The Natsarene (“Nazarene”) Religion – Pt. 5
What’s in a name? In the preceding post I suggested that a number of “core” sayings found in the Christian scriptures have already been extensively redacted. They are not the ipsissima verba of the “lost” prophet whom I propose existed in history (certainly not Jesus of Nazareth). Rather, those sayings are the product of a fairly complex and sophisticated religious tradition. For convenience I may sometimes call that tradition “Nazoreanism” and the movement to which it refers the “Nazarene” movement. This terminology is somewhat incorrect, however, for the movement that these posts describe was never Hellenist but existed purely in the Semitic realm. Hence, it should not be referred to by a term derived from Greek which contains the “z” … Continue reading