patristic testimonies reconsidered tianity was by and large an unmapped territory of which they had gained
knowledge more by hearsay than through personal experience.
Christian Identity in the Making: The “Genesis” of the Heresy of the
Nazarenes
Why did Epiphanius create the picture of the Nazarene heresy practically
out of nothing? I have suggested above that this was because the sources
that Epiphanius had in his hands, and which he connected to the Ebion-
ites, did not match the traditional information about the Ebionites and
because Epiphanius still wanted to refute Jewish Christianity even in its
“pure form.” Thus, in line with his basic conviction that heresies sprung
from each other, he painted a picture of the development of Jewish-
Christian heresies where the Nazarenes, placed between the Cerinthi-
ans and the Ebionites, played the role of imitators of the early Jerusalem
church, pure in their “Christian doctrine” as the early Jerusalem com-
munity was pure in Epiphanius’ mind, and erring only in their adher-
ence to Jewish law. With such a clear picture, it was easy to refute all
the attempts to connect Christianity with the practicing of Jewish law.
Epiphanius’ comment at the end ofPanarion is revealing: “People
like these are easy to catch and refute—they are nothing but Jews” (Pan.
..).
Stereotypes are very powerful tools in creating and maintaining
boundaries. According to social identity theory, stereotyping often ac-
companies ingroup/outgroup categorization.^91 Fredrick Barth has mod-
eled the formation of (ethnic) identity on three levels: ) the micro level
which focuses on personal and interpersonal interaction, ) the median
level which focuses on the formation of collectives, and ) the macro level
which is connected to the apparatus of the state. According to Barth, the
median level is needed to depict the processes that create collectivities and
mobilize groups... This is the field of entrepreneurship, leadership and
rhetoric; here stereotypes are established and collectives are set in motion
... Processes on this level intervene to constrain and compel people’s
expression and action on the micro level; package deals and either-or
choices are imposed, and many aspects of the boundaries and dichotomies
of ethnicity are fashioned.^92
(^91) See, for instance, Hogg & Abrams , –; Esler , –.
(^92) Barth , –. For a summary of Barth’s approach, see Esler , –.
According to Esler, the median level of Barth’s modeling “corresponds to what Paul is
attempting to achieve in Romans.”