Five Keys to Restoring Nazarene Judaism
By
James Scott Trimm
In my decades of work on the restoration of Nazarene Judaism, I have discovered five keys, which open the gates to this restoration. These keys are not five doctrines, but five areas of study, that each open gates that allow us to approach the restoration of Nazarene Judaism from a different angle. No one of these approaches gives a complete picture by itself, but together they give a very accurate three dimensional view of who the ancient Nazarenes were.
The first key is that of direct references in the writings of the ancient so-called “Church Fathers” and to a lesser extent, the Rabbis of the Rabbinic literature. From these writings we have direct descriptions of the Nazarenes in the writings of Epiphanius and Jerome. We have sufficient information to differentiate the Nazarenes from the earliest Gentile Christians, and from other groups with academics call “Jewish Christian” sects, such as the Ebionitse. We also have several quotations preserved from the now lost, Gospel according to the Hebrews, as well as the alternate version used by the Ebionites. We also have fragments of an ancient Nazarene Commentary on Isaiah, quoted in Jerome’s Isaiah commentary. We can also look to information about the earliest Christians as potential traces of some Nazarene elements, especially in regard to which books should be seen as canonical. Finally we have the footprints of the early apostasy from Nazarene Judaism towards Gentile Christianity preserved in these writings. One thing I have learned, is to check primary sources. Academics frequently make assumptions about the ancient Nazarenes, which cannot actually be supported by these sources.
The second key is that of the Hebrew and/or Aramaic origin of the books commonly known as the “New Testament”. The ancient Nazarene Ketuvim Netzarim (“Writings of the Nazarenes”) were not originally written in Greek, but in Hebrew and/or Aramaic. Hebrew and Aramaic are very similar cognate languages that use the same 22 letter alef-beit, share many of the same verbal root as to vocabulary, and much of the same grammar. As we seek to understand what the ancient Nazarenes actually said, it is important to approach their writings in light of the language in which they were written. We can do this by researching extant Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts of the books, as well as by looking at the underlying Hebrew and/or Aramaic of the Greek, Latin and other early versions of these books, especially as found in the Western Text Type, which contains far more Semitisms than the other text types. This is a vast area of study, and we have only scratched the surface.
The third key is the relationship between the ancient Nazarenes and what may be known of the ancient Jewish sect of the Essenes, as found in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, Flavius Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Despite attempts to derail this important area of research, it is very clear that the Dead Sea Scroll authors were Essenes. And the authentic Essenes should not be confused with some modern New Age “Essenes” and some modern forgeries attributed to “Essenes” (Essene Gospel of Peace, Gospel of the Holy Twelve. Gospel of the Nazarine and other such modern hoax documents). A study of this material gives us important parallels and contrasts with the Nazarenes that often contextualizes certain elements in the Ketuvim Netzarim in terms of Second Temple Era Judaism. (For Example, understanding Paul’s use of the phrase “Works of the Law”, the ministry of Yochanan the Immerser etc. )
The fourth key is the relationship between the ancient Nazarenes and what may be known of the ancient Jewish sect of the Pharisees, and reflected in the early Rabbinic Literature. This literature includes the Targums, the Mishna, the Talmuds, and the early Midrashim. A study of this material, also often gives important parallels and contrasts with Nazarenes that also often contextualizes certain elements in the Ketuvim Netzarim in terms of Second Temple Era Judaism.
The fifth key requires some explanation. The key to the ancient Nazarene view of the Three Pillars of the Godhead and the Messiah as the Middle Pillar of the Godhead, finds its parallel in the Jewish Kabbalah. This concept can be shown, not only to have it’s parallels in the Ketuvim, Netarim and what may be known of the Nazarenes historically, but also in the writings of Philo of Alexandrai, testifying to their Second Temple Era context. I was first shown this material (in the literature of the Kabbalah) by my mentor, Rabbi Moyal who mas an Orthodox Israeli Rabbi who had become a believer in Yeshua as Messiah. It was he who first showed me the truth about this issue.
These five keys open doors to the restoration of the ancient sect of Nazarene Judaism, the original Jewish followers of Yeshua as the Messiah. Doing this work requires a knowledge of the writings of the so-called “Church Fathers” as well as those of Philo, Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Targums, the Talmuds, the early Midrashim and the early literature of the Kabbalah (The Sefer Yetzirah, the Bahir, the Zohar etc.) And, of course a knowledge of Hebrew and Aramaic (if not also Greek and Latin) as well. One thing I like to do when I study the Ketuvim Netzarim, is to take the Aramaic words used in the Old Syriac and Peshitta manuscripts, and use Jewish lexical resources to search out how those same words are used in the Targums and Talmuds. (Here is a good example of that insight on the word MAKLON in 1Cor. 10:25.) (Or on the Aramaic word SAKA in Rom. 10:4)
A few weeks ago someone criticized the work of this ministry telling me “Jesus had already done all of the work that needed to be done.” But the truth is that much of this work, which is essential to the last days restoration of the ancient sect of Nazarene Judaism, still needs to be done. I have spent a lifetime doing this work. I began in the mid 1980’s when I first became a believer in Yeshua as the Messiah, and has continued thru to this very day, for over thirty five years, and there is still much to be done.
I hope that this has helped you understand the unique work of this ministry, and why my life time of studies in these areas have made me uniquely qualified for this work for which I have been called.
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