Nazoraean

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Nazoraean is the designation given to a first century offshoot of Nazarene Judaism by Epiphanius. Their distinguishing characteristic was a belief that Jesus was a Nazirite. Nazoraeans might have been the post-Jesus continuation of the Nasoraeans since a group fitting the description of Nazoraeans are called Nazorei by Jerome while Filaster uses the term Nazorei to refer to the Nasoraeans. Theodoret likewise describes them (Nazaraeans) as nothing more than simply a post-Christian continuation of the pre-Christian Nasoraeans. In Jewish writings, although the term Notzrim came to be applied to Christians it actually pre-dates Jesus by at least a century and has the same meaning as Nasoraioi (watchers/guardians) described as fallen angels in the book of Jubilees.

Alternatively the two similarly named groups might have always existed side by side.

See also

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