Dubai: The Vatican has shown keen interest in a secret Bible in which Jesus is believed to predict the coming of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to Earth, according to media reports.
Pope Benedict XVI is claimed to want to see the 1,500-year-old book, which many say is the Gospel of Barnabas, that has been hidden by the Turkish state for the last 12 years, reported the Daily Mail.
The handwritten gold-lettered tome, valued at £14 million (Dh81.57 million) and penned in Jesus' native Aramaic language, is said to contain his early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet's coming.
The report said Turkish police discovered the leather-bound text during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000.
Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said the book could be an authentic version of the Gospel, which was suppressed by the Christian Church for its strong parallels with the Islamic view of Jesus, according to the report.
According to the report, it rejects the ideas of the Holy Trinity and the Crucifixion and reveals that Jesus predicted the coming of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Protestant pastor Ehsan Ozbek said the book was unlikely to be authentic. This is because Barnabas lived in the first century and was one of the Apostles of Jesus, in contrast to this version which is said to come from the fifth or sixth century, the report said.
Theology professor Omar Farouq Harman said a scientific scan may be the only way to find out how old it is.
