2nd Blog.

Changes in Theology in the 2nd century

Monotheism, the belief that there is only One God was the main traditional idea of the Jewish Christians. The Ebionites were one such group who, under their hero James the Just was antagonistic toward the teachings of Paul and the Apostles. They believed that Gentile Christians need to obey the Law of Moses. Because of their strong stance on Monotheism, they taught that Jesus was just a man, even though they believe Him to be a righteous man who was a new Moses. According to the Ebionites, Jesus was only the Messiah because of his righteous life and not because of any divine qualities. Therefore, Jesus was rejected by the Ebionites as the Divine Son of God which also meant a rejection of the Apostles and what they taught. The virgin birth was another belief that the Ebionites rejected. The Ebionites also rejected material sacrifices, aspects of prophecy and the Monarchy which had political implications. Socially there religious stance marginalised them to a point where, over time, they ceased to exist as a religious entity. This theology made it easier for Jews to remain as they were religiously; all they did was to accept Jesus as a righteous prophet and a type of messiah. The positive aspects of this theology were only short lived but it would have appealed to the orthodox Jews who did not like to change in any given way. It was easier for the Jews to accept a messiah that was not God incarnated. The negative of such a theology was that it was untrue and without the blessing of the Holy Spirit. And because of this it died a natural death on the battle field of Christian heresies. How can we look at a modern day lesson that can be learned from the Ebionites rejection of clear Biblical teachings? The answer is in the question, and that is How a clear Biblical teaching can be rejected? The Bible is clear sure enough, but the problem lies in peoples own interpretation of the clear Word. If we are not careful we can bring our own bias to the reading and understanding of the Scriptures; the Holy Scriptures can only be understood by those who are truth seekers and led by the Holy Spirit. By Brad Hoffman