Who was

Jesus the Nazarene

(Jesus the son of Mary, the Nazarene
Yahoshua ben Mariam ha-nosri)

and what were his teachings?

What is a Nazarene?

There are some who say that Jesus was called Nazarene because he was from a tiny, un-known, village with a wide reputation for appostasy and large synagogue, called Nazareth; others that he founded a group called Nazarenes. Jesus could not have founded the sect because the term "Nazarene" was already old enough in Jesus' day that people understood its meaning when Jesus was said to be a Nazarene.

Nazarene could not mean "a person from Nazareth", the village of Nazareth was only given that name when the Emperess Helena demanded a location of that name for one of her shrines.

The term Nazarene came into use about the time of the Hasmonean revolt, for members of a religious sect that dates back to the time of Isaiah.


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א  חֲזוֹן, יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן-אָמוֹץ, אֲשֶׁר חָזָה, עַל-יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם--בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּהוּ יוֹתָם אָחָז יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ, מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה.
Isa 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
יא  לָמָּה-לִּי רֹב-זִבְחֵיכֶם יֹאמַר יְהוָה, שָׂבַעְתִּי עֹלוֹת אֵילִים וְחֵלֶב מְרִיאִים; וְדַם פָּרִים וּכְבָשִׂים וְעַתּוּדִים, לֹא חָפָצְתִּי.
Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

א  דִּבְרֵי עָמוֹס, אֲשֶׁר-הָיָה בַנֹּקְדִים מִתְּקוֹעַ:  אֲשֶׁר חָזָה עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּה מֶלֶךְ-יְהוּדָה, וּבִימֵי יָרָבְעָם בֶּן-יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל--שְׁנָתַיִם, לִפְנֵי הָרָעַשׁ.
Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
כב  כִּי אִם-תַּעֲלוּ-לִי עֹלוֹת וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶם, לֹא אֶרְצֶה; וְשֶׁלֶם מְרִיאֵיכֶם, לֹא אַבִּיט.
Amos 5:22 Yea, though ye offer me burnt-offerings and your meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
כג  הָסֵר מֵעָלַי, הֲמוֹן שִׁרֶיךָ; וְזִמְרַת נְבָלֶיךָ, לֹא אֶשְׁמָע.
Amos 5:23 Take thou away from Me the noise of thy songs; and let Me not hear the melody of thy psalteries.
כד  וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם, מִשְׁפָּט; וּצְדָקָה, כְּנַחַל אֵיתָן.
Amos 5:24 But let justice well up as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

א  דְּבַר-יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה, אֶל-הוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן-בְּאֵרִי, בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּה יוֹתָם אָחָז יְחִזְקִיָּה, מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה--וּבִימֵי יָרָבְעָם בֶּן-יוֹאָשׁ, מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Hos 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
ו  כִּי חֶסֶד חָפַצְתִּי, וְלֹא-זָבַח; וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים, מֵעֹלוֹת.
Hos 6:6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.
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Jesus was a leader in the Nazarene sect.

What are the core Nazarene doctrines?

We are to love the Lord our God with all our body, with all our life, and with all our resources; further, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.


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ד  שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל:  יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, יְהוָה אֶחָד.
Deut 6:4 Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
ה  וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ.
Deut 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
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The Lord our God desires our willing obedience to his simple plan: no more, no less. There is no "sacrifice" or "offering" acceptable as a substitute for obedience.


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יז  וַהֲקִמֹתִי עֲלֵיכֶם צֹפִים, הַקְשִׁיבוּ לְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר; וַיֹּאמְרוּ, לֹא נַקְשִׁיב.
Jer 6:17 And I set watchmen over you: 'Attend to the sound of the shofar', but they said: 'We will not listen.'
יח  לָכֵן, שִׁמְעוּ הַגּוֹיִם; וּדְעִי עֵדָה, אֶת-אֲשֶׁר-בָּם.
Jer 6:18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is against them.
יט  שִׁמְעִי הָאָרֶץ--הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵבִיא רָעָה אֶל-הָעָם הַזֶּה, פְּרִי מַחְשְׁבוֹתָם:  כִּי עַל-דְּבָרַי לֹא הִקְשִׁיבוּ, וְתוֹרָתִי וַיִּמְאֲסוּ-בָהּ.
Jer 6:19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not attended unto My words, and as for My teaching, they have rejected it.
כ  לָמָּה-זֶּה לִי לְבוֹנָה מִשְּׁבָא תָבוֹא, וְקָנֶה הַטּוֹב מֵאֶרֶץ מֶרְחָק; עֹלוֹתֵיכֶם לֹא לְרָצוֹן, וְזִבְחֵיכֶם לֹא-עָרְבוּ לִי.
Jer 6:20 To what purpose is to Me the frankincense that cometh from Sheba, and the sweet cane, from a far country? Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing unto Me.
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The Lord our God FORBIDS idols of any kind; an idol is any object held to have divine attributes.. (a coin is an image but not an idol since it has no "divinity") When oaths are taken on a "holy" book, the book becomes a forbidden idol. "The Idols of Judah", mentioned often, were not statues of the Canaanite Baals, but rather objects of veneration held to have divine attributes.. The Ark of the Covenant, the bronze snake made by Moses, and even the Temple on Zion


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טז  וְהָיָה כִּי תִרְבּוּ וּפְרִיתֶם בָּאָרֶץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה, נְאֻם-יְהוָה--לֹא-יֹאמְרוּ עוֹד אֲרוֹן בְּרִית-יְהוָה, וְלֹא יַעֲלֶה עַל-לֵב; וְלֹא יִזְכְּרוּ-בוֹ וְלֹא יִפְקֹדוּ, וְלֹא יֵעָשֶׂה עוֹד.
Jer 3:16 And it shall come to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more: The ark of the covenant of the LORD; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they make mention of it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more.
ד  הוּא הֵסִיר אֶת-הַבָּמוֹת, וְשִׁבַּר אֶת-הַמַּצֵּבֹת, וְכָרַת, אֶת-הָאֲשֵׁרָה; וְכִתַּת נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה, כִּי עַד-הַיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה הָיוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַטְּרִים לוֹ, וַיִּקְרָא-לוֹ, נְחֻשְׁתָּן.
2 King 18:4 He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah; and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did offer to it; and it was called Nehushtan.
ד  אַל-תִּבְטְחוּ לָכֶם, אֶל-דִּבְרֵי הַשֶּׁקֶר לֵאמֹר:  הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵיכַל יְהוָה, הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵמָּה.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying: 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, are these.'
יד  וְעָשִׂיתִי לַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא-שְׁמִי עָלָיו, אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם בֹּטְחִים בּוֹ, וְלַמָּקוֹם, אֲשֶׁר-נָתַתִּי לָכֶם וְלַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם--כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי, לְשִׁלוֹ.
Jer 7:14 therefore will I do unto the house, whereupon My name is called, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
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How are Nazarenes different from Pharisees or Sadducees?

Sadducees hold that the Torah, the five "books of Moses", are holy and divine, and endow them with political power and the right to judge men's souls.

The Pharisees add oral tradition to the "Holy word", claiming their own political rights and authority over souls.

Nazarenes deny the holy perfection of any book, and deny that the Lord our God authorized ANY person to usurp his place on the Mercy Seat.

How are the Nazarenes different from Christians?

Jesus and all his followers were Nazarenes. Christians have discarded Jesus' teachings to follow the teachings of Saul of Tarsus, a Benjamite Pharisee (Pharisees are not Nazarenes).

The list of Christian doctrines that disagree with Nazarene doctrines is quite long: We do not believe that the Lord our God lied to Ezekiel when he said that forgiveness of sin required true repentance, only;


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כא  וְהָרָשָׁע, כִּי יָשׁוּב מִכָּל-חַטֹּאתָו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְשָׁמַר אֶת-כָּל-חֻקוֹתַי, וְעָשָׂה מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה--חָיֹה יִחְיֶה, לֹא יָמוּת.
Ezk 18:21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
כב  כָּל-פְּשָׁעָיו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, לֹא יִזָּכְרוּ לוֹ:  בְּצִדְקָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר-עָשָׂה, יִחְיֶה.
Ezk 18:22 None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; for his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
כג  הֶחָפֹץ אֶחְפֹּץ מוֹת רָשָׁע, נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה:  הֲלוֹא בְּשׁוּבוֹ מִדְּרָכָיו, וְחָיָה.  {ס}
Ezk 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD; and not rather that he should return from his ways, and live?
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the Christians prate on about 'no forgiveness without blood' , a teaching created by a priesthood that placed mutton on their supper table with 'blood sacrifice.'

Christians also teach that people can "inherit" sin or righteousness, in spite of Ezekiel being told by the Lord our God "All souls belong to me, the soul that dies in sin dies for his own sin. A son does not die for the father's sin, and the father does not die for the son's sin."


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א  וַיְהִי דְבַר-יְהוָה, אֵלַי לֵאמֹר.
Ezk 18:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
ב  מַה-לָּכֶם, אַתֶּם מֹשְׁלִים אֶת-הַמָּשָׁל הַזֶּה, עַל-אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר:  אָבוֹת יֹאכְלוּ בֹסֶר, וְשִׁנֵּי הַבָּנִים תִקְהֶינָה.
Ezk 18:2 'Why are you uttering this proverb in the land of Israel, saying: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
ג  חַי-אָנִי, נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה:  אִם-יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עוֹד, מְשֹׁל הַמָּשָׁל הַזֶּה--בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
Ezk 18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have excuse any more to use this proverb in Israel.
ד  הֵן כָּל-הַנְּפָשׁוֹת לִי הֵנָּה, כְּנֶפֶשׁ הָאָב וּכְנֶפֶשׁ הַבֵּן לִי-הֵנָּה:  הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַחֹטֵאת, הִיא תָמוּת.
Ezk 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
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We do not believe Jesus was divine, or that Jesus died as an unneeded blood sacrifice.

We do not believe that the Lord our God gave us a Law to live that could not be followed, The Lord our God is NOT A DECEIVER.

The Lord our God did not transfer the priesthood to Rome as a reward for their human blood sacrifices, whatever the Roman Vatican may claim.

We believe that when Jesus said "I am the Way, Follow me", he meant that we should always live our lives by his example.

Christians claim holy perfection for their entire book, including the collection of old songs in the Psalms, the part where Jesus said he did not come to make any change in the Law of God, and the part where Saul of Tarsus blithely proclaims Jesus a liar who did change the Law of God. We, of course, do not worship any book as divinely perfect.

Does that make Nazarenes Jews?

The Priests in Anathoth and Jerusalem tried to kill Jeremiah for teaching Nazarene doctrines,


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כא  לָכֵן, כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה עַל-אַנְשֵׁי עֲנָתוֹת, הַמְבַקְשִׁים אֶת-נַפְשְׁךָ, לֵאמֹר:  לֹא תִנָּבֵא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה, וְלֹא תָמוּת בְּיָדֵנוּ.  {פ}
Jer 11:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying: 'Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand'; {P}

יח  וַיֹּאמְרוּ, לְכוּ וְנַחְשְׁבָה עַל-יִרְמְיָהוּ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת--כִּי לֹא-תֹאבַד תּוֹרָה מִכֹּהֵן וְעֵצָה מֵחָכָם, וְדָבָר מִנָּבִיא; לְכוּ וְנַכֵּהוּ בַלָּשׁוֹן, וְאַל-נַקְשִׁיבָה אֶל-כָּל-דְּבָרָיו.
Jer 18:18 Then said they: 'Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for instruction shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.'

ד  וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם, כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה:  אִם-לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ, אֵלַי, לָלֶכֶת בְּתוֹרָתִי, אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵיכֶם.
Jer 26:4 And thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the LORD: If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My law, which I have set before you,
ה  לִשְׁמֹעַ, עַל-דִּבְרֵי עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִאִים, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי, שֹׁלֵחַ אֲלֵיכֶם; וְהַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ, וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם.
Jer 26:5 to hearken to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I send unto you, even sending them betimes and often, but ye have not hearkened;
ו  וְנָתַתִּי אֶת-הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה, כְּשִׁלֹה; וְאֶת-הָעִיר הזאתה (הַזֹּאת) אֶתֵּן לִקְלָלָה, לְכֹל גּוֹיֵ הָאָרֶץ.  {פ}
Jer 26:6 then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.' {P}
ז  וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַנְּבִאִים, וְכָל-הָעָם, אֶת-יִרְמְיָהוּ, מְדַבֵּר אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּבֵית יְהוָה.
Jer 26:7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
ח  וַיְהִי כְּכַלּוֹת יִרְמְיָהוּ, לְדַבֵּר אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהוָה, לְדַבֵּר, אֶל-כָּל-הָעָם; וַיִּתְפְּשׂוּ אֹתוֹ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַנְּבִיאִים, וְכָל-הָעָם לֵאמֹר--מוֹת תָּמוּת.
Jer 26:8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying: 'Thou shalt surely die.
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and proclaiming their new Torah Scroll a counterfeit.


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ח  אֵיכָה תֹאמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֲנַחְנוּ, וְתוֹרַת יְהוָה אִתָּנוּ; אָכֵן הִנֵּה לַשֶּׁקֶר עָשָׂה, עֵט שֶׁקֶר סֹפְרִים.
Jer 8:8 How can you say, 'We are wise, for we have the Torah of the LORD,' when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?
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While we follow a tradition older than Orthodox Judaism, the Orthodox rabbis have proclaimed us heretics and prayed to the Lord to curse us.. the only "Nazarene" that the Orthodox can tolerate is a bogus teacher claiming that Nazarene came from "Netzer" instead of "Nosri" We are "the ones who Observe the True Torah", and not a secret society of royal lineage.

Who was the last and greatest prophet?

Last? the Lord our God created time, he is not a servant to time, he sends a people a prophet when they need one; There cannot be a "last" prophet as long as time itself exists. As to the greatest, that is a matter of perspective and opinion; contenders on the list must include Moses, Jesus, Muhammad (sent to the Arabs, and misused by their clerics as Jesus is by the Christians), Isaiah ben Amoz, Jeremiah and Ezekiel of course.. don't forget Amos and Hosea. In twentieth century America a great movement toward Justice showed that the Lord our God can use even a Christian preacher as his prophet, so include Martin Luther King in the list.

Which is it, Jesus or Yahoshua?

It's not important. The Lord our God knows our hearts and minds. Yahoshua ben Mariam was a prophet, teaching us by his example, and how we say his name is not going to save us or damn us, unless we believe him to be devine, in which case whatever we consider his name becomes "the name of God" in the commandment against "using the name in vain." Of course, considering him devine and according him worship is already a violation of the Commandment.

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