patristic testimonies reconsidered The assumption that the Ebionites formed separate factions or com-
munities—within Judaism but separated from other Christian commu-
nities—is also attested by their name. Irenaeus’ introduction suggests
that his audience was familiar with the name Ebionites. They are simply
termed “those who are called Ebionites.” Irenaeus’ designation does not
even add any derogatory explanations to their name. Since in Hebrew
(pl.) means poor, later heresiologists explained the name as sig-
naling the Ebionites’ poor intellect. They also derived the name of the
Ebionites from Ebion, the putative founder of this branch of heresy (see
below). Apparently, these derogatory explanations are later attempts to
cover the pious Jewish and Christian connotations of the name: the poor
as the traditional Hebrew Bible designation of the humble servants of
God and as the term that was used to characterize an esteemed group of
Christians in Jerusalem. Because the name is accepted as an appropri-
ate designation of these people by outsiders, it must also have matched
their lifestyle to some extent. If they only claimed to be “poor” but were
not in practice, their opponents would surely have picked up on that.
Because of the positive connotations—that the later heresiologists tried
to suppress—it is unlikely that hostile outsiders would have originally
given them the name. Instead, it must be based on their self-designation
or be a name originally given to a subgroup by friendly coreligionists (as
Acts suggest).
Four facts make an assumption about the Ebionites’ connection to the
earliest Jerusalem community reasonable:^2
. The title Ebionites, the “poor,” which matches the title of the earliest
Jerusalem community (or at least its subgroup). Cf. Rom :; Gal
:.
. Anti-Paulinism especially characterizes the groups that come from
Jerusalem before ce
. The same groups also emphasize the observance of the law and the
need to circumcise the gentile Christians as well.
. Directing prayers towards Jerusalem testifies to the centrality of
Jerusalem in the Ebionites’ ideology and possibly in their end-time
expectations. The earliest Jerusalem community stayed in the Holy
City for the same reasons. There is also evidence of the importance
of the temple for the early Jerusalem community and its leader,
James the Just (Acts :; :–; Eusebius,Hist. eccl. ..–;(^2) Cf. Lüdemann , –.