patristic testimonies reconsidered Pritz correctly notes that Acts often connects resurrection with Jesus’
position asGod’s servant. Notably, Epiphanius uses here the same Greek
word (πα ς) that is also used in Acts :–, .^70 Because Epiphanius
argued that the Nazarenes were mimicking the early Jerusalem church, it
is easy to understand why he spiced up his description of the Nazarenes
by borrowing these details from Acts.
However, Epiphanius did not need to consult Acts in order to state
that the Nazarenes believed in thedivine creation of all things—though
one can find this belief in Acts :—or that the Nazarenes declared
belief in one God. These characteristics were traditionally connected to
Jewish Christians ever since Irenaeus’ heresiology, which emphasized
that, in contrast to the Cerinthians, the Jewish Christians (Ebionites) did
not believe that the world was created by a power (demiurge) that was
separate from the supreme God (Irenaeus,Haer. ..–).
Conclusion: The Profile of Epiphanius’ Nazarenes
Besides Eusebius’Ecclesiastical Historyand Acts, Epiphanius seems to
have had no sources from which he could have derived information about
the Nazarenes. His intention was to provide a prehistory for the Ebion-
ites who were his contemporaries, and he accomplished this by tracing
evidence of the activities and beliefs of conservative Jewish Christians in
Acts andEcclesiastical History.
The Jewish-Christian profile Epiphanius created for the Nazarenes is
perfect in the sense that it combines exemplary Jewish features with
exemplary Christian characteristics, derived directly from the early Jeru-
salem community. In contrast to the Ebionites, who rejected the prophets
and part of the Pentateuch, the Nazarenes
usenotonlytheNewTestamentbuttheOldTestamentaswell,asthe
Jews do. For unlike the previous sectarians [Jewish sects in thePanarion],
they do not repudiate the legislation, the prophets, and the books Jews call
“Writings.” (Pan. ..; trans. Williams b).
He summarizes their position as follows:
They are different from Jews, and different from Christians, only in the
following. They disagree with Jews because they have come to faith in
Christ; but since they are still fettered by the law—circumcision, the
Sabbath, and the rest—they are not in accord with Christians.
(Pan. ..; trans. Williams b).(^70) πα ςappears times in the NT: Matt , Luke , John , Acts .