How Do You Say "Christian" In Hebrew?....

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

I would like to ask a question....and I am hoping against hope that I will not inadvertently offend anyone or cause anyone in this forum to think about censuring me for asking it......

The world "Christian" originates from the Greek word "Christos," which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Mashiach" (מָשִׁיח&#1463......

Both words basically mean "anointed one" or "one who is anointed".

"Christian" is the English word we use when describing a person who is a believer in or follower of Christ.

What I would like to ask is, what is the transliterated form of the word "Christian" in Hebrew?

The reason I am asking for a transliteration is because I already know that the word "Christian" written in Hebrew is "נוצרי"......

But, how would I write it or say it transliterated into English?

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

It's נוֹצְרִי notsri (nohts-REE).

It's from the verb נָצַר natsar, which is a synonym of שָׁמַר shamar, meaning "keep, guard, watch."

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

Thank you, Yonah.......

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

No problem. Did you notice the addition I made last-minute?

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

Yes, I did...thanks......

But, I am confused....isn't "notsri" the Hebrew word for someone who calls themselves a "Nazarene"??....

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

The city of Nazareth is נצרת, which has two pronunciations: natsrat and natseret. I've never heard anyone called a notsri who comes from natseret.

There was a prophecy about a netser (נצ&#1512 "branch" that would come from Jesse (that is, from the seed of king David). It's possibly, that the notsrim took their name from this prophecy - "the branch people" or something like that, followers of the Branch. The name in Greek is Ναζωραῖος Nadzoraios (see Matt 2:23). This might have referred to a specific sect at the time, the Nazoreans.

There's a lot of debate and disagreement about the identification of the Nazoreans/Nazarenes in the first Century. I'm not invested enough in the topic to really comment. I'm sure you can find a lot about the group online.

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

Well, it is probably me who is wrong then.....

I was reading what must actually be bogus information at this website: Errancy for June 1997: More on Notsri

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

First off, the Christian religion is not called notsrit, as they've written. It's called נַצְרוּת natsrut (which they write correctly in their definition of a notsri, but not above).

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

I'd agree with his general claims in that article, though. נצרתי natsrati looks like a good form for "someone from Nazareth." He made the one mistake at the top (notsrit), but apart from that, he's laid out pretty good information.

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

Okay....Thanks again!!!!!.......

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

The question is, though, who were the notsrim in the first century? Were they the same as the Essenes? Were they another of the many sects of the time? What was their defining doctrine or the characteristics that separated them from other forms of Judaism at the time? What was Yeshu's role in the group?

Acts 24:5 mentions "the Nazarene sect" and attaches Paul to their number as "ringleader." Was the original form of Christianity called "Nazarene"? Did that break off of the Essenes early on? Were there other important Nazarene leaders even before Jesus, who has always been called Yeshu (or Yeshua) the Nazarene in Hebrew literature?

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

I'd say that originally the word notsri was a combination of two things: (1) the prophecy about the branch; (2) the idea that they were "guardians" of the true way. They probably viewed themselves as "conservative" and those who "kept" the true way, and that together with the prophecy of the "netser" helped them form the name of their group.

It was translated into Greek a Nadzoraios (Ναζωραῖο&#962, which is also not a word meaning "from Nazareth" (Ναζαρέ&#964. Notice the difference of the alpha in Ναζαρέτ and the omega in Ναζωραῖος. That's surely on purpose. I think the Nazoreans became a group that was unliked by later Christians. I don't have a reference for that, though.

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

Well, one problem that arises is the fact that there were two sects known as the "Nazarenes".....one existed in the time of Christ and the other was an offshoot of the first one, who lived three centuries later (who were said to be Jewish converts to Christianity living north of what once was the city of Jerusalem)....

The gospel writer Matthew is also thought to be a Nazarene as well.....

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

Ah, Jerome wrote in the 4th Century:

"What shall I say of the Ebionites who pretend to be Christians? To-day there still exists among the Jews in all the synagogues of the East a heresy which is called that of the Minæans, and which is still condemned by the Pharisees; [its followers] are ordinarily called 'Nasarenes'; they believe that Christ, the son of God, was born of the Virgin Mary, and they hold him to be the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate and ascended to heaven, and in whom we also believe. But while they pretend to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither."

Epiphanius wrote:

"They have no different ideas, but confess everything exactly as the Law proclaims it and in the Jewish fashion – except for their belief in Christ, if you please! For they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and the divine creation of all things, and declare that God is one, and that his Son is Jesus Christ."

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

Tim Myers said:
Well, one problem that arises is the fact that there were two sects known as the "Nazarenes".....one existed in the time of Christ and the other was an offshoot of the first one, who lived three centuries later (who were said to be Jewish converts to Christianity living north of what once was the city of Jerusalem)....

The gospel writer Matthew is also thought to be a Nazarene as well.....

All true. Leads to a lot of confusion.

yedida · Apr 17, 2011

yonah_mishael said:
Ah, Jerome wrote in the 4th Century:

"What shall I say of the Ebionites who pretend to be Christians? To-day there still exists among the Jews in all the synagogues of the East a heresy which is called that of the Minæans, and which is still condemned by the Pharisees; [its followers] are ordinarily called 'Nasarenes'; they believe that Christ, the son of God, was born of the Virgin Mary, and they hold him to be the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate and ascended to heaven, and in whom we also believe. But while they pretend to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither."

Epiphanius wrote:

"They have no different ideas, but confess everything exactly as the Law proclaims it and in the Jewish fashion except for their belief in Christ, if you please! For they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and the divine creation of all things, and declare that God is one, and that his Son is Jesus Christ."

Other than anti-semitism being the core of its rejection, what is wrong with this view? The one main change being moving from a sin offering of an animal,, we now have Yeshua's death and resurrection.

yonah_mishael · Apr 17, 2011

yedida said:
Other than anti-semitism being the core of its rejection, what is wrong with this view? The one main change being moving from a sin offering of an animal,, we now have Yeshua's death and resurrection.

For late First-Century Christians, association with Judaism may have been a little dangerous. Don't you think?

Tim Myers · Apr 17, 2011

One of you may find this interesting, though I am sure you are aware of the history better than I ever could be.......

Major Trends in Jewish-Christian Relations During The Middie Ages.

"While the mission of the Church towards the pagan tribes of the north was clearly defined in its theology of evangelism, it nevertheless had to find a means to adapt itself to the Jewish reality within the confines of its dominion. Since Jews could not outrightly be classified as barbarians or polytheists, and whereas the judaic heritage was openly admitted, Christianity was hard pressed to cope with the Jewish denial of Jesus which it interpreted as an obstinate and wilful contradiction of truth.

The continued presence of Jewish elements within the Christian community was perceived by the Church as a threat to the new converts' faith as these expressed their curiosity concerning Jewish practice and customs to the point of attending synagogue services. The Church therefore saw fit to hinder judaizing elements by legislating limitative procedures with the expectation of reducing Christian-Jewish encounters to a minimum.

In the middle of the fourth century the Laws of Constantine prohibited Jews from intermarrying with Christian women, from owning non-Jewish slaves or from holding positions of high visibility. The building of new synagogues was also restricted, even when these were burned by angry Christian mobs. From then on the Jew in Christian Europe was treated as a second class citizen, with limited privileges and numerous obligations which contributed to creating social, economical and political burdens on the Jewish community at large."

So, by the mid-4th Century, things were already beginning to turn for the worse for the Jewish people in Europe.....

rsduncan · Apr 17, 2011

yonah_mishael said:
For late First-Century Christians, association with Judaism may have been a little dangerous. Don't you think?

Thinking about all that happened after the First Century makes me wince.

This, I know, is inadequate, but for all that Jews have gone through through the last two millennia, I apologize...

yedida · Apr 17, 2011

yonah_mishael said:
For late First-Century Christians, association with Judaism may have been a little dangerous. Don't you think?

Quite agreed. But.....it was dangerous just being Christian as well, so that reasoning falls flat on its face.
Both sides had the commands from God that they ignored. Both sides were full of guilt. Once the split was irreversible the Christians, at least, should have let go of their anit-semitism. They didn't. It's still far too prevalent today!! It shames me to no limit!
(I know, it's easy to point a finger today, having never suffered such consequences for my decisions. I cannot say what I would have done, I can only say what I pray I would have done or not done.)

How Do You Say "Christian" In Hebrew?....

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