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Ebionites / Ebionim |
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The sect gets its name from (A) a founder by the name of Ebion, or (B) from the Hebrew word ebyon, which means “poor.” We do not really know for sure how (exactly) they got their name; anybody’s guess is as good as mine. What is interesting about this sect is how this ‘religion’ built a bridge between the Torah of Moshe (Pentateuch) and the Anointed Yahshua (& the Brit Chadasha). Unlike Marcion, who decided that the Old (Torah) had nothing to do with the New, the Ebionites believed that the Old Testament ordinances were to be followed strictly. Proper observance of the Sabbath was essential. As for the ordinances regarding animal sacrifice, just forget them (they said).[1] Yahshua bar Yosef was the true chagigah[2] (he really was, as the Epistle to the Hebrews put it: “once and for all”). But there was fine print also: Bar Yosef was not divine. The Ebionites did not see him as Elohe (or some other god; as did the Gnostics). They maintained ‘adoptionistic’ views of Jesus. That is, Yahshua was ‘adopted’ by Yahweh to be the “once for all” sacrifice. Yahshua was very human, not virgin-born. They saw his birth as too mundane to celebrate. Because Yahshua was not the complete Yahweh, he was required to keep the ordinances of Torah. The God of Old was / is / will be Echad. Since Paul preached a totally different gospel (maintaining that some Jewish ordinances were rendered useless by the chagigah of Yahshua), the Ebionites saw Paul as an archenemy.[3] Ebionism is entirely Jewish in doctrine and practice; it is safe to say that the Ebionites were (practicing) Jews. A form of ‘Ebionitism’ may have been already around at the time of Paul. Paul, according to his own letters, constantly fights “those of the circumcision” (that is, very Jewish Messianistic[4]). 21st century Christians consider such teaching (against Paul) as very anti-Christian. It is interesting to note the fact that such (Judeo-) ‘Christians’ did exist from the first, and were undoubtedly the majority sect. Most interesting are the Ebionite scriptures, which appear to have had some form of the Gospel of Matthew. This text was so different (than the canonical in an advanced form) that it is still called the Gospel of the Ebionites.[5] Nazarenes (or Nazoreans) Roughly in the year 66 A.D., the Christians living in Jerusalem had a revelation given to them from the Malach of Yahweh. They were told to flee to the Decapolis city, Pella.[6] The Christians listened to the prophecy and made their way to Pella. Pella was a Greek city that was semi-sacked by the Jews in 66 A.D. Since the Greeks may have not liked having Christian Jews settling amongst them (they had recently been sacked by innovators / Jewish zealots), the Jerusalem Assembly of Yahweh must have settled near Pella and the surrounding area. (The region was full of caves.)[7] According to tradition, we know that James the Just was the leader of the Jerusalem Ebionite community. During the reign of Caesar Claudius, James was executed by the sword. In about 44 A.D.[8] Shimeon Clopas was chosen as the successor of James, being Yahshua’s brother or cousin. Under the leadership of Shimeon Clopas, the Jerusalem Ebionim would have continued to practice the ‘Jerusalem form’ of Messianism: the Jewish, Torah-abiding Messianism. These Jerusalem Messians were referred to as the Nazarenes quite early. They were followers of Yahshua haNozrim; hence, they were known a Nazarenes. Even Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles [sic], was called a “Nazarene” (Acts 24:5). As we know from trustworthy tradition, James the Just was so-called because he was a “law-abiding” Davidid. He prayed in the Temple until his knees formed calluses. He was known throughout all of Israel as a True Prophet who lived according to the Torah while venerating Yahshua as the Ben Elohim: the Messiah. They would not impose the Torah of Moshe on Gentiles – at least not until they had learned it through Sabbath synagogue yeshiva – but expected Jews, who had grown up in yeshiva – to observe it perfectly.[9] As peaceful as they were, the Nazarenes were cursed three times a day by the Pharisees and other populist Jews of their day (those who rejected Yahshua as Messiah and his followers).[10] In ancient times, and certainly with scholars today, this ‘sect’ of Nazarenes was confused with the heretical sect of the Ebionites. The Ebionites, as we now know, split from the Nazarenes on Christological grounds.[11] The Nazarenes were in most ways orthodox. These were the people that Paul ‘spared’ in Romans 14. They accepted the Pauline writings, as even Jerome tells us.[12] They accepted the Torah, observed the Sabbath and practiced circumcision. We know that the Nazarenes either had a Gospel of the Hebrews or a gospel written in Hebrew (the ancient sources leave us quite confused). Outsiders called this the Evangel of Matthew (with variants) and others called it the Evangel of the Nazarenes. And even some, mistakenly, called it the Evangel of the Ebionites.[13] These early Messians, as far as we can tell, were orthodox in every way; their only difference was their abiding by the Torah of Moses. They were, quite wrongly, labeled ‘heretics’ by Epiphanius in the 4th century. Ever since then have they retained the label ‘heretic’ among Christian apologists and heresy-hunters. Furthermore, In an ancient work written by Filaster, the Bishop of Brescia (c. 385), Diversarum Haereseon Liber, a work attacking 156 heresies, the Bishop quite rightfully fails to even mention the Nazarenes in his thorough list of heresies. It appears that the Nazarenes were confused with the Ebionites and were labeled off as ‘heretics.’ What is of greatest importance to us is to see the diversity and the unity of Jewish-Christianity; here were Torah-abiding, serving together with Paul. It would be proper to mention the fact that Acts chapters 15 and 21 clearly defend Jewish Christians. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Our group continues to teach and practice the Nazorean (Nazarene) Faith. In our years of meeting together and studying “Christian origins,” we are continually amazed at the ignorance of scholars, church leaders, teachers and Christians regarding the faith and writings of the Nazoreans. One concession to the ignorant is that much of the literature of the sect has been hidden away in obscure volumes, destroyed or condemned by paganized Christian fundamentalists, and labeled as legalism, Judaizing, and sectarianism. –jhs)
[1] The place of sacrifice was polluted with a non-Davidic, anti-Zadokite priesthood, therefore sacrifice could not be efficatious. (jhs, ed.) [2] Chagigah = Pesach offering. (jhs, ed.) [3] It would be much of a leap to say that the pseudo-Clementine Homilies was, in fact, composed by this group (or a similar one). Because the Homilies present Peter as literally fighting a preacher that rejects the Old Covenant ordinances, some scholars see the Homilies as a composition written to counter the teachings of Paul through a cipher (and often quite plainly). The Homilies exalt the Ordinances of Moses, constantly. Paul, with his anti-law-but-for-grace views, would have found the Ebionim to be very unfriendly. Nevertheless, this theory, promoted by the Tubingen school, has plenty of flaws and, at the end of the day, does not hold much water (Simon Magus was traditionally thought to be the propagator of Gnosticism and his views were similar to Paul’s. In fact, most everything in the Homilies need not be seen as Pauline, but strictly Simonian.) [4] Those “very Jewish Christians, if they can be called such, included Yahshua’s family, and was headquartered at David’s Tomb in Jerusalem. (jhs, ed.) [5] May we consider sections of the Ur-Matthew as woven into the canonical account; I’m thinking of “the Sermon on the Mount” and other simple sayings, proverbs and instructions, not unlike the statutes of the Didaché. The remnant of the Ebionite Gospel may be read at our Secrets Sayings site. (jhs, ed.) [6] Eusebius, Eccl. hist 5.3; Epiphanius, Pan. 29.7; 30.2 [7] So per Mark 5:1-4; tombs = caves. (jhs, ed.) [8] Other reputable reports date James’ martyrdom and Shimeon’s succession to 62. (jhs, ed.) [9] James per Acts 15:21 and James 1:25;2:8-10. (jhs, ed.) [10] Ray A. Pritz, Nazarene Jewish Christianity (Hebrew University, Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1992), 42-43. [11] Ibid., 108. [12] In Is. 9.1 [13] Indeed, even in Secret Sayings, we must collect the logia of Yahshua in these Evangels in a catch-all category, as you may see at the link. (jhs, ed.)
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