible to align with Christian doctrine, a practice that highlights the acute tension between early Christianity and Judaism during that period.34