They regarded Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah while rejecting his divinity and insisted on the necessity of following Jewish law and rites. They 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. Many believe that they were Essenes.
There are three distinct stages in the development of the story of Jesus and his teaching (found both in portions of the Bible and in other documents).
The earliest stage is that described by those who actually had a personal relationship with Jesus (the Original Apostles and their followers, known here as the Ebionites).
The second stage is presented by Paul, and those who learned their Christianity from him (remember that Paul never actually met the historical Jesus, but rather claimed [as did David Koresh and Jim Jones] to have been visited by Jesus in a "vision").
The third stage is an attempt to smooth over the animosity that existed between those who followed the Original Apostles on the one side, and those who followed Paul on the other, by giving the impression that Paul was accepted by the Original Apostles as their equal (most evident in the Book of Acts written by Paul's friend, Luke).
Dr. Carl Sagan referred to the resultant New Testament as: "An amalgam of two seemingly immiscible parts--the religion of Jesus and the religion of Paul." (A letter from Dr. Sagan to Ken Schei)
Unfortunately, the Pauline Church was very effective in their effort to destroy the Ebionite writings (gospel, acts, letters, etc.). However, the early Church Fathers recorded many of the Ebionite's beliefs in the Church Father's own writings (from an adversarial standpoint, of course). Here is a brief list of
Ebionite beliefs and the Church Fathers who recorded them:
They believe in one God and one God only, they do not accept Jesus as God. (Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus)
They use the gospel of Matthew only (a different version than the one found in the New Testament). (Irenaeus, Tertullian, Epiphanius)
They reject Paul as an apostate from the law. (Irenaeus, Origen, Epiphanius)
They practice circumcision. (Irenaeus, Origen, Epiphanius)
They observe the Sabbath. (Eusebius, Epiphanius)
They live according to the Jewish life style and the Law. (Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen, Eusebius, Epiphanius)
They hold the observance of the Mosaic Law (the corrected version presented by Jesus) as necessary for salvation. (Hippolytus, Eusebius)
They reject the virgin birth of Jesus. (Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Eusebius, Epiphanius)
They believe Jesus to be a mere man. (Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Eusebius, Epiphanius)
They maintain that Jesus had to merit his title, Son of God, by fulfilling the Law. (Hippolytus, Epiphanius)
They believe that Jesus came to do away with sacrifices. (Epiphanius)
They give up all goods and possessions. (Epiphanius)
They admit Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, but none of the prophets (David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Elijah, Elisha) (Epiphanius)
They claim that Jesus alone is the true prophet. (Epiphanius)
HISTORY
Here is a brief history of the period as seen by the Original Apostles and their followers (the Ebionites):
The Ebionites describe a doctrinal battle following the death of Jesus between the Original Apostles and Paul over primarily (but not exclusively) the deification of Jesus.
The Original Apostles are based in Jerusalem while Paul sets up churches in the Greek and Roman Empires.
The Original Apostles send out emissaries to Paul's churches telling them that Paul is teaching false doctrine (Paul's letters are primarily aimed at countering these visits. The "So called special apostles" [2 Cor 11:5] that Paul defended himself against were none other than the original apostles (Peter and
John, [and James the brother of Jesus]).
The Original Apostles ALMOST prevail. Paul himself admits that his followers are leaving him: "All deserted me" [2 Tim 4:16]. Even his closest friends (Barnabas and Demas, see 2 Tim 4:10 and Gal 2:13) return to the side of the Original Apostles.
Just when it seemed that the Original Apostles (and, in my honest opinion, the true story of Jesus) would win out, the Romans conquered Jerusalem and the Original Apostles were (along with much of the Jewish population) scattered into the desert.
With the Original Apostles no longer able to counter Paul's preaching, Paul's version becomes accepted among his churches.
When it comes time to choose the canon of the church, it is chosen by people who have been raised in and are practicing Paul's religion. It is only natural that they will view anything that attacks Paul's credibility as being heretical.
The Ebionites are who they claimed to be (the Original Apostles and their followers), and they presented the most accurate picture of the life and teachings of Jesus that is available to us today.... Jesus taught that the way to get to Heaven was the difficult path of working to live a good life (the position held by the Original Apostles) rather than the easy path of simply believing in a Salvation provided by Jesus' death (as presented by the followers of Paul). It is not really necessary for people to accept that the Ebionites were who they claimed to be in order to accept their teachings. Ample evidence to support their major claims can be found in the New Testament. i.e.: evidence, please go to the "Works vs. Faith" ....
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