Notzrim

The original Notzrim from Hebrew נֹצְרִים "sentry" or "watchmen", for those who "keep safe" the original teachings; also Nasaraioi/Nasoraean, a sect which began as a Gnostic movement during the reign of the Hasmonean queen Alexandra Helene Salome among Hellenized supporters of Rome in Judea. They are descendants of fallen angels mentioned in the book of Jubilees as led by Shemyaza.

It appears that the Nasoraeans were originally composed at least partly of Jews (viz., Israeli-Samaritans) beginning long before the Christian Era, whose teachings may have had some “gnostic” leanings. The sect was apparently centered in the areas of Coele-Syria, Galilee and Samaria (essentially corresponding to the long-defunct state of Northern Israel).

The Orthodox Church Father Epiphanius writes: “there were Nasoraeans amongst the Jews before the time of Christ.” They were said to have rejected temple sacrifice and the Torah, but adhered to other Jewish practice. They are described as eschewing the consumption of meat, that is, as being vegetarian. Following the teachings of the Prophets above the Priestly rituals, they are considered Minim (heretics) by the Pharisee-derived Rabbinic Judaism. They were members of a non-priestly congregation that counted Jeremiah as an early leader five centuries before. Key teachings are that sacrifices were created by the priesthood to feed the Priests, and are not in accord with God's Law.

The famous Notzrim of the pre-Christian era (in existence during the reign of King Yannai –Alexander Jannnaeus) included a rebellious student mentioned in the Baraitas as Yeshu Ha-Notzri and his followers. Some scholars identify this individual as the Christian Jesus of Nazareth, although the identification has been contested, as Yeshu ha-Notzri is depicted as living ca. 100 BCE.

According to a Mandaean Ms., the Haran Gawaita, John the Baptist is baptized, initiated, and educated by the patron of the Nasirutha ("secret knowledge") Anus or Anus-’uthra, the hierophant of the sect. This research was conducted by the Oxford scholar, and specialist on the Nasoraeans, Dr. E. S. Drower. However, toward the end of the work, it is conceded that John’s name may have been inserted at a later date (it appears as Yahia, which is Arabic, not Aramaic).

Drower also asserts that the Church Fathers Hippolytus and Eusebius describe Simon Magus, the Samaritan sorcerer of biblical fame (Acts 8:9ff), as a Nasoraean, and a disciple of John the Baptist.

The author of the pseudo-Clementine Homilies (Bk. II, xxiii-xxiv), also describes Simon Magus as a disciple of John the Baptist and a Nasoraean. They (the Homilies) also state that the immediate successor to John was another Samaritan named Dositheus, elected as leader because Simon happened to be in Egypt at the time of the martyrdom of the Baptist.

Homily (Bk II, xxiv) recounts that when Simon returned from Egypt, the two quarreled: Simon’s authority was proved by miracles; thus Dositheus ceded his position as head of the sect and became Simon’s pupil.

The Mandaeans, who consider themselves successors of the pre-Christian Notzrim, claim John the Baptist as a member (and onetime leader) of their sect; and the River Jordan is a central feature of their doctrine of baptism. The term Mandaii itself may be the Aramaic/Mandaean equivalent of the Greek gnosis ("knowledge").

Drower surmises that the Nasoraean hatred for Jews likely originated during a period in which they were in close contact with orthodox Jewry, and when the latter was able to exercise authority over them.

In Arabic they were known as Nasara (نصارى). Epiphanius says it was unlawful for them to eat meat or make sacrifices. According to him they were Jews only by nationality who lived in Gilead, Basham, and the Transjordan. They revered Moses but believed he had received different laws from those accredited to him.

As a result of their efforts to bring the sect back into the folds of Judaism, they also disparaged the Christian books as fiction, though eventually they emerged towards the end of the 1st century as the Christians and Mandaeans. In the Mishnah they are often referred to as Minim ("heretics"). Besides the Mandaeans, they have frequently been connected with groups known as Naaseni, Naasenians, Naassenes.

They are sometimes identified as the group called Nazorei by Filaster, and were certainly one of the earliest key Gnostic sects. These days however the term is most commonly used to refer to various sects of Messianic Jews.

The Notzri movement was particularly popular with the Samaritan Jews. While the Pharisees were waiting for a Messiah who would be a descendant of David, the Samaritans wanted a Messiah who would restore the northern kingdom of Israel. The Samaritans emphasized their partial descent from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who were descended from the Joseph of the Torah. The Samaritans considered themselves to be "B'nei Yoseph" i.e. "sons of Joseph," and since they believed that Jesus had been their Messiah, they would have assumed that he was a "son of Joseph." The Greek speaking population, who had little knowledge of Hebrew and true Jewish traditions, could have easily misunderstood this term and assumed that Joseph was the actual name of Jesus’ father. This conjecture is corroborated by the fact that according to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph's father is named Jacob, just like the Torah Joseph.

One of the several factions of the original Nasoraeans became the very movement known later as the Christian (cf. Acts 24:5, 11:26); as a result the early Christians themselves were for some time before known as Nazarenes (Nazoraios; Matt. 2:23). Therefore, we are providing a link describing that branch of the Nazarene (sect).

References

• The Interlinear Bible, Jay P. Green, Sr. (editor), Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983.
• Drower, E. S., The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1960)
• The Ante-Nicene Fathers (1986 American Edition), vol. viii, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan.

See Also

• Ebionites
• Hebrew Christians
• Jewish Christians
• Kabbalists
• Nazarene (sect)
• Ophites