“He that has My mitzvot, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he who loves Me, shall be loved by My Abba, and I will love him, and will reveal Myself to him,” Yochanan 14:21.
We know from scripture that Yeshua’s followers kept the Shabat and Jewish festivals (Acts 13:13-15; 17:2). We see that up until this time the Church in Jerusalem was very Jewish. This situation continued on throughout the first century and well into the second century.
The title Nazarenes, wrongly called “men from Narareth,” is first applied to the Jewish believers in the Messiah Yeshua by Tertullus (Acts 24:5), though Herod Agrippa II (in Acts 26:28) uses the Greek term “Christians” which had first been used at Antioch (Acts 11:26).
The first Christians were all Jews or Greek proselytes, either by birth or conversion, They differed from other contemporary Jews only in their acceptance of Yeshua as the Messiah, referred to by historians as the Jewish Christians.
In 330 A.D. “church father” Epiphanius of Salamis gives a detailed description of the new faith in Yeshua by the Netzerim in Panarion 29:
“We shall especially consider the heretics who call themselves Nazarenes; however they are simply complete Jews. They use not only the New Testament but the Old Testament as well, as the Jews do… They have no different ideas, but confess everything exactly as the Law proclaims it and in the Jewish fashion– except for their belief in Messiah, if you please! For they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and the divine creation of all things, and declare that God is one, and that his son is Yeshua the Messiah. They are trained to a nicety in Hebrew.; for they, like the Jews, read the whole law-Torah , then the Prophets. They differ from the Jews because they believe in Meshiach and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jews rites, such as circumcision, the Shabbat, and other ceremonies . Otherwise, this sect of the Nazarenes thrives most vigorously in the state of Berea, Coele-Syria, in Decapolis, around Pella, and in Bashan. After they departed from Jerusalem, they made their start from here, as all the disciples dwelt in Pella, having been warned by Meshiach to depart Yerushalayim and emigrate because of imminent danger”
Up to 70 A.D. , when Romans destroyed Jerusalem, Jews accepted the Netzarim–Nazarines in their synogogues. In 130 A.D. it was decreed that the Netzarim-Nazarene were heretics and the amidah (prayer) was changed, placing a curse on the Netzarim if they recited this prayer by denying Yeshua the Messiah. Also during that time The Rabbis tried to preserve the Jewish heritage and their traditions.
According to Eusebius’ History of the Church 4.5.3–4: the first 15 Bishops of Jerusalem starting from James, brother of Yeshua, were “of the circumcision”. Romans destroyed the Jewish church leadership in Jerusalem in 135 A.D. because of the Bar Kokhba Revolt, where Netzarim- Nazarenes did not participate because Bar Kokhba was considerate by Jews the Messiah.
At that time Jewish Christianity (Nazarenes) fell into decline by the growing anti-Judaism personified by Marcion (150 A.D.). Nazarenes sought refuge outside the boundaries of the Empire, in Arabia and other places.
Jerome one of the great Fathers of the Church in his Letter 75 demonstrating his Christian love said
“ …In our own day there exists a sect among the Jews throughout all the synagogues of the East, which is called the sect of the Minæans, and is even now condemned by the Pharisees. The adherents to this sect are known commonly as Nazarenes; they believe in Christ the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary; and they say that He who suffered under Pontius Pilate and rose again, is the same as the one in whom we believe. But while they desire to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither the one nor the other. …. If, however, there is for us no alternative but to receive the Jews into the Church, along with the usages prescribed by their law; if, in short, it shall be declared lawful for them to continue in the Churches of Christ what they have been accustomed to practice in the synagogues of Satan, I will tell you my opinion of the matter: they will not become Christians, but they will make us Jews.
NAZARENE HISTORY AND THE ANTI-SEMITISM OF THE “CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF LOVE”
Let see that through history there has always been anti-semitism against the Jews, even thought Yeshua the Messiah of Israel was an Observant of Torah and a Jew. But also shows that “Nazarenes” or “Netzarim” has always existed through out the ages suffering with their fellow brothers the Jews.
–66 A.D.: Head leaders of a number of Ecclesias in Greece and Macedonia favour a Grecian/Latinized religion rather than the Torah-Observant Jerusalem Gospel of Mashiaj.
-140 A.D. –Hegesippus, a Nazarene Christian, he was the first church historian. He quoted largely from the Gospel to the Hebrews, as the final authority on the life and teaching of Yeshua and stated that certain books of the Apocrypha had been forged during his own lifetime.
-306 A.D. The Council of Elvira decrees that Christians and Jews cannot intermarry, have sexual intercourse, or eat together
-313 A.D. Synagogues are outlawed and the Law in the Edict of Milan,.
-315 A.D. In the Edict of Roman Jews are excluded from holding high office or having military careers. Also in the same year Emperor Constantine (315 A.D.) Jews are forbidden to live in Jerusalem.
-321 A.D. It is decreed that all businesses be closed on Sunday by Emperor Constantine .
-325 A.D. Sunday is declared to be the Sabbath day of rest and Conversation and fellowship with Jews is forbidden to the clergy by the Council of Nicea. Also The Roman Catholic Council of Nicaea decided to separate the celebration of Easter from the Jewish Passover.
-345 A.D. Nasrani community born in Kerala, India and the Fallasha of Ethiopia. Among Christian communities of Jewish origin and maintaining some Jewish traditions that survive to this day are the The Nasrani are also known as Syrian Christians or St. Thomas Christians.
-365 A.D. The Council of Laodicea decreed 59 laws, #29: Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.
-381: The Roman Catholic Council of Constantinople issued an Imperial Edict demanding that Jews and Torah-Christians become Catholics.`
–411 CE: Catholic St. Augustine compels Pope Honorius to massacre Torah-Observant Christians.
-438 A.D. The Christian Emperor Theodosius II promulgated a new code of law which excluded Jews from all political and military functions. They were again forbidden to marry Christians, or to own Christian slaves, to hold public office or to build synagogues.
-413 A.D. A group of monks sweep through Palestine, destroying synagogues and massacring Jews at the Western Wall.
-518-527 A.D. Emperor Justin I forbid Jews to make wills, to receive inheritances, to give testimony in court, or to perform any other legal act. From now on they would be second class citizens.
-529 A.D.Emperor, Justinian, produced a new code confirming their legal disabilities.
-In 538 A.D. a Church Council at Orléans again condemned intermariage. It prohibitted Christians and Jews eating together, or mixing at all during Holy Week. Regulations affected all facets of life. Jews were not permitted to give medical aid to Christians, nor to receive it from them.
-From 529-553 A.D. the Code of the emperor Justinian decrees that in Christian Byzantine society Jews cannot read their sacred books in Hebrew in their synagogues, and the Mishnah and other rabbinic interpretations are banned.
-In 538 A. D. the Third Synod of Orléans decrees that Jews cannot show themselves in the streets during Passover Week.
-580 A.D. Jews were being subjected to forcible baptism. But at the same time The British Isles is now full of Torah-Observant Christians (Chuldees). English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish Christians devout Torah-Keepers, 7th. Day Sabbath Observance, Kashrut Law, Civil and Ceremonial Laws all reflect Torah adherence.
–610 CE: Thousands of Jews and Torah-observant Christians killed in Spain by Roman Church.
-694 A.D. A Church Council in Toledo declared all Jews to be slaves. Their possessions were to be confiscated and their children seized – to be converted to Christianity.
-738 A.D.: St. Boniface, Roman Catholic persecutor of Jews and Torah-Observant Christians terrorises western Germany.
-800-1100 A.D. Thousands of Jewish families resettle Spain and Portugal, building Universities, hospitals, schools, highways, etc. (only to have them forcibly taken from them in 1492).
-863 A.D.: Slavic Jews and Torah-Observant Christians forced into Catholicism by Roman Catholic Armies.
-By 1010 A.D. local Jewish populations were being routinely massacred in Europe, notably in Rome, Orléans, Rouen, Limoges, and throughout the Rhineland.
-In 1050 A. D. the Synod of Narbonne decrees that Christians are not permitted to live in Jewish homes.
–1069 A.D. Scotland –The Torah-Observant Celtic Christians are severely punished by Hungarian-born, Queen Margaret, (Roman Catholic wife of King Malcolm Canmore) of Scotland. They were persecuted, punished and ordered to stop observing the Saturday Sabbath and Jewish Passover in favour of Sunday Observance and Roman Catholic Easter/Crucifixion.
-1179 A.D. The Third Lateran Council, which added further restrictions also said that Christians living with Jews were to be excommunicated.
-In 1229 A.D. Pope Gregory IX declared that it is the duty of every Catholic to persecute heretics.
-In 1267 A. D. Pope Clement IV instructs the Franciscans and Dominicans to deal with the “new Christians” who had reverted to Judaism.* Also in 1267 the Synod of Vienna decrees that Christians cannot attend Jewish ceremonies, and Jews cannot dispute with simple Christian people about the Catholic religion. The same Pope ordered the Inquisition to proceed against Christians who converted to Judaism.
-In thirteenth century England a young deacon fell in love with a Jews and converted to Judaism. For this he was degraded and excommunicated by a Church Council at Oxford in 1222, then burned alive .
-In the 15th Century, in Kiev they use the expression “Zhidovstvuyuschiye” loosely translated as “those who follow Jewish traditions” or “those who think like Jews”. They renounced the Holy Trinity and the divine status of Yeshua, monasticism, ecclesiastic hierarchy, ceremonies, and immortality of soul. The councils of the Russian Orthodox church outlawed religious and non-religious books and initiated their burning, sentenced a number of people to death, sent adherents into exile, and excommunicated them. In the early 19th century, a number of communities appeared in Tula, Voronezh and Tambov, which followed Jewish traditions and halacha.
–During the Nazi Era the leaders of the German Evangelical Church have therefore decided not to accept Jewish Christians as members of the Church community.
All this “wonderfull belivers of the Gospel of Love” of Jesus (False Messiah created by the early church of Rome), express their love of God through destroying the lifes of thousands that love the real Messiahs Yeshua and the Observancy of Torah, and also the Jewish communities around the world.
Blessings
Rabbi Yosef Ben Marques © 2018
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Compiled data from: https://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.catholicarrogance.org/Catholic/ChurchvsJews.html
http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/mine/timeline.htm
http://www.heretication.info/_jews.html History of the Church by Eusebio of Paul L. Maier
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