I’m going to post a series of articles that help explain and correct some of the heresies that keep popping up on forum threads here, especially those posted by the formally featured Chuckk and now posted under his new aliases and/or even a willing accomplice, Quiznos.
Please review this article and see for yourself
Ebionites- Early Jewish Christians and Islamic Christology
Thread starterDavidSon Start dateAug 3, 2019
D
DavidSon
Veteran
Aug 3, 2019
#1
The subject of the Ebionites, Nazarenes, and other early sects was brought up here by @Serveto and a few of the older members. Recently a childishly generic description of the "Poor Ones" was posted, but searching a bit deeper I think this part of history is worth understanding clearly.
"Ebionites (Greek: Ἐβιωναῖοι, Ebionaioi, 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 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."
"The majority of Church Fathers agree that the Ebionites rejected many of the precepts central to Nicene orthodoxy, such as Jesus' pre-existence, divinity, virgin birth, atoning death and physical resurrection. On the other hand, an Ebionite story has Jesus eating bread with his brother, Jacob ("James the Just"), after the resurrection, which indicates that they, or at least the ones who accepted this version of the Gospel of the Hebrews, believed in a physical resurrection of Jesus."
"The Ebionites are described as emphasizing the oneness of God and the humanity of Jesus as the biological son of Mary and Joseph, who, by virtue of his righteousness, was chosen by God to be the messianic "prophet like Moses" when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit at his baptism. Origen and Eusebius recognize some variation in the Christology of Ebionite groups; for example, that while all denied Jesus' pre-existence, there was a sub-group which did not deny the virgin birth. Theodoret, while dependent on earlier writers, draws the conclusion that the two sub-groups would have used different Gospels."
"The 12th century Muslim historian Muhammad al-Shahrastani mentions Jews living in nearby Medina and Hejaz who accepted Jesus as a prophetic figure and followed traditional Judaism, rejecting mainstream Christian views. Some scholars argue that they contributed to the development of the Islamic view of Jesus due to exchanges of Ebionite remnants with the first Muslims."
"... Paul Addae and Tim Bowes write that the Ebionites were faithful to the original teachings of Jesus and thus shared Islamic views about Jesus' humanity and also rejected the redemptive death, though the Islamic view of Jesus may conflict with the view of some Ebionites regarding the virgin birth, respectively denying and affirming, according to Epiphanius. One of the first men to believe in the prophethood of Muhammad was possibly an Ebionite (sometimes argued to be Nestorian) monk named Waraqah ibn Nawfal, the cousin of Mohammed's wife Khadija, who Muslims honor as a pious man with deep knowledge of the Christian scriptures."
"Hans Joachim Schoeps observes that the Christianity Muhammad was likely to have encountered on the Arabian peninsula "was not the state religion of Byzantium but a schismatic Christianity characterized by Ebionite and Monophysite views:
"Thus we have a paradox of world-historical proportions, viz., the fact that Jewish Christianity indeed disappeared within the Christian church, but was preserved in Islam and thereby extended some of its basic ideas even to our own day. According to Islamic doctrine, the Ebionite combination of Moses and Jesus found its fulfillment in Muhammad"
We have a bunch of Jews living at the time of the brother of Jesus; James, who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and followed his teachings. Then a bunch of Romans and Greeks living a couple hundred years later start up a new Church and declare the first followers of Jesus heretics.
Colossians 2:16,17: Do dot let anyone judge you by what you **EAT** or drink, or with regard a special festival, a New Moon celebration or a **SABBATH DAY**! These are a **SHADOW** of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found **IN CHRIST**!!
Galatians 3:23-25: "Before faith came, we were held prisoners by the {**OT**} law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, *WE* ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE {**OT**} LAW!!"
Galatians 3:23-25: "Before faith came, we were held prisoners by the {**OT**} law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, *WE* ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE {**OT**} LAW!!"
Hebrews 7:18,19: The former regulation is SET ASIDE because it was weak and useless; for the law made nothing perfect, and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.!
Hebrews 8:8,9,13: "The time is coming." says the Lord, "when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah".... By calling this Covenant "NEW", He has made the first one OBSOLETE; and what is OBSOLETE and aging will soon disappear.{As soon as the New Covenant was written and distributed to most of the churches by about AD 70 except for Revelation in AD 96}
Hebrews 8:6: But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which He is Mediator is SUPERIOR TO THE OLD ONE, and it is *FOUNDED ON BETTER PROMISES**!
Ok Richard, lets check in on your reasoning skills. I want to know if you think Paul is telling the Colossians (in 2:16,17) that they were not to keep the **SABBATH DAY**any longer, that it was a mistake Yahuwah the Father made in Genesis 2:2,3 a day he blessed and sanctified from the beginning OR was Paul just telling the Colossians they should not let anyone judge them by how they keep it!?
Then likewise would Paul tell the Galatians (in 3:23-25) that Yahuwah the Father, that is PERFECT in His ways, his Laws, make a mistake in having any instructions (Laws) given to His Saints, His people? Then all of a sudden Yahuwah the Father declares when His Son dies on the pole/tree that the Galatians "ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE {**OT**} LAW!!" and free from its punishment, which is death OR that the Galatians were free from the penalty of death for breaking Yahuwah the Fathers instructions (Laws) that His Son paid the price for, which again is death!?
When a person is no longer breaking His instructions (Laws), then they "ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THAT LAW!!"but if they elect to break His instructions (Laws), then they are once again under its penalty, which is death. Correct?
Does it make any sense that Yahuwah the Father would have His Son die for sinners, then nail His instructions (Laws) to the pole/tree with His Son, when all He had to do is just declare ALL instructions (Laws) were done away with, therefore there is no more sin to be identified by! Then His Son would not have to die because there is no such thing as sin, right?
Then likewise would Paul tell the Galatians (in 3:23-25) that Yahuwah the Father, that is PERFECT in His ways, his Laws, make a mistake in having any instructions (Laws) given to His Saints, His people? Then all of a sudden Yahuwah the Father declares when His Son dies on the pole/tree that the Galatians "ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE {**OT**} LAW!!" and free from its punishment, which is death OR was it that the Galatians were free from the penalty of death for breaking Yahuwah the Fathers instructions (Laws) that His Son paid the price for, which again is death!?
Colossians 2:16,17: Do dot let anyone judge you by what you **EAT** or drink, or with regard a special festival, a New Moon celebration or a **SABBATH DAY**! These are a **SHADOW** of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found **IN CHRIST**!!
