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Nazarene (sect)​

The Nazarenes

The Nazarenes, or Nazarene sect, were the earliest followers of Jesus of Nazareth within first-century Judaism. They believed Jesus was the promised Messiah while continuing to observe the Torah and Jewish customs.

The term first appears in the New Testament in Acts 24:5, where the lawyer Tertullus accuses the apostle Paul before the Roman governor Felix of being a "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." He used the name as an insult, portraying the movement as a dangerous and disruptive faction within Judaism.

The name "Nazarenes" identified the group with Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. At this early stage, Jesus' followers were still viewed as a Jewish movement rather than a separate religion. They believed Jesus fulfilled the Hebrew Scriptures through his life, death, and resurrection while remaining committed to Jewish law.

Unlike groups such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Nazarenes believed Jesus was the promised Messiah. Because of this belief, they faced opposition from many Jewish religious leaders, who considered their teachings a threat to Jewish unity under Roman rule.

The Nazarenes continued to worship in synagogues, practiced circumcision, observed the Sabbath, followed Jewish dietary laws, and participated in baptism and communal meals in Jesus' name. Their beliefs and practices reflected a transition between traditional Judaism and what would later become Christianity.

After the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, many Nazarene communities were scattered. As increasing numbers of Gentiles joined the faith, the name "Christian" gradually replaced "Nazarene." Even so, some later Jewish-Christian groups continued to preserve Torah observance and the Hebrew Scriptures while differing from the growing Gentile church over the nature of Christ and the role of the Mosaic Law.

Terminology and Etymology

Origin and Biblical Usage

The word "Nazarene" comes from Nazareth, the town in Galilee where Jesus was raised after his family's return from Egypt. Matthew 2:23 states:

"He went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene."

Although no Old Testament passage says these exact words, many scholars believe Matthew was referring to the Hebrew word netzer, meaning "branch" or "shoot," found in Isaiah 11:1. This passage describes the coming Messiah as a branch from the line of Jesse.

Nazareth itself was a small and unimportant village that was often looked down upon. Jesus' association with such a humble town fits the biblical theme of the Messiah coming in humility rather than earthly glory.

Throughout the New Testament, "Nazarene" is used as a title for Jesus. For example, demons call him "Jesus of Nazareth" in Mark 1:24, and Peter refers to him as "Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and power" in Acts 10:38. The title identifies Jesus by his hometown and distinguishes him from other people with the same name.

The term was later applied to Jesus' followers. In Acts 24:5, Tertullus accuses Paul of leading "the sect of the Nazarenes." The Greek expression hairesis tōn Nazōraiōn describes the believers as a distinct faction within Judaism. Tertullus intended the label to be derogatory, suggesting they were a dangerous sect rather than an accepted Jewish school of thought.

This is the only place in the New Testament where the group is specifically called "the sect of the Nazarenes." It predates the more familiar name "Christians," first used in Acts 11:26, and reflects how Jesus' earliest followers were identified by their connection to Jesus of Nazareth.

Nazarene vs. Nazirite

Although the words "Nazarene" and "Nazirite" sound similar, they refer to completely different things.

A Nazarene was a person from Nazareth or, in the New Testament, a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.

A Nazirite, on the other hand, was someone who voluntarily took a special vow of dedication to God, as described in Numbers 6:1–21. During the vow, Nazirites abstained from wine and other grape products, did not cut their hair, and avoided contact with dead bodies. The vow could be temporary or lifelong, as in the cases of Samson and possibly Samuel.

The two terms are not directly related. "Nazarene" comes from the name of the town of Nazareth, while "Nazirite" comes from the Hebrew root meaning "to separate" or "to consecrate." Their similar spelling in English has led to confusion, but they have different origins and meanings.

The Gospels also make it clear that Jesus was not a Nazirite. He drank wine (John 2:1–11; Matthew 26:29) and did not follow the special restrictions required of Nazirites.

The Nazarenes were a community of Torah-observant Jewish believers who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They did not adopt the Nazirite vow as a defining practice. Nazirites, by contrast, were individuals within Judaism who took personal vows of dedication and did not belong to a separate religious sect.

In short, a Nazarene was identified by allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth, while a Nazirite was identified by a temporary or lifelong vow of special dedication to God.

Historical Origins in the 1st Century

References in the New Testament

The phrase "sect of the Nazarenes" appears only once in the New Testament, in Acts 24:5. During the Apostle Paul's trial before the Roman governor Antonius Felix (around AD 57–59), the Jewish spokesman Tertullus, representing the high priest Ananias and the Sanhedrin, accuses Paul of being:

"A pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes."

In Greek, the phrase is prōtostatēn te tēs tōn Nazōraíōn haireseōs. The word hairesis means "sect," "party," or "faction." Although it could simply describe a religious group, it often carried negative overtones, suggesting division or heresy. The same term is used elsewhere in Acts to describe the Pharisees (Acts 26:5) and the Sadducees (Acts 5:17).

By calling Paul a leader of the "sect of the Nazarenes," Tertullus portrayed the followers of Jesus as a controversial Jewish faction rather than a separate religion.

Although Acts 24:5 is the only place where the New Testament uses the expression "sect of the Nazarenes," the title "Nazarene" is repeatedly applied to Jesus throughout the Gospels. The name comes from Nazareth, the Galilean town where Jesus grew up.

Matthew 2:23 explains:

"And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'"

No Old Testament passage contains this exact wording. Many scholars believe Matthew is alluding to Isaiah 11:1, where the Hebrew word netzer ("branch" or "shoot") symbolizes the coming Messiah. Others see the title as emphasizing Jesus' humble origins, since Nazareth was a small, obscure village that many Jews looked down upon. This attitude is reflected in John 1:46, where Nathanael asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is called "Jesus the Nazarene" by many different people, including demons (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34), a servant girl (Mark 14:67), Roman soldiers (John 18:5, 7), and even in the inscription placed above his cross (John 19:19). In these passages, "Nazarene" primarily identifies Jesus by his hometown rather than by his messianic title.

These Gospel references occur decades before Paul's trial in Acts, suggesting that "Nazarene" originally referred to Jesus' geographic origin but later became a label for his followers. As opposition from some Jewish leaders increased, the term evolved into a way of identifying the Christian movement itself.

Early believers usually referred to themselves as followers of "the Way" (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22), a name reflecting Jesus' teaching in John 14:6. The name "Christian" did not appear until later, when it was first used at Antioch (Acts 11:26).

The title "sect of the Nazarenes," however, came from opponents of the movement. By identifying Jesus' followers with the obscure town of Nazareth, it likely carried a dismissive or derogatory tone. Most scholars agree that Acts 24:5 is the New Testament's only direct reference to the early Christian movement by this name. Later Christian writers used the term "Nazarenes" more specifically for Torah-observant Jewish Christians, but the New Testament itself gives no detailed description of such a group.

Connection to the Jerusalem Church and the Apostolic Era

The believers described as the "sect of the Nazarenes" were closely connected to the Jerusalem church, the earliest Christian community.

The Jerusalem church was established shortly after Pentecost around AD 30 (Acts 2). It consisted mainly of Jewish followers of Jesus who continued to worship in the Temple and attend the synagogue while also meeting together for prayer, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the apostles' teaching (Acts 2:42–47; 3:1).

Leadership initially rested with Peter and the other apostles. By the 40s AD, however, James, the brother of Jesus, had become the leading figure in the Jerusalem church. His authority is evident during the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13–21), where he delivered the council's final judgment. Paul also identified James, Peter (Cephas), and John as the church's "pillars" (Galatians 2:9).

One of the Jerusalem Council's main concerns was how Gentile converts should relate to the Mosaic Law. The council instructed Gentile believers to avoid idolatry, sexual immorality, meat from strangled animals, and blood (Acts 15:20). These requirements reflected the Jerusalem church's continued respect for Jewish law while welcoming Gentile believers into the Christian community.

The New Testament also records disagreements between Paul and some members of the Jerusalem church, particularly over circumcision and table fellowship (Galatians 2:11–14; Acts 21:20–21). Even so, Paul maintained close ties with the Jerusalem believers. He organized a financial collection for the poor among them (Galatians 2:10; Romans 15:25–26) and participated in a purification vow while visiting Jerusalem (Acts 21:23–24).

These events show that the movement later called the "sect of the Nazarenes" was not a separate religion but grew directly out of the apostolic church in Jerusalem. It remained deeply rooted in Jewish worship and customs while proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah.

According to the fourth-century historian Eusebius, drawing on earlier traditions, the Jerusalem church fled to Pella before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Ecclesiastical History 3.5.3). This migration helped preserve the community during the Jewish-Roman War and marked an important stage in the continued history of the Nazarene movement.

Evolution and References in the 2nd–5th Centuries

Patristic Accounts of Nazarene Communities

The earliest detailed description of the Nazarenes comes from Epiphanius of Salamis in his Panarion (around AD 377). He classified the Nazarenes as the twenty-ninth heresy among Jewish-Christian groups. According to him, they were ethnic Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah and was born of a virgin, setting them apart from the Ebionites, who rejected the virgin birth.

Epiphanius wrote that the Nazarenes appeared after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and lived in places such as Beroea (modern Aleppo, Syria), the Decapolis, Galilee, and Bashan. They continued to follow the Mosaic Law by practicing circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, and observing Jewish dietary laws while also believing in Christ's divinity.

He also noted that they called themselves Nazarenes rather than Christians because they continued to live according to Jewish customs. From his perspective, this made them guilty of "Judaizing," which he considered a heresy.

Jerome, writing in the late fourth and early fifth centuries, confirmed that Nazarene communities still existed in Syria, especially in Beroea. He obtained a Hebrew or Aramaic gospel from them, often identified as the Gospel of the Nazarenes or closely related to the Gospel of the Hebrews. Jerome said the Nazarenes accepted the New Testament while also using this Hebrew gospel, which contained some unique traditions, including a stronger emphasis on James, the brother of Jesus. Like Epiphanius, Jerome distinguished the Nazarenes from the Ebionites because they accepted the virgin birth and held an orthodox view of Christ.

Jerome's writings show that Nazarene communities were still active in the late fourth century and had preserved Hebrew or Aramaic manuscripts. However, he believed their continued observance of the Torah was no longer appropriate after Christ.

Earlier Christian writers such as Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius did not clearly identify the Nazarenes as a separate group. Instead, they focused on the Ebionites as the main Jewish-Christian sect. This suggests that the Nazarenes were either included under the broader label of "Ebionites" or were too small to receive separate attention.

The lack of earlier references has led some scholars to suggest that the Nazarene identity became more clearly defined after the Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132–135). Even so, Epiphanius believed their practices went back to the time of the apostles. Although both Epiphanius and Jerome regarded the Nazarenes as heretical, their writings show that Jewish-Christian communities combining faith in Jesus with Torah observance continued to exist well into the patristic period.

Geographical Spread and Persecution

Epiphanius located Nazarene communities mainly in Coelesyria, Syria, Beroea (modern Aleppo), the Decapolis, and Bashanitis near modern-day Golan Heights.

These communities likely descended from Jewish believers who fled Judea after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. According to early Christian tradition, many members of the Jerusalem church escaped to Pella before the First Jewish-Roman War. Jerome later confirmed that Nazarenes were still living in Beroea, where he examined their Aramaic gospel.

The Nazarenes remained largely confined to Palestine, Syria, and Transjordan. Unlike the growing Gentile Christian movement, they did not spread widely throughout the Roman Empire. Their strong Jewish identity and continued observance of the Torah likely limited missionary work among non-Jews. By the time of Epiphanius, their numbers had declined, suggesting they gradually disappeared through assimilation rather than growth.

The Nazarenes faced opposition from both Jews and Christians.

Within Judaism, the Birkat ha-Minim, introduced around AD 85, condemned Jewish believers considered heretics, including those who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. This effectively excluded Nazarenes from synagogue life.

The Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132–136) created further conflict. Because the Nazarenes believed Jesus—not Simon bar Kokhba—was the Messiah, many Jewish nationalists viewed them as traitors, forcing them to flee Judea.

Roman authorities also persecuted Christians at various times. Since the Nazarenes were seen as part of the broader Christian movement, they likely suffered alongside other believers, although no ancient sources identify Nazarene martyrs by name.

After Christianity became the dominant religion of the empire, church leaders such as Epiphanius condemned the Nazarenes as heretics because they continued to observe the Mosaic Law. Rather than facing violent persecution, they were gradually marginalized and excluded from the developing Nicene Church, contributing to their disappearance by the fifth century.

Doctrinal Positions and Practices

Christology and Views of Jesus

According to Epiphanius, the Nazarenes believed Jesus was the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, and raised from the dead. Their beliefs closely matched the developing orthodox Christian understanding of Christ, although they continued to observe the Torah.

Unlike the Ebionites, who believed Jesus was an ordinary man chosen by God at his baptism, the Nazarenes accepted the virgin birth and believed Jesus possessed a divine nature before his earthly life.

Jerome confirmed that the Nazarenes believed in Jesus' divine sonship and the virgin birth. He also noted that their Hebrew gospel portrayed Jesus performing miracles and exercising divine authority.

Although the surviving evidence comes mainly from writers who opposed them, both Epiphanius and Jerome consistently describe the Nazarenes as affirming Christ's divinity while maintaining Jewish religious practices.

Some scholars believe these beliefs preserved very early Jewish-Christian traditions that combined strict monotheism with faith in Jesus as the divine Messiah. Fragments of Nazarene gospel traditions also present Jesus as possessing divine wisdom and authority before his birth.

Because nearly all information comes from hostile sources, many details remain uncertain. Even so, most scholars agree that the Nazarenes held a much higher view of Jesus than the Ebionites.

Torah Observance

The Nazarenes believed the Mosaic Law remained binding for Jewish followers of Jesus.

According to Epiphanius, they continued to practice circumcision, observe the Sabbath, keep Jewish dietary laws, and follow other commandments while confessing Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God.

They also observed ritual purity laws and Jewish festivals, seeking to remain faithful to the Torah. Jerome described them as believers who accepted Christ without abandoning the Law of Moses.

Their practices closely resembled those of the earliest Jewish Christians described in the Book of Acts. However, church leaders increasingly viewed this continued Torah observance as incompatible with the New Covenant.

Unlike the Ebionites, the Nazarenes combined belief in Christ's divinity with continued obedience to the Law. After the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, they no longer practiced animal sacrifices, but they continued to observe both moral and ceremonial commandments.

These communities survived into the fourth century, especially in Syria and Palestine, where they worshiped in ways similar to Jewish synagogues while also proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. This unique combination of Jewish identity and Christian faith eventually faded as the Byzantine Church enforced Nicene orthodoxy.

Paul and Gentile Believers

Unlike the Ebionites, the Nazarenes accepted the Apostle Paul and his letters as Scripture.

Epiphanius criticized them by quoting passages from Galatians, showing that they recognized Paul's writings even though they continued to keep the Torah. They appear to have understood Paul's teachings as applying primarily to Gentile believers rather than to Jewish followers of Jesus.

As a result, they accepted Paul's authority while maintaining that Jewish Christians should continue observing the Law. This placed them somewhere between mainstream Christianity and the more radical Jewish-Christian groups that rejected Paul entirely.

The Nazarenes also maintained a distinctly Jewish identity. Although there is no evidence that they required Gentile converts to keep the entire Torah, their communities remained centered on Jewish customs such as circumcision, Sabbath observance, and dietary laws. Their approach reflected the traditions of the early Jerusalem church rather than the more universal mission that became characteristic of Gentile Christianity.

Key Texts Associated with the Nazarenes

The Gospel of the Nazarenes: Content and Surviving Fragments

The Gospel of the Nazarenes (also called the Gospel of the Nazoraeans) was an early Christian text written in Aramaic and used by Jewish-Christian Nazarene communities. According to early church writers, it closely resembled the Gospel of Matthew but included additional stories, different wording, and unique passages that reflected Nazarene beliefs about Jesus and the continued importance of following the Torah.

No complete copy of this gospel has survived. Everything we know about it comes from short quotations preserved by early church fathers, especially Jerome (c. AD 347–420), who said he found a copy in the library at Caesarea and translated parts of it into Greek and Latin.

Another church father, Epiphanius of Salamis (c. AD 310–403), also mentioned the gospel in his Panarion. He distinguished it from the gospel used by the Ebionites, noting that it was written in Aramaic and used by the Nazarenes, although his comments were brief and often critical.

Most scholars believe the Gospel of the Nazarenes was written during the second century AD or later, making it later than the Gospel of Matthew. Rather than preserving the earliest form of Matthew, it appears to be an expanded version that reflects Nazarene beliefs. It emphasizes Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy, highlights his miracles and ethical teachings, and presents him within a strongly Jewish framework. It also supports continued Torah observance while accepting Jesus as the Messiah, including belief in his virgin birth and divine sonship—beliefs that separated the Nazarenes from the Ebionites.

Today, only about 30 to 40 short fragments survive. Most come from Jerome's commentaries on Matthew, Isaiah, and Ephesians, as well as his letters and Against Pelagius. Some notable examples include:

• The temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11): Jesus commands Satan, described as a "ministering angel," to return to his prison, reflecting themes common in Jewish apocalyptic literature.
• The infancy narrative: An expanded account describes Joseph discovering Mary weaving in the Temple and becoming concerned about her pregnancy until an angel assures him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
• The rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16–22): Jesus asks whether the man has kept the commandments, including an added reference to honoring one's father and mother, emphasizing obedience to the Torah before seeking perfection.
• The Sermon on the Mount: One saying reads, "Never be joyful except when you see your brother loving righteousness," highlighting the importance of righteous living within the community.
• After the resurrection: Jesus appears to his disciples and instructs them to teach all nations to obey everything he commanded, presenting the Great Commission from a Torah-observant perspective.

Epiphanius quoted very little from the gospel itself but stated that the Nazarenes used it to support both faith in Christ and continued observance of the Torah, unlike the Ebionites, who rejected Paul's letters.

Scholars continue to debate whether all of these fragments came from a single book. Some, including Petri Luomanen, argue that the "Gospel of the Nazarenes" may be a modern label for several different Aramaic traditions rather than one unified gospel.

Jerome's translations remain valuable historical evidence, but they must be used carefully because he sometimes interpreted the text in ways that supported his own theological arguments against groups he considered heretical.

References

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