Ebionites

The Ebionites (from Hebrew ; Ebionim , "the poor ones") were a sect of Judean followers of John the Baptizer and later Jesus ( Yeshua in Aramaic) which existed in Judea and Palestine during the early centuries of the Common Era . The "Pauline Christians", those who were ultimately successful in establishing a state-sanctioned church, did not consider Ebionites "real" Christians: the terms "Pauline Christians" and "Ebionites" are used in this article to distinguish these two threads in early Christianity. Several modern scholars, including Robert Graves, Joshua Podro, Hyam Maccoby , Hugh Joseph Schoenfield, Keith Akers, Benjamin Urrutia, and others, believe that the Ebionites, being led by the relatives of Jesus, probably were more faithful to the original and authentic teachings of Jesus than Paul was.

Jesus' expounding of the Law during the Sermon on the Mount may have been a central issue to Jewish Christians such as the Ebionites. Image: The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch , 1890 The Ebionites were a Jewish-Christian sect that insisted on the necessity of following Jewish religious law and rites . They regarded Jesus as the Messiah but not as divine . The Ebionites used only the Jewish Gospels , revered James the Just as the head of the Jerusalem Church and rejected Paul of Tarsus as an apostate towards the Law. Their name suggests that they placed a special value on evangelical counsels about voluntary poverty . Much of what is known about the Ebionites derives from the Church Fathers , who wrote polemics against the Ebionites, whom they deemed heretical Judaizers . Many scholars distinguish the Ebionites from other Jewish Christian groups, e.g. the Nazarenes , while others contest this. Patristic Evidence for Jewish-Christian Sects . See also Church Fathers on the Ebionites (Wikisource) Tim Hegg (2007).

( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Ebionites , or Ebionaioi ( Greek : Ἐβιωναῖοι ; derived from Hebrew אביונים ebyonim, ebionim , meaning "the poor" or "poor ones"), is a patristic term referring to a Jewish Christian movement that existed during the early centuries of the Christian Era . They regarded Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah while rejecting his divinity and insisted on the necessity of following Jewish law and rites . The Ebionites used only one of the Jewish Gospels , revered James the Just , and rejected Paul the Apostle as an apostate from the Law . Their name suggests that they placed a special value on voluntary poverty . Ebionim was one of the terms used by the sect at Qumran that sought to separate themselves from the corruption of the Temple, whom many believe were the Essenes . Since historical records by the Ebionites are scarce, fragmentary and disputed, much of what is known or conjectured about the Ebionites derives from the Church Fathers , who wrote polemics against the Ebionites, whom they deemed heretical Judaizers . Consequently, very little about the Ebionite sect or sects is known with certainty, and most, if not all, statements about them are conjectural. At least one scholar distinguishes the Ebionites from other Jewish Christian groups, e.g., the Nazarenes ; other scholars—and the Church Fathers from the first centuries after Christ, themselves—consider the Ebionites identical with the Nazarenes. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church . In Singer, Isidore; Alder, Cyrus (eds.). The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity . Patristic Evidence for Jewish-Christian Sects . Church Fathers on the Ebionites (Wikisource). From this point on it is preferable to call them the Ebionites. There was no clear demarcation or formal transition from Nazarene to Ebionite; there was no sudden change of theology or Christology.", pg 137; "While the writings of later church fathers speak of Nazarenes and Ebionites as if they were different Jewish Christian groups, they are mistaken in that assessment. The Nazarenes and the Ebionites were one and the same group, but for clarity we will refer to the pre-70 group in Jerusalem as Nazarenes, and the post-70 group in Pella and elsewhere as Ebionites.", pg 137;

Jewish Christian movement that existed during the early centuries of the Christian Era This article is about the early Christian group. Ebionites ( , Ebionaioi , derived from Hebrew ebyonim , ebionim , meaning "the poor" or "poor ones") is a patristic term referring to a Jewish Christian movement that existed during the early centuries of the Christian Era . They regarded Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah while rejecting his divinity and his virgin birth and insisted on the necessity of following Jewish law and rites . They used only one of the Jewish–Christian gospels , the Hebrew Book of Matthew starting at chapter three; revered James, the brother of Jesus (James the Just); and rejected Paul the Apostle as an apostate from the Law . Their name suggests that they placed a special value on voluntary poverty . Ebionim was one of the terms used by the sect at Qumran who sought to separate themselves from the corruption of the Temple. Many believe that the Qumran sectarians were Essenes . Since historical records by the Ebionites are scarce, fragmentary and disputed, much of what is known or conjectured about the Ebionites derives from the Church Fathers who wrote polemics against the Ebionites, who they deemed heretical Judaizers . Consequently, very little about the Ebionite sect or sects is known with certainty, and most, if not all, statements about them are conjectural. At least one scholar distinguishes the Ebionites from other Jewish Christian groups, such as the Nazarenes . Other scholars, like the Church Fathers themselves from the first centuries after Jesus, consider the Ebionites identical with the Nazarenes. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church . In Singer, Isidore; Alder, Cyrus (eds.). The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity . Patristic Evidence for Jewish-Christian Sects . Church Fathers on the Ebionites (Wikisource). From this point on it is preferable to call them the Ebionites. There was no clear demarcation or formal transition from Nazarene to Ebionite; there was no sudden change of theology or Christology.", pg. 137; "While the writings of later church fathers speak of Nazarenes and Ebionites as if they were different Jewish Christian groups, they are mistaken in that assessment. The Nazarenes and the Ebionites were one and the same group, but for clarity we will refer to the pre-70 group in Jerusalem as Nazarenes, and the post-70 group in Pella and elsewhere as Ebionites.", pg. 137;

Early Christian sect This article is about the early Jewish Christian sect. Ebionites ( Ancient Greek : Ἐβιωναῖοι , romanized : Ebiōnaîoi , derived from Hebrew אֶבְיוֹנִים , ʾEḇyōnīm , meaning 'the poor' or 'poor ones') as a term refers to a Jewish Christian sect that existed during the early centuries of the Common Era . Since historical records by the Ebionites are scarce, fragmentary and disputed, much of what is known or conjectured about them derives from the polemics of their Gentile Christian opponents, specifically the Church Fathers — Irenaeus , Origen , Eusebius , and Epiphanius of Salamis — who saw the Ebionites as distinct from other Jewish Christian sects, such as the Nazarenes . The Church Fathers generally agree on key points about the majority of Ebionites, such as their voluntary poverty and rejection of proto-orthodox Christian beliefs in Jesus' divinity , pre-existence , and virgin birth ; they argue these Ebionites believed that Jesus was a mere man , born the natural son of Joseph and Mary , who, by virtue of his righteousness in perfectly following the letter and spirit of the Law of Moses , was adopted as the son of God to be a Messiah . According to these patristic sources, the Ebionites insisted on the necessity of following both the Law of Moses and the moral teachings of Jesus to be righteous; they revered James the Just, brother of Jesus , as an exemplar of righteousness and the true successor to Jesus (rather than Peter ), while rejecting Paul as a false apostle and an apostate from the Law . However, the Church Fathers diverge on details regarding some specific Ebionite views about Jesus (the nature and mission of Christ ), their use of additional scripture to the Hebrew Bible (one, some or all of the Jewish–Christian gospels ), and their lifestyle practices ( religious vegetarianism , ritual washing , etc.). These variations reflect the evolving and schismatic nature of early Christian sects, as well as the tendency of patristic polemicists to conflate different sects and misattribute unusual views and practices, more typical of Gnostic Christianity than Jewish Christianity, to Ebionites to discredit them. Some modern critical scholars argue the Church Fathers' condemnation of Ebionites as " heretics " and " Judaizers " is both ironic and tragic, since many Ebionite views may have been closer to the authentic views of not only the first disciples of Jesus but also of the historical Jesus himself. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church . A Companion to Second-Century Christian 'Heretics' . Patristic Evidence for Jewish-Christian Sects . The Secret Legacy of Jesus . From this point on it is preferable to call them the Ebionites. In Singer, Isidore; Alder, Cyrus (eds.). The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity .