Was Jesus a member of the first century religious group called Nazarenes?

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Was Jesus a member of the first century religious group called Nazarenes?

by Grant
(near L.A.)

Modern Nazareth has about 60,000 inhabitants

Modern Nazareth has about
60,000 inhabitants

Rick Brentlinger Answers -

No, Jesus was not a member of the Nazorean or Nazarene sect. We could refer to Jesus as a Nazarene because at one time he lived in the tiny country village of Nazareth but that doesn't make him a Nazarene in the sense of being a member of the religious sect which was an offshoot of the Essenes cult.

Jesus is called a Nazarene in Matthew 2:23 because he lived in the little farm village of Nazareth which had about 35 homes. It was such a small and insignificant village that it is hardly mentioned in early secular history.

In Acts 24:5, unbelieving Jews falsely accused the apostle Paul of being "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." However, nothing in the New Testament indicates that followers of Jesus ever called themselves Nazarenes or embraced the unbiblical teachings of the sect of the Nazarenes.

There are at least four sound reasons to reject the idea that Jesus and his disciples were Nazarenes or Nazoreans in the sectarian sense of those words.

The Nazoreans or Nazarenes rejected every part of the Tanakh (our Old Testament) which mentioned animal sacrifices because they regarded animal sacrifices as barbaric.

Jesus affirmed the Old Testament including the blood sacrifices, Matthew 5:18, 23:18-23, therefore he could not have been a Nazarene in the sectarian sense.
The Nazarenes were vegetarians. Jesus and His disciples were not vegetarians. According to John 21:5, 9-14, Jesus and His disciples ate fish.
"As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise." - Gospel of John 21:9-13
The Nazarenes practiced a works based salvation, trying to live pure lives without offering the blood sacrifices commanded in the Tanakh.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus affirmed the offering of blood sacrifices for Jews before His crucifixion and resurrection, Luke 5:12-14 with Leviticus 14:2-7.

Scripture is clear that anyone who tries to keep the Law but then fails to keep even one part, like the blood sacrifice part, is as guilty as if he broke all of it, Leviticus 20:22, 26:15, Numbers 15:40, Deuteronomy 27:1, Galatians 3:10, 5:3, James 2:10.
The Nazarenes rejected Paul as an apostle and therefore did not regard Paul's writing as scripture.

Since the New Testament does view Paul as an apostle and includes 14 books Paul wrote, any group which rejects his apostleship is not a group that follows God.

For those reasons, it is historically inaccurate to view Jesus as a member of what was essentially a first century cult.

New Age folks prefer to see Jesus as a Nazarene (or Nazorean) because New Agers, like Nazoreans, reject the idea that a blood sacrifice for sins is necessary and they reject Jesus as the only way of being saved.

They prefer to read into scripture, things scripture does not say, esoteric or hidden knowledge, which they believe they are privy to but which they believe most Christians have missed.

Jesus Himself contradicts their claim that He gave them hidden knowledge or secret knowledge.

"Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret." -John 18:20, English Standard Version

Our Biblical book of Hebrews presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament animal sacrifices. Hebrews chapter 9 is dedicated to the proposition that animal blood sacrifices were necessary and part of God's plan yet there are better sacrifices than animal sacrifices, Hebrews 9:23

The Law in the Old Testament viewed animal blood sacrifices as "a shadow of good things to come," Hebrews 10:1. Everything in Hebrews chapter 10 contradicts Nazarene (or Nazorean) teaching which "abhorred all animal sacrifice and rejected, as forgeries and fictions, all Jewish scriptures that encourage such barbaric practices."

Who is Jesus according to the Gospel of John?

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Was Jesus a member of the first century religious group called Nazarenes?

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Apr 03, 2010
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Jesus was a Nazorean
by: Nazorean

Contrary to the nonsense that you have written, Jesus (Yeshu) was a Nazorean just as it says on the 'Shroud of Turin.' For Jesus to have been called a Nazorean or Nazarene because he lived in a town called Nazareth is nonsense since no such town existed during his life. A person from Nazareth would be a Nazarethenos or Nazarethaios from the Greek and if it were in Hebrew then Nazareth would be Nazrat and a person from Nazareth is then a Nazrati, but never a Nazarene or Nazorean.

Apr 03, 2010
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You obviously haven't done much believing Bible study
by: Rick Brentlinger

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth

Whom should we believe, Nazorean who commented above or the Bible?

Which was a city of Galilee, and where Joseph and Mary had both dwelt before, Luke 1:26, 2:4 here they came and fixed their habitation,

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet

This affair of going into Galilee, and settling at Nazareth, was brought about with this view, to accomplish what had been foretold by the prophets, or prophet, the plural number being used for the singular, as in John 6:45, Acts 13:40.

And indeed it is so rendered here in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; and designs the prophet Isaiah, and respects that prophecy of his in Isaiah 11:1 - "and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and (run), a branch shall grow out of his roots;"

a prophecy owned by the Jews themselves to belong to (Jesus) the Messiah, and which was now fulfilled in Jesus; who as he was descended from Jesse's family, so by dwelling at Nazareth, he would appear to be, and would be "called a Nazarene, or Netzer, "the branch;" being an inhabitant of Natzareth, or Netzer, so called from the multitude of plants and trees that grew there.

A Nazarene,

as David de Pomis says (Lexic Heb. fol. 141. 2.)

"is one that is born in the city Netzer, which is said to be in the land of Galilee, three days journey distant from Jerusalem."

Now though Christ was not born in Nazareth, yet because he dwelt at Nazareth, and was educated there; hence the Jews frequently call him (yruwnh ewvy) "Jesus, the Nazarene;" (T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 17. 1. Ganz. par. 2. fol. 14. 2. Abarbinel in Dan. fol. 44. 1.) and sometimes only (yruwnh) "the Nazarene" (Ganz. par. 1. fol. 24. 2.).

They also call him "Ben Netzer" (T. Bab. Cetuboth, fol. 51. 2. & Gloss. in ib. Bereshith), of whom they say a great many evil things: and that Christ is often called Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarene, and his followers Nazarenes, from the place of his habitation, is known to everyone.

One of Christ's disciples is called Netzer (meaning 'branch') in the Talmud (T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 43. 1.), and made to plead for his life, because his name signified a branch, according to Isaiah 11:1.

Surenhusius observes (Biblos Katallages, p, 2, 3, 4, 197), that the form (rmanv hm Mwyql) "to fulfil what is said," used by the Talmudists, and which he takes to be the same with Matthew 2:23, is used by them, when they allege not the very words of Moses, or the prophets, but the sense of their words, i.e., the literal meaning of the Hebrew words.

-from The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible, comments on Matthew 2:23

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Apr 03, 2010
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Submitted by: Rick Brentlinger

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And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth Whom should we believe, Nazorean who commented above or the Bible? Which was a city of Galilee, and where Joseph and Mary had both dwelt before, Luke 1:26, 2:4 here they came and fixed their habitation, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet This affair of going into Galilee, and settling at Nazareth, was brought about with this view, to accomplish what had been foretold by the prophets, or prophet, the plural number being used for the singular, as in John 6:45, Acts 13:40. And indeed it is so rendered here in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; and designs the prophet Isaiah, and respects that prophecy of his in Isaiah 11:1 - "and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and (run), a branch shall grow out of his roots;" a prophecy owned by the Jews themselves to belong to (Jesus) the Messiah, and which was now fulfilled in Jesus; who as he was descended from Jesse's family, so by dwelling at Nazareth, he would appear to be, and would be "called a Nazarene, or Netzer, "the branch;" being an inhabitant of Natzareth, or Netzer, so called from the multitude of plants and trees that grew there. A Nazarene, as David de Pomis says (Lexic Heb. fol. 141. 2.) "is one that is born in the city Netzer, which is said to be in the land of Galilee, three days journey distant from Jerusalem." Now though Christ was not born in Nazareth, yet because he dwelt at Nazareth, and was educated there; hence the Jews frequently call him (yruwnh ewvy) "Jesus, the Nazarene;" (T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 17. 1. Ganz. par. 2. fol. 14. 2. Abarbinel in Dan. fol. 44. 1.) and sometimes only (yruwnh) "the Nazarene" (Ganz. par. 1. fol. 24. 2.). They also call him "Ben Netzer" (T. Bab. Cetuboth, fol. 51. 2. & Gloss. in ib. Bereshith), of whom they say a great many evil things: and that Christ is often called Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarene, and his followers Nazarenes, from the place of his habitation, is known to everyone. One of Christ's disciples is called Netzer (meaning 'branch') in the Talmud (T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 43. 1.), and made to plead for his life, because his name signified a branch, according to Isaiah 11:1. Surenhusius observes (Biblos Katallages, p, 2, 3, 4, 197), that the form (rmanv hm Mwyql) "to fulfil what is said," used by the Talmudists, and which he takes to be the same with Matthew 2:23, is used by them, when they allege not the very words of Moses, or the prophets, but the sense of their words, i.e., the literal meaning of the Hebrew words. -from The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible, comments on Matthew 2:23

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Was Jesus a member of the first century religious group called Nazarenes?

Rick Brentlinger Answers -

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Was Jesus a member of the first century religious group called Nazarenes?