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Old 01-30-2016, 11:22 AM   #222
Timotheist
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Location: Huntsville, AL
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Default Re: Virgin Birth questioned: the research

The Ebionites

were an early Jewish-Christian sect. They had their own gospel which was apparently modeled after the synoptic gospels, but we have no surviving copy of it. Most of what we know about it is derived from a criticism by Epiphanius.

Here is one thing he had to say about it:
"The Gospel which is found among them ... is not complete, but falsified and distorted ...". In particular, it lacked some or all of the first two chapters of Matthew, which contain the infancy narrative of the virgin birth of Jesus and the Davidic genealogy via Solomon, "They have removed the genealogies of Matthew ..." (cited from the Wikipedia article on the "Gospel of the Ebionites")
And here is some text that has been reconstructed from this gospel based upon other comments by Epiphanius:
It came to pass in the days of Herod, King of Judaea under the high priest Caiaphas, that John came and baptized with the baptism of repentance in the river Jordan; he is said to be from the tribe of Aaron and a son of Zacharias the priest and of Elizabeth and all went out to him. And it came to pass when John baptized, that the Pharisees came to him and were baptized, and all Jerusalem also. He had a garment of camels' hair, and a leather girdle about his loins. And his meat was wild honey, which tasted like manna, formed like cakes of oil. The people having been baptized, Jesus came also, and was baptized by John. And as he came out of the water the heavens opened, and he saw the Holy Spirit descending under the form of a dove, and entering into him. And a voice was heard from heaven: 'Thou art my beloved Son, and in thee am I well pleased'. And again: 'This day have I begotten thee'. And suddenly shone a great light in that place. And John seeing him, said, 'Who art thou, Lord'? Then a voice was heard from heaven: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'. Thereat John fell at his feet and said: 'I pray thee, Lord, baptize me'. But he would not, saying 'Suffer it, for so it behoveth that all should be accomplished'.
From this we can safely infer that this sect did not believe in the VB, but rather modified the texts of Mark and Matthew to state that Jesus became the Christ at his baptism.

I report, you decide.

The Ebionites, along with other sects classified as Adoptionists, were declared heretics by the roman church.
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