04-29-2012, 02:23 AM
Greetings,
As this is my first post, perhaps I'll give a brief introduction.
My name is Grant Hall, and I was baptized as "Petros" or "Kefa". I'm a 28 year old father of three, and husband to a beautiful wife. Three years ago God radically got hold of me and changed my life. He took me from a life of alcoholism, drug abuse, and gang violence, and gave me a new heart, one that loves Him, and seeks Him.
My search for God led me to the Scriptures, where I would study for up to 8 hours a day, with my brother and best firend who God also brought out of the world, along with me. However it did not take long before we realised that what we were seeing in the Word, was not lining up with what we were seeing in the Church. Most notably, God's Law was not being taught.
This disheartened us greatly, and caused us great confusion, we all stumbled, and my brother fell. I am only just, through much pain, again taking up the Sword of the Spirit to make war against my flesh. During my confusion I asked many times, if I was a wolf, or a heretic, praying to God to kill me rather than to let me lead His sheep astray. It was a dark time of my life.
I began to read the Church Fathers hoping to find that they atleast kept God's Law, but other than a few writings (the first Epistle of Clement, Didache etc) I found that almost universily they rejected God's Law and condemned those who kept it as Heretics. I began to give up, and think that maybe they were right, as I did so, the sin in my life consumned me once more. It was then that the first flicker of light dawned on me. There in Justin Martyr's dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Justin made mention of Christians who kept the Law of Moses, he said there were those who kept the Law and did not force others to, he considered them brothers, then there were those that kept the Law and tried to teach others to also, he considered them heretics. I was in the latter camp, but I thought atleast this shows that there were others like me.
I continued to search and eventually found that there was a group called the Nazarenes, these were the first group of Torah-observant Christians that I had come across that weren't heretics (didn't deny the Deity of Messiah, the Virgin Birth, etc). It was then that I began to seek for them, were they still around. My first research told me they disapeared in the 4th Century, but then I found mention of them in the 10th and 11th Cetnuries, but by then they were a small group. I found mention of Nazarenes in India that may have stayed true to the faith right up til the 16th Century, but then the Portugese Catholics persecuted them as "Judaizers" and "converted" them.
I haven't given up hope yet, and I see that there are others too, that are searching, and fighting to Restore "the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints". This gives me great hope and joy.
Finally, this brings us to the purpose of my posting here. During my research, I came across this quote, by Macarios III Zaim, the Patriarch of Antioch from 1647 to 1672.
My question is, who are these Nazarenes that he speaks of? Are they the very same Nazarenes mentioned by the early "Church Fathers"? Or are they a different group? I hope that someone here may have the answers I am searching for.
Thankyou for your time,
Shalom,
Kefa.
As this is my first post, perhaps I'll give a brief introduction.
My name is Grant Hall, and I was baptized as "Petros" or "Kefa". I'm a 28 year old father of three, and husband to a beautiful wife. Three years ago God radically got hold of me and changed my life. He took me from a life of alcoholism, drug abuse, and gang violence, and gave me a new heart, one that loves Him, and seeks Him.
My search for God led me to the Scriptures, where I would study for up to 8 hours a day, with my brother and best firend who God also brought out of the world, along with me. However it did not take long before we realised that what we were seeing in the Word, was not lining up with what we were seeing in the Church. Most notably, God's Law was not being taught.
This disheartened us greatly, and caused us great confusion, we all stumbled, and my brother fell. I am only just, through much pain, again taking up the Sword of the Spirit to make war against my flesh. During my confusion I asked many times, if I was a wolf, or a heretic, praying to God to kill me rather than to let me lead His sheep astray. It was a dark time of my life.
I began to read the Church Fathers hoping to find that they atleast kept God's Law, but other than a few writings (the first Epistle of Clement, Didache etc) I found that almost universily they rejected God's Law and condemned those who kept it as Heretics. I began to give up, and think that maybe they were right, as I did so, the sin in my life consumned me once more. It was then that the first flicker of light dawned on me. There in Justin Martyr's dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Justin made mention of Christians who kept the Law of Moses, he said there were those who kept the Law and did not force others to, he considered them brothers, then there were those that kept the Law and tried to teach others to also, he considered them heretics. I was in the latter camp, but I thought atleast this shows that there were others like me.
I continued to search and eventually found that there was a group called the Nazarenes, these were the first group of Torah-observant Christians that I had come across that weren't heretics (didn't deny the Deity of Messiah, the Virgin Birth, etc). It was then that I began to seek for them, were they still around. My first research told me they disapeared in the 4th Century, but then I found mention of them in the 10th and 11th Cetnuries, but by then they were a small group. I found mention of Nazarenes in India that may have stayed true to the faith right up til the 16th Century, but then the Portugese Catholics persecuted them as "Judaizers" and "converted" them.
I haven't given up hope yet, and I see that there are others too, that are searching, and fighting to Restore "the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints". This gives me great hope and joy.
Finally, this brings us to the purpose of my posting here. During my research, I came across this quote, by Macarios III Zaim, the Patriarch of Antioch from 1647 to 1672.
Quote:God perpetuate the empire of the Turks for ever and ever! For they take their impost, and enter no account of religion, be their subjects Christians or Nazarenes, Jews or Samaritians; whereas these accursed Poles were not content with taxes and tithes from the brethren of Christ
My question is, who are these Nazarenes that he speaks of? Are they the very same Nazarenes mentioned by the early "Church Fathers"? Or are they a different group? I hope that someone here may have the answers I am searching for.
Thankyou for your time,
Shalom,
Kefa.