The Netzarim
by Jeremiah Moses
The Netzarim (Nazarenes), was the sect that Rebbe Yeshua founded, it was a hodgepodge of multiple Orthodox Jewish sects of that day: the Galilean Hasidim, Hillel and Shemai Pharisees and the Essenes. There is ample evidence that Yeshua and his disciples and all their followers continued to observe as they did previously, but that the practices and doctrines of these sects were the foundation for the later Rabbinic Judaism.
We even have evidence written by the Christian fathers that asserted that the Netzarim were entirely Orthodox in the Rabbinic sense.
The Netzarim, which would be Nazarenes, was named after the village of Netzaret/Nazareth. Chasidic custom was to name the sect after the home town of the Rebbe. We have the Lubavitch, Breslov, Satmars and other Chasidic sects, further evidence of Yeshua’s sect being named according to Chasidic custom.
Quotes from early Church Christians: Fourth Century Church Father,
Epiphanius; Panarion 29. "We shall now especially consider heretics who call themselves Nazarenes (Netzarim); they are mainly Jews and nothing else. They make use not only of the New Testament, but they also use in a way the Old Testament of the Jews; for they do not forbid the books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings... so that they are approved of by the Jews, from whom the Nazarenes do not differ in anything, and they profess all the dogmas pertaining to the prescriptions of the Law and to the customs of the Rabbis, except they believe in [Messiah]... They preach that there is but one G-d, and his son. But they are very learned in the Hebrew language; for they, like the Jews, read the whole Law, then the Prophets...They differ from the Jews because they believe in Messiah, and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jewish rites, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and other ceremonies."
Bonacursus wrote: "Let those who are not yet acquainted with them, please note how perverse their belief and doctrine are. First, they teach that we should obey the Law of Moses according to the letter - the Sabbath, and circumcision, and the legal precepts still being in force. Furthermore, to increase their error, they condemn and reject all the Church Fathers, and the whole Roman Church."
Gregorius, of Bergamo, about A,.D. 1250, against the Pasaginians (Netzarim): "There still remains the sect of the Pasagini (Netzari). They teach Christ to be the first and pure creature; that the Old Testament festivals are to be observed-- circumcision, distinction of foods, and in nearly all other matters, save the sacrifices, the Old Testament is to be observed as literally as the New-- circumcision is to be kept according to the letter. They say that no good person before the advent of Christ descended into the lower regions; and that there is no one in the lower regions and in paradise until now, nor will there be until sentence has been rendered on the day of Judgement."
There is no evidence that suggests the Netzarim abandoned their Orthodox Judaism, and there is no evidence that proves the Netzarim rejected the Oral Torah. There is however, ample evidence in scripture and history, as shown above, that Rebbe Yeshua, his Shlichim (Apostles) and all his followers (the Netzarim) all supported, endorsed, taught and lived according to Written and Oral Torah, and the Halachot, customs and traditions of the Sages.
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND TORAH OBSERVANCE According to exegetical and scholarly approach, the nature of the NT's text certainly assumes Torah (Oral and Written) observance but stresses moral laws because of the fact that morality seems to be mankind's most difficult struggle. The reason being is because, the people of the New Testament already had the Tenakh (Old Testament) as a normative guideline of how to keep the laws of HaShem and how to be an observant Jew. There was basically no need to stress Torah observance in that way, but yet, as I have provided, there are clear indications that prove Rebbe Yeshua did in fact observe Oral and Written Torah.
Rebbe Yeshua would not have been able to have such a large following if he was not Torah observant, for people were calling him the Messiah. And the Jews of that day knew that the Messiah must be Torah observant according to the prophecies of the Tenakh. They would never have referred to him as a Tzadik had he not been Torah observant.
Even in educational Jewish learning books, such as the Encyclopedia Judaica, says that "the New Testament provides us with undeniable evidence that Yeshua did not oppose any prescription of the Written or Oral Torah."
Yehezkel Kaufmann, a famous Jewish author on Jewish thought, said that, "The attitude of Yeshua to the Torah is the very same attitude one finds among the masters of halakhah and aggadatta who followed in the Pharisaic tradition." Yehezkel Kaufmann also wrote: "Jesus (Yeshua) represents a point of development running unbroken from the Hebrew Bible and linked to it through an interpretive supplement that is characteristic of the great literary device of the Rabbis, the Oral Torah. The attitude of Jesus to the Torah is the very same attitude one finds among the masters of halakah and haggadah who followed in the Pharisaic tradition."
An Orthodox scholar and rabbi, Pinchas Lapide, described Yeshua as a traditional, observant Jew. He wrote, "Jesus never and nowhere broke the Law of Moses, nor did he in any way provoke its infringement - it is entirely false to say that he did... In this respect you must believe me, for I know my Talmud... this Jesus was as faithful to the Law as I would hope to be. But I suspect that Jesus was more faithful to the Law than I am - and I am an Orthodox Jew."
B.Z. Bokser. p 194. wrote: "In fact, even the Sermon on the Mount, often viewed as the essence and epitome of Yeshua's teaching, reflects concepts familiar to the Jews of his day and consistent with rabbinic teaching. To begin with, it is quite similar in style. Much of the sermon consists of illustrations of the proper understanding of the Law, or Torah, spelling out its wider implications and describing its broader principles. Many of the illustrations he used were common to the "rabbis" of his day, and the whole is carried out in the style of a midrash - an interpretive supplementing of Scripture - much as is exemplified in the Oral Torah which later became the Talmud. Much like Yeshua these teachers felt that the morally sensitive must go beyond mere conformity to the Torah (cf. Baba Mezia 88a; Mekilta on Ex. 18:20).
Rabbi John Fischer, Ph.D. Th.D wrote: "The Gospels provide sufficient evidence to the effect that Jesus did not oppose any prescription of the written or oral Mosaic Law."
Finkel; G. Friedlander wrote: "In effect, Yeshua built a "fence around the Law" - as indicated by the Aramaic and Hebrew underlying "fulfill" - much as the earlier sages cited by the Talmud did (Pirke Avot 1.2). And, his fence is remarkably similar to that of the sages."
Tim Hegg wrote: "Yeshua certainly follows the halachah of the Sages in spite of the fact that such traditions are not explicitly stated in the Written Torah."
Shemayah Yardin wrote: "There is no evidence that suggests the Netzarim abandoned their Orthodox Judaism, and there is no evidence that proves the Netzarim rejected the Oral Torah. There is however, ample evidence in scripture and history, as shown extensively, that Rebbe Yeshua, his Shlichim (Apostles) and all his followers (the Netzarim) all supported, endorsed, taught and lived according to Written and Oral Torah, and the halachot, customs and traditions of the Sages.""
David Stern wrote: "Based on all of my research, myself and my colleagues, have found without any doubt, that Yeshua's teachings and life style was closer to Hasidic Judaism than any other form of Judaism."
So, we can see hear, that we do know a lot of about Rebbe Yeshua, and we do know very clearly that he was a Torah observant Jew who did teach Torah, not in a general manner but in a very specific and scrupulous manner.
by Jeremiah Moses
The Netzarim (Nazarenes), was the sect that Rebbe Yeshua founded, it was a hodgepodge of multiple Orthodox Jewish sects of that day: the Galilean Hasidim, Hillel and Shemai Pharisees and the Essenes. There is ample evidence that Yeshua and his disciples and all their followers continued to observe as they did previously, but that the practices and doctrines of these sects were the foundation for the later Rabbinic Judaism.
We even have evidence written by the Christian fathers that asserted that the Netzarim were entirely Orthodox in the Rabbinic sense.
The Netzarim, which would be Nazarenes, was named after the village of Netzaret/Nazareth. Chasidic custom was to name the sect after the home town of the Rebbe. We have the Lubavitch, Breslov, Satmars and other Chasidic sects, further evidence of Yeshua’s sect being named according to Chasidic custom.
Quotes from early Church Christians: Fourth Century Church Father,
Epiphanius; Panarion 29. "We shall now especially consider heretics who call themselves Nazarenes (Netzarim); they are mainly Jews and nothing else. They make use not only of the New Testament, but they also use in a way the Old Testament of the Jews; for they do not forbid the books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings... so that they are approved of by the Jews, from whom the Nazarenes do not differ in anything, and they profess all the dogmas pertaining to the prescriptions of the Law and to the customs of the Rabbis, except they believe in [Messiah]... They preach that there is but one G-d, and his son. But they are very learned in the Hebrew language; for they, like the Jews, read the whole Law, then the Prophets...They differ from the Jews because they believe in Messiah, and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jewish rites, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and other ceremonies."
Bonacursus wrote: "Let those who are not yet acquainted with them, please note how perverse their belief and doctrine are. First, they teach that we should obey the Law of Moses according to the letter - the Sabbath, and circumcision, and the legal precepts still being in force. Furthermore, to increase their error, they condemn and reject all the Church Fathers, and the whole Roman Church."
Gregorius, of Bergamo, about A,.D. 1250, against the Pasaginians (Netzarim): "There still remains the sect of the Pasagini (Netzari). They teach Christ to be the first and pure creature; that the Old Testament festivals are to be observed-- circumcision, distinction of foods, and in nearly all other matters, save the sacrifices, the Old Testament is to be observed as literally as the New-- circumcision is to be kept according to the letter. They say that no good person before the advent of Christ descended into the lower regions; and that there is no one in the lower regions and in paradise until now, nor will there be until sentence has been rendered on the day of Judgement."
There is no evidence that suggests the Netzarim abandoned their Orthodox Judaism, and there is no evidence that proves the Netzarim rejected the Oral Torah. There is however, ample evidence in scripture and history, as shown above, that Rebbe Yeshua, his Shlichim (Apostles) and all his followers (the Netzarim) all supported, endorsed, taught and lived according to Written and Oral Torah, and the Halachot, customs and traditions of the Sages.
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND TORAH OBSERVANCE According to exegetical and scholarly approach, the nature of the NT's text certainly assumes Torah (Oral and Written) observance but stresses moral laws because of the fact that morality seems to be mankind's most difficult struggle. The reason being is because, the people of the New Testament already had the Tenakh (Old Testament) as a normative guideline of how to keep the laws of HaShem and how to be an observant Jew. There was basically no need to stress Torah observance in that way, but yet, as I have provided, there are clear indications that prove Rebbe Yeshua did in fact observe Oral and Written Torah.
Rebbe Yeshua would not have been able to have such a large following if he was not Torah observant, for people were calling him the Messiah. And the Jews of that day knew that the Messiah must be Torah observant according to the prophecies of the Tenakh. They would never have referred to him as a Tzadik had he not been Torah observant.
Even in educational Jewish learning books, such as the Encyclopedia Judaica, says that "the New Testament provides us with undeniable evidence that Yeshua did not oppose any prescription of the Written or Oral Torah."
Yehezkel Kaufmann, a famous Jewish author on Jewish thought, said that, "The attitude of Yeshua to the Torah is the very same attitude one finds among the masters of halakhah and aggadatta who followed in the Pharisaic tradition." Yehezkel Kaufmann also wrote: "Jesus (Yeshua) represents a point of development running unbroken from the Hebrew Bible and linked to it through an interpretive supplement that is characteristic of the great literary device of the Rabbis, the Oral Torah. The attitude of Jesus to the Torah is the very same attitude one finds among the masters of halakah and haggadah who followed in the Pharisaic tradition."
An Orthodox scholar and rabbi, Pinchas Lapide, described Yeshua as a traditional, observant Jew. He wrote, "Jesus never and nowhere broke the Law of Moses, nor did he in any way provoke its infringement - it is entirely false to say that he did... In this respect you must believe me, for I know my Talmud... this Jesus was as faithful to the Law as I would hope to be. But I suspect that Jesus was more faithful to the Law than I am - and I am an Orthodox Jew."
B.Z. Bokser. p 194. wrote: "In fact, even the Sermon on the Mount, often viewed as the essence and epitome of Yeshua's teaching, reflects concepts familiar to the Jews of his day and consistent with rabbinic teaching. To begin with, it is quite similar in style. Much of the sermon consists of illustrations of the proper understanding of the Law, or Torah, spelling out its wider implications and describing its broader principles. Many of the illustrations he used were common to the "rabbis" of his day, and the whole is carried out in the style of a midrash - an interpretive supplementing of Scripture - much as is exemplified in the Oral Torah which later became the Talmud. Much like Yeshua these teachers felt that the morally sensitive must go beyond mere conformity to the Torah (cf. Baba Mezia 88a; Mekilta on Ex. 18:20).
Rabbi John Fischer, Ph.D. Th.D wrote: "The Gospels provide sufficient evidence to the effect that Jesus did not oppose any prescription of the written or oral Mosaic Law."
Finkel; G. Friedlander wrote: "In effect, Yeshua built a "fence around the Law" - as indicated by the Aramaic and Hebrew underlying "fulfill" - much as the earlier sages cited by the Talmud did (Pirke Avot 1.2). And, his fence is remarkably similar to that of the sages."
Tim Hegg wrote: "Yeshua certainly follows the halachah of the Sages in spite of the fact that such traditions are not explicitly stated in the Written Torah."
Shemayah Yardin wrote: "There is no evidence that suggests the Netzarim abandoned their Orthodox Judaism, and there is no evidence that proves the Netzarim rejected the Oral Torah. There is however, ample evidence in scripture and history, as shown extensively, that Rebbe Yeshua, his Shlichim (Apostles) and all his followers (the Netzarim) all supported, endorsed, taught and lived according to Written and Oral Torah, and the halachot, customs and traditions of the Sages.""
David Stern wrote: "Based on all of my research, myself and my colleagues, have found without any doubt, that Yeshua's teachings and life style was closer to Hasidic Judaism than any other form of Judaism."
So, we can see hear, that we do know a lot of about Rebbe Yeshua, and we do know very clearly that he was a Torah observant Jew who did teach Torah, not in a general manner but in a very specific and scrupulous manner.