He Shall be Called a Nazarene

He Shall be Called a Nazarene
by
James Scott Trimm

In the King James Version of Matthew we read:

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,
He shall be called a Nazarene.
(Matthew 2:23 KJV)

And came and dwelt in the city of Natzaret:
to fulfill what was spoken by the mouth of the prophet,
for He will be called Natzaret.
(Matthew 2:23 HRV)

The Hebrew (Shem Tob, DuTillet and Munster) and Aramaic (Old Syriac and Peshitta) all have singular “prophet” while the Greek has “prophets”.

Anti-missionaries have claimed that there is no such prophecy and that the reference was simply invented. Of course there is no motive for the author of Matthew to cite a prophecy that did not exist, as doing so would only discredit his book.

Several answers have been proposed to this "problem" passage:

One suggestion has been that the reference is simply a drash interpretation of the passages which prophecy that the Messiah would be "dispised and rejected by men" (Is. 53:3) "a worm... a reproach of men, and despised of the people." (Ps. 22:6) as we read of Nazareth "Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (Jn. 1:46)

Another possible answer is that the prophecy may refer to Isaiah 11:1 in which the Messiah is referred to as “the branch” (Heb: NETZER).

One final answer is that this exact wording once appeared in a lost book of the Bible.

In fact there are several books of the Tanak which have since become lost or removed. For example the books known as the "Apocrypha" (1Esdras, 2Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, 1Maccabees, 2Maccabees, 3Maccabees and 4Maccabees). Another example is the Book of Enoch which was lost in ancient times and not recovered until fairly modern times. When Jude writes:

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
(Jude 1:14-15 KJV)

This is actually quoting 1Enoch 1:9.

Another example can be found in the Tanak itself. The Book of Jasher is twice cited in the Tanak: "Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?" (Joshua 10:13) "Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher." (2 Samuel 1:18)

The Fourth Century "Church Father" Jerome indicates that he was well aware of both Greek and Hebrew versions of the source document for the prophecy "He shall be called a Nazarene" (Matt. 2:23) writing:

To these belong the two:
Out of Egypt have I called my son.
and For he shall be called a Nazarene.
(Jerome; of Illustrious Men 3)

This brings us to another comment Jerome makes about another prophecy quoted in the Book of Matthew. In the Greek text of Matthew 27:9-10 (as well as in the DuTillet and Munster Hebrew texts) a prophecy is attributed to Jeremiah which is not to be found in our current text of Jeremiah, but a very similar passage does appear in Zech. 11:12-13. (However in the Shem Tob Hebrew and the Old Syriac and Peshitta Aramaic versions have only "the Prophet" and not "The Prophet Jeremiah" (Some Shem Tob texts have "The Prophet Zechariah").)

According to Jerome these exact words (in Matt. 27:9-10) actually appeared in a (now lost) Apocryphon of Jeremiah (2nd Jeremiah?) which was in the hands of the fourth century Nazarenes:

"Recently I read in a certain Hebrew book
that a Hebrew from the Nazarene sect brought to me,
the apocryphon of Jeremiah, in which I found this text
written word for word."
(Jerome; Commentary on Matthew 27:9)

Certainly the passage in Matthew 2:23 may also have appeared in this Apocryphon of Jeremiah.

In fact it is likely that all of these explanations are part of the truth. The Nazarene Apocryphon of Jeremiah may well have include this prophecy. This was part of a series of prophecies identifying the Messiah as "The Branch" and which also was partially fulfilled in the fact that Messiah would be despised and rejected, and the saying of the time was "Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (Jn. 1:46).

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Comment by Lew White on June 8, 2012 at 9:22am: This is a wonderful exposition concerning our identity as the sect of first-followers of Yahusha ha'Mashiach.

The quote from Jerome attests that Natsarim actually existed during the 4th century, and that there may still be "lost scrolls" yet to be discovered, such as the one Jerome described:

"Recently I read in a certain Hebrew book
that a Hebrew from the Nazarene sect brought to me,
the apocryphon of Jeremiah, in which I found this text
written word for word."
(Jerome; Commentary on Matthew 2:23)

Comment by Wayne Ingalls on June 8, 2012 at 12:37pm: Fragments of the Apocryphon of Jeremiah were found in Cave 4 at Qumran.

Comment by Elliot Hass on June 8, 2012 at 4:35pm: From that you get the Nazarene sect. Everyone wants a title or thinks they have it right in religion. Follow Torah, don't follow religion. Yeshua is the goal of Torah. Be followers of the Way or Path of Yehovah. In the Hebrew, i call it the halacha of Yeshua. I am satisfied just being a Yehud follower of Yeshua in the scriptures and in Spirit. Why aren't most of you?

Comment by James Trimm on June 8, 2012 at 6:22pm: Elliot,

By no means, the mention of "Nazarenes" in Jerome's commentary to Matt. 2:23 is simply in passing.

There is much more evidence which goes into much greater detail elsewhere:

The Book of Acts mentions that the first believers in Yeshua were a Jewish sect known as "Nazarenes" or in Hebrew "Netzarim" (Acts 24:5).

The "church father" Jerome (4th Cent.) described these Nazarenes as those "...who accept Messiah in such a way that they do not cease to observe the old Law." (Jerome; On. Is. 8:14).

Elsewhere he writes:

Today there still exists among the Jews in all the synagogues of the East a heresy which is called that of the Minæans (1), and which is still condemned by the Pharisees; [its followers] are ordinarily called 'Nazarenes'; they believe that Messiah, the son of God, was born of the Virgin Miriam, and they hold him to be the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate and ascended to heaven, and in whom we also believe."
(Jerome; Letter 75 Jerome to Augustine)

The fourth century "church father" Epiphanius gives a more detailed description:

But these sectarians... did not call themselves Christians--but "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 G-d is one, and that his son is Yeshua the Messiah. They are trained to a nicety in Hebrew. For among them the entire Law, the Prophets, and the... Writings... are read in Hebrew, as they surely are by the Jews. They are different from the Jews, and different from Christians, only in the following. They disagree with Jews because they have come to faith in Messiah; but since they are still fettered by the Law--circumcision, the Sabbath, and the rest-- they are not in accord with Christians.... they are nothing but Jews....

They have the Goodnews according to Matthew in its entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear that they still preserve this, in the Hebrew alphabet, as it was originally written." (Epiphanius; Panarion 29)

(1) "Minæans" apparently Latinized from Hebrew MINIM (singular is MIN) a word which in modern Hebrew means "apostates" but was originally an acronym for a Hebrew phrase meaning "Believers in Yeshua the Nazarene".

Comment by J. Jury (אליהוא) on June 8, 2012 at 7:12pm: Has the Jeremiah apocryphon ever been found? Is there any connection to 4 Baruch?

Comment by Obadiah Robinson on June 8, 2012 at 7:43pm: I think you might find this discussion interesting. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/textualcriticism/message/5580

Comment by James Trimm on June 8, 2012 at 11:20pm: For the record I made a correction to the article. Jerome's comment was in reference to the prophecy in Matt. 27:9-10 and not 2:23 although Jerome makes another comment about 2:23 that seems to point back to the fact that Jerome was aware of the original Hebrew source for the citation in 2:23 which creates a strong likelihood that it was the same Jeremiah Apocryphon.

Comment by James Trimm on June 8, 2012 at 11:41pm: Could this Apocryphon of Jeremiah also be the source for 2Maccabees 2:1-11?

[1] It is also found in the records, that Jeremy the prophet commanded them that were carried away to take of the fire, as it hath been signified:
[2] And how that the prophet, having given them the law, charged them not to forget the commandments of the Lord, and that they should not err in their minds, when they see images of silver and gold, with their ornaments.
[3] And with other such speeches exhorted he them, that the law should not depart from their hearts.
[4] It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God.
[5] And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door.
[6] And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it.
[7] Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy.
[8] Then shall the Lord shew them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses, and as when Solomon desired that the place might be honourably sanctified.
[9] It was also declared, that he being wise offered the sacrifice of dedication, and of the finishing of the temple.
[10] And as when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the sacrifices: even so prayed Solomon also, and the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offerings.
[11] And Moses said, Because the sin offering was not to be eaten, it was consumed.
(2Macc. 2:1-11 KJV)

Comment by James Trimm on June 8, 2012 at 11:45pm: There is a document in the DSS that some have identified as AN "Apocryphon of Jeremiah" (there are only a few tiny fragments). It is part of a document of which only fragments survive. Some identify the document in question as "Prophecy Apocryphon" while others see the fragments to be of a scroll that contained all or portions of multiple documents which included an Apocryphon of Jeremiah, and Apocryphon of Ezekiel and an Apocryphon of Moses. Those that follow this theory are not always in agreement as to which fragments belong to which document

Also the Coptic Apocryphon of Jeremiah is heavily Christianized, but many scholars believe that it was Christianized later and was originally Jewish in origin.