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English translation and notes by John Barach
Chapter 1
Greetings and Thanks
1:1 Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.
 Rejoice, sons and daughters, in the name of the Lord who loved us, in peace.
1:2 Μεγάλων μὲν ὄντων καὶ πλουσίων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπέρ τι καὶ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερευφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τοῖς μακαρίοις καὶ ἐνδόξοις ὑμῶν πνεύμασιν·
οὕτως ἔμφυτον τῆς δωρεᾶς πνευματικῆς χάριν εἰλήφατε.
 Since the righteous ordinances of God toward you are great and rich, beyond measure and exceedingly, I greatly rejoice over your blessed and glorious spirits; so inborn is the grace of the spiritual gift that you have received.
1:3 διὸ καὶ μᾶλλον συγχαίρω ἐμαυτῷ ἐλπίζων σωθῆναι, ὅτι ἀληθῶς βλέπω ἐν ὑμῖν ἐκκεχυμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλουσίου τῆς πηγῆς κυρίου πνεῦμα ἐφ' ὑμᾶς.
οὕτω με ἐξέπληξεν ἐπὶ ὑμῶν ἡ ἐμοὶ ἐπιποθήτη ὄψις ὑμῶν.
 Therefore I rejoice the more within myself, hoping to be saved, because I truly see poured out upon you the Spirit from the rich fountain of the Lord.
So has your presence, which is so longed-for by me, astounded me regarding you.
1:4 πεπεισμένος οὖν τοῦτο καὶ συνειδὼς ἐμαυτῷ, ὅτι ἐν ὑμῖν λαλήσας πολλὰ ἐπίσταμαι, ὅτι ἐμοὶ συνώδευσεν ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης κύριος, καὶ πάντως ἀναγκάζομαι κἀγὼ εἰς τοῦτο, ἀγαπᾶν ὑμᾶς ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι μεγάλη πίστις καὶ ἀγάπη ἐγκατοικεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αὐτοῦ.
 Convinced, therefore, of this, and conscious within myself that having spoken much among you I know that the Lord has traveled with me in the way of righteousness, and by all means I am also compelled to this: to love you beyond my own soul, because great faith and love dwell in you upon the hope of His life.
1:5 λογισάμενος οὖν τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐὰν μελήσῃ μοι περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦ μέρος τι μεταδοῦναι ἀφ' οὗ ἔλαβον, ὅτι ἔσται μοι τοιούτοις πνεύμασιν ὑπηρετήσαντι εἰς μισθόν, ἐσπούδασα κατὰ μικρὸν ὑμῖν πέμπειν, ἵνα μετὰ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν τελείαν ἔχητε τὴν γνῶσιν.
 Considering this therefore, that if it should concern me to share with you a portion of what I received, it will be a reward for me having served such spirits, I made haste to send a little to you, so that along with your faith you may have perfect knowledge.
Three basic doctrines
1:6 Τρία οὖν δόγματά ἐστιν κυρίου·
ζωῆς ἐλπίς, ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος πίστεως ἡμῶν·
καὶ δικαιοσύνη, κρίσεως, ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος·
ἀγάπη εὐφροσύνης καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεως ἔργων δικαιοσύνης μαρτυρία.
 There are, then, three doctrines of the Lord: the hope of life, the beginning and the end of our faith; and righteousness, the beginning and end of judgment; love, the testimony of gladness and exultation of works of righteousness.
1:7 ἐγνώρισεν γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ δεσπότης διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ ἐνεστῶτα, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων δοὺς ἀπαρχὰς ἡμῖν γεύσεως, ὧν τὰ καθ' ἕκαστα βλέποντες ἐνεργούμενα, καθὼς ἐλάλησεν, ὀφείλομεν πλουσιώτερον καὶ ὑψηλότερον προσάγειν τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοῦ.
 For the Lord made known to us through the prophets the things of the past and the things present, and giving us the first-fruits of the tasting of things to come—seeing each of these things being brought to pass as He spoke—we ought to approach His fear more richly and loftily.
1:8 ἐγὼ δὲ οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος, ἀλλ' ὡς εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑποδείξω ὀλίγα, δι' ὧν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν εὐφρανθήσεσθε.
 And I, not as a teacher, but as one of you, will point out a few things through which you may be gladdened in the present circumstances.
Summary
In this opening section of the Epistle of Barnabas, the author greets the Christian community with warmth and deep affection.

He expresses profound joy over their spiritual maturity, characterizing their grace as an inborn gift (ἔμφυτος χάρις) and recognizing that the Holy Spirit has been abundantly poured out upon them.

The author feels compelled to love them deeply because of their steadfast faith and hope in eternal life.

Motivated by a desire to share his own spiritual insights so they might attain "perfect knowledge," he outlines the fundamental framework of Christian doctrine—faith, righteousness, and love—and emphasizes that God has revealed past, present, and future through the prophets.

Finally, he humbles himself, disclaiming the role of an authoritative teacher and presenting himself merely as a fellow believer sharing words of encouragement.
Significant Greek Expressions
ἔμφυτος ... χάριν εἰλήφατε (inborn grace you have received): Highlights the internal, transformative nature of the spiritual gift bestowed upon believers, suggesting it has become a natural part of their renewed character.

ἐκκεχυμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλουσίου τῆς πηγῆς κυρίου πνεῦμα (the Spirit poured out from the rich fountain of the Lord): Uses vivid imagery reminiscent of Pentecost (cf. Joel 2 / Acts 2), emphasizing the overflowing, abundant nature of divine grace.

ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν μου (beyond my own soul): An intense hyperbolic expression of pastoral love and attachment, indicating that the author values their spiritual welfare even more than his own life.

Τρία οὖν δόγματά ἐστιν κυρίου (There are, then, three doctrines of the Lord): Introduces a triad of foundational principles—faith (hope of life), judgment/righteousness, and love—which form the theological bedrock of the epistle’s ethical instruction (closely tied to the "Two Ways" tradition).

οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος, ἀλλ’ ὡς εἰς ἐξ ὑμῶν (not as a teacher, but as one of you): A classic rhetorical display of Christian humility (topos), lowering the authorial status to encourage a peer-to-peer reception of the teachings.
Epistle of Barnabas