Nazarenes
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Nazarenes (Greek: ΝΑΖΑΡΗΝΟΙ) would be people from Nazara (ΝΑΖΑΡΑ), as was Jesus being called a Nazarene (ΝΑΖΑΡΗΝΟΣ not to be confused with the ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΩΝ sect) as well as being called a Nazuri (ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΟΣ, i.e. one of the Hillelite Essene-Hasidic ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΟΙ of Nazara that Theodoret wrote about, and who were followed by the ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΩΝΟΙ -comprised of pacified Jewish Zealots and of Sebomenoi) -the two undeciphered words clearly being distinct, but at the same time (according to the Septuagint) related in meaning to the Hebrew root נזר which is not to be confused with נצר. While only Syriac Christians have historically been called Nazraani (ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΩΝΟΣ, classically quite distinct in usage from the now synonymous Arabic term Nasaari -Greek:ΝΑΣΑΡΑΙΟΙ- which was originally used to refer only to Gnostics), the 20th century saw the rise of numerous conflicting groups calling themselves Nazarenes, as well as numerous scholastic misusesages of the term, each offering, usually quite different, interpretations of that word's meaning, based upon one or more elementary linguistic errors.
[edit] Sources
- "Jesus the Pharisee: a new look at the Jewishness of Jesus", Rabbi Harvey Falk, New York, 1985.
