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The Judaizers

Judaize – “To live like a Jew” (Galatians 2:14), or “To make someone live like a Jew” Judaizer – “One who Judaizes others”

On The One Hand…  was a Jew.  “The Twelve Apostles” & “The Seventy Disciples” were all .  Jesus commissioned the Twelve (and the Seventy) to evangelize Jews only. (Matthew 10:5; cf. Luke 10).  The earliest believers in the were all Jews.  The early Church consisted of Jewish believers.  The early Church used the Jewish Scriptures as the inspired & authoritative Word of .  The early Church only evangelized Jews. (Acts 11:19)

On The Other Hand…  The Abrahamic anticipated the evangelization of . (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14)  The of Jesus mandated the evangelization of Gentiles. (Matthew 28:18-20)  God called Peter to evangelize the Gentiles specifically. (Acts 10:1-11:18)  After Peter opened the door, other Jewish believers specifically evangelized Gentiles. (Acts 11:20-26)

The Origin of the In AD 47 (a Jewish Sabbatical Year), within the Church at Jerusalem, travelled to the Church at , Syria, and falsely represented that the Apostle James (Jesus’ half-brother & leader of the Church at Jerusalem) expected these Gentiles to proselytize to (by being circumcised & keeping the ). Peter, who was in Antioch at the time, caved in to their pressure, and withdrew his fellowship from those believers who had not proselytized. Because of Peter’s poor example, also withdrew his fellowship. The Apostles Paul immediately & publicly denounced their misrepresentation of the Gospel message. (Acts 15:1-2; Galatians 2:11-16)

The Inspired Response The Church at Antioch sent Barnabas & Paul (who took along with them his student, the uncircumcised Gentile believer, Titus) to the Church at Jerusalem to resolve the issue. The Pharisee believers presented their case. A repentant Peter gave his input. Barnabas & Paul gave testimony about their work among the uncircumcised Gentiles. James summed everything up with some Scripture and then offered the inspired response which was then formulated into a circular letter that should have ended the matter. (Acts 15:2-35; Galatians 2:1-11)

The Persistence of the Heresy was Addressed by Paul  Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (AD 48) was specifically written about the issue.  Paul’s Letter to the Romans (AD 57 or 58) touches upon the issue, especially Chapters 14-15.  Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (AD 61 or 62) warns against the Judaizers in Chapter 3.  Paul’s First Letter to Timothy (c. AD 63) alludes to this heresy in Chapter 4.  Paul’s Letter to Titus (c. AD 63) also alludes to this heresy in Chapters 1 & 3.

Early Versions of this Heresy

The (Hebrew for “Poor Ones”)1  Taught that the Law was binding on those believing in Jesus  Considered Paul an apostate from the Law and therefore rejected his writings  Used only the (as they understood it) o While one group of Ebionites accepted the “Virgin Birth,” another rejected this doctrine o The Ebionites distinguished between the man “Jesus” & the “Spirit of Christ” who only dwelt within Jesus from immersion to death  Oddly enough, it was an Ebionite priest who encouraged Muhammed’s early teaching during the early 600s

The Nazarenes of the 4th Century (Jordan, Iraq & Iran) were basically Ebionites who accepted the Virgin Birth

The Pasagians of 12th & 13th Centuries (Lombardy, northern Italy), were basically Ebionites who thought that Jesus was the highest created being through whom everything else was created

Modern Versions of this Heresy

Seventh Day Baptists  Originated in England, during the early 1600s  Came to Rhode Island during the middle 1600s & spread from there

Seventh Day Adventists  arose out of Baptist “Second Coming” Cult in the 1840s  They accepted the teaching of Ellen G. White during the 1860s  A core group of these Adventists adopted a strict form of

Church of God (Seventh Day) is a version of Seventh-Day Adventism which rejected the teachings of Ellen G. White

World-wide Church of God is a version of the Church of God (Seventh Day) which accepted the teaching of Herbert W. Armstrong during the 1930s-1990s. Armstrong taught a form of British- Israelism (that the British people are ethnic Israelis & therefore the object of Biblical ).

1 Irenaeus, Against , Book 1, Chapter 26, Paragraphs 1-2