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Ebionites
Ebionites A fringe group of christians of Jewish descent. Pausl's controversy with Jewish Christians expressed vehemently in Gal. did not spell the end of their way of life and thinking. After the Fall of Jerusalem (70 CE) Christians of similar outlook, Ebionites, were found in small numbers in Syria continuing to observe the Sabbath and other Jewish customs. The apocryphal gospel of the Hebrews, with a favourable account of James the Lord's brother (cf. Acts 15: 13–21), may have emanated from this circle. They were unpopular with Jews for being Christians and treated by gentile Christians as heretics. However, the Christian Apologist Justin Martyr (about 150 CE) defended their way of life as being in line with that of the primitive Church at Jerusalem. Irenaeus the Church Father (about 190 CE) deplored their rejection of the tradition of the virgin birth of Jesus. The name, meaning ‘the poor’ in Hebrew, conveys reminiscences of Paul's references to the Jerusalem Christians (e.g. Rom. 15: 26) but the notion of Tertullian, around 200 CE, that they derived their name from a certain Ebion is improbable. Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, about 380 CE attacks the Ebionites for their heretical Christology. He quotes their gospel of the Hebrews which omits Jesus' birth and regards his baptism as the moment of divine initiative. ‘The Ebionites say that the Spirit, which is Christ, came into him and clothed him who was called Jesus.’ They are said to have used only the gospel of Matthew—presumably without its first two chapters.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ebionites." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ebionites." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Ebionites.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ebionites." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Ebionites.html |
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Ebionites
Ebionites. An ascetic sect of Jewish Christians which flourished on the E. of the R. Jordan in the early years of the Christian era. Their main tenets seem to have been: (1) a ‘reduced’ doctrine of the Person of Christ, to the effect, e.g., that Jesus was the human son of Joseph and Mary and that the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove lighted on Him at His Baptism, and (2) overemphasis on the binding character of the Mosaic Law. They are said to have rejected the Pauline Epistles and to have used only one Gospel.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ebionites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ebionites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Ebionites.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ebionites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Ebionites.html |
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Ebionites
Ebionites [Aramaic,=poor], Jewish-Christian sect of rural ancient Palestine, of the first centuries after Jesus. There were two groups, according to Origen. The Judaic Ebionites held closely to Mosaic law and regarded Jesus as a miracle-working prophet and St. Paul as an apostate. Gnostic Ebionites believed Christ to be a spirit, invisible to men, giving him the title "Prophet of the Truth."
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"Ebionites." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ebionites." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ebionite.html "Ebionites." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ebionite.html |
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Ebionites
Ebionites (Heb. ebyōnīm, ‘poor men’). A sect of Jewish Christians of the early centuries CE. The sect emphasized the ordinary humanity of Jesus as the human son of Mary and Joseph, who was then given the Holy Spirit at his baptism; it also adhered to the Jewish Torah.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Ebionites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Ebionites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ebionites.html JOHN BOWKER. "Ebionites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ebionites.html |
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