Early Jewish Christians
Yesterday I was emailed an inquiry about “Ebionites”, the inquiry responding to some simplistic statements asserted with astonishingly unwarranted confidence on certain other web sites. I pointed my inquirer to what is, to my knowledge, now the fullest treatment of the evidence and issues concerning early Jewish believers in Jesus: Oskar Skarsaune & Reidar Hvalvik (eds.), Jewish Believers in Jesus: The Early Centuries (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007).
This volume features a galaxy of respected scholars known for their expertise and measured approach. The topics covered include definitional issues and the history of research on “Jewish Christianity”, the NT evidence and references to Jewish believers (notably including a chapter on “Paul as a Jewish Believer,” which he manifestly was), “the literary heritage” of Jewish believers (Jewish-Christian gospels, Pseudo-Clementine writings, fragments of alleged Jewish-Christian writings in early Christian “Fathers”), the various names given to Jewish-Christians (Ebionites, Nazoraeans), and “other literary and archaeological evidence for Jewish believers” (including rabbinic evidence).
Those who like uncomplicated and simplistic assertions untroubled by the evidence can go to the web sites I mentioned. Those who want serious, in-depth, and patient handling of all the evidence on “Jewish believers” can find no better one-volume resource than this one.