נְצָרִים

Updated: 2013.09.27

Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ - Mediterranean Olive (Olea europaea) basal suckers, scions; like little protective sentries guarding the mother tree (Ariz St Univ.)

NeiꞋtzër, pl. נְצָרִים (Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ); basal sucker offshoot(s), scion(s); especially from the root or trunk of an olive tree—like little sentries standing at the foot guarding the mother tree; derives from the prophecy in Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 11.1 and 60.21.

Most Christians assume (and Jews simply parrot Christian mythology that is unimportant to them) that the followers of RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa were originally called "Christians," based on the Hellenist (Greek) Πραξεις Αποστολων 11.19-26. However, the evidence is blatant how the (Greek-speaking) Hellenist Roman Church, compounded by the KJ/V English, used Ναζαρεθ to bury the Hebrew-speaking, Jewish Pharisee (non-Hellenist) rival: the Ναζωραιος – completely burying the even more conspicuous term, Ναζαρηνος.

In contrast to RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa and his original followers—who were Yᵊhud•imꞋ Pᵊrush•imꞋ (Pharisee Jews) living and teaching Tor•âhꞋ, in Yᵊhud•âhꞋ (Judea), Christians were 2^nd-4^th century C.E., Hellenist (including gentile), followers of the apostate Hellenist Turkish-Jew, Paul—in Hellenist Turkey. As followers of an excised apostate, the original, Pauline, Hellenist proto-Christians had no continuity, legitimate connection nor roots whatsoever to RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa and his original Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ Pharisee Jewish followers… nor to authentic (non-Hellenist) Judaism in Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim.

The situation was opposite in Syrian – Hellenist – Antioch, "(now Antakya, Turkey), founded by Seleucus I Nicator (B.C.E. 300) and named for his father Antiochus… Antioch had an important Jewish community.

When the deterioration of the Seleucid dynasty led to the Roman occupation of Syria (B.C.E. 64), Antioch became the capital of the new province of Syria… As a prosperous commercial center Antioch was a meeting point of the Greek and the oriental civilizations. When persecution broke out in [Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim] following the death of Stephan, many of [his min] fled to Antioch. Some of these undertook the customary preaching to the [Hellenist] Jews in the city. Others who were "Hellenist" (Greek-speaking) Jews, finding themselves in a Greek city, began to preach to the Greek-speaking Gentiles (Acts 11.19-21), some of whom had been attending the synagogue services, attracted by the Jewish ethical teaching; one of these may have been Nicolaus of Antioch, an early proselyte and one of the seven [deacons from Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim] (Acts 6.5).

Following the success of the first preachers, Barnabas and Paul began to work in Antioch, and it was here that the name Christians was first used (Acts 11.22-26), the term apparently having been adopted by the [Greek-speaking Hellenist] Roman authorities as a means of describing the group. We hear of an ekklesia [Greek, not Aramaic, term]…" (Geoffrey W. Bromiley, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: A-D, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ., 1979 p. 142-3)

It is clear from the above that the primary language used by Paul and these original Hellenist churches in Turkey was Greek, not Aramaic and certainly not Hebrew.

Red: Hellenist (Roman Occupiers & Hellenized Jews)
Blue: Hebrew (Pharisee & Qum•rânꞋ Jewish Community)

Terms for "Christian"
PᵊshitᵊtâꞋ Aramaic:
Hellenist Greek:	Χριστιανος
Hebrew term "Christian"	נֹצְרִים or נוֹצְרִים נָצְרִים and not Hebrew transliteration of PᵊshitᵊtâꞋ Aramaic: כרִסטִיַנֶא

This is confirmed in the PᵊshitᵊtâꞋ where the text states that those in the Hellenist Diaspora city of Antakya, Turkey, who were preaching the NT teachings of the apostate Hellenist Turkish-Jew, Paul were called, in Aramaic, "Christiane"—conspicuously not the Aramaic מְשִׁיחִי used in Jewish circles. Rather, this was a transliteration of the Hellenist Greek Χριστιανος (Khristianos). These were Hellenist Christians, of Hellenist Turkey, followers of apostate Hellenist Turkish-Jew, Paul—who had been excised for his Hellenist—Reform—syncretizing (assimilation) by the original Pharisee Jewish followers of RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa!!!

Of 31 instances translated into English as "Nazareth," only 12 of these instances in the Greek source texts of the NT, properly refer to Ναζαρεθ. Yet, of the remaining 19 instances, which properly refer to Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ—Ναζωραιος (from which gentile sects derived 'Nazoraeans' or distorting Pâ•qidꞋ Ya•a•qovꞋ ha-Tza•diqꞋ Bën-Dâ•widꞋ to be a Nâ•zirꞋ) and Ναζαρηνος, Christian versions typically render only 2 passages faithfully as "Nazarene" (Mt. 2:23 & "Acts" 24:5).

See for yourself the many instances where this identical term—Ναζωραιος—in the earliest extant source documents deliberately avoids acknowledging the Jewish Pharisee Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ in the gentile Roman Christian campaign to DISPLACE the original Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ: Mt. 2:23; 26:71; Mk. 10:47; Lu. 18:37; 24:19; Jn. 18:5, 7; 19:19; Ma•a•vârꞋ 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 22:8 and 26:9.

The Christian Displacement Theology is also evident in their redactions to LXX. In their campaign of Displacement Theology, the Hellenist Christians attempted to paint themselves as "gentile Nazirites" perhaps by perverting Nâ•zirꞋ and morphing it with αγιος (agios; "holy") to form Ναζωραιος. These post-135 CE Roman gentile Christian redactions are documented in Codex Alexandrius:

• Κριται (Kritai; Judges) 13:7 and 16:17 —redacting αγιος (agios; holy) to read instead Ναζειραιος (Nazeiraios; cf. A Handy Concordance of the Septuagint, London: Samuel Bagster, SBN 85150 174 5, 1970-71, p.3 ) and

• Κριται (Kritai; Judges) 13:5 —redacting נָזִיר (Nâ•zirꞋ; 'Nazirite' to read instead Ναζειραιος (Nazeiraios; ibid. p. 165);

• Θρηνοι (Thrænoi; Lamentations) 4:7—נְזִירֶיהָ (Nᵊzir•ëyꞋhâꞋ; her Nᵊzir•imꞋ, "her 'Nazirites'") is redacted into Codex Alexandrius as Ναζειραιος (Nazeiraios) rather than the correct Ναζιραιος (Naziraios) as found in all of the other source documents and instances in LXX.

  Through this documented redaction, Codex Alexandrius thus makes Ναζειραιοι (Nazeiraioi) distinct from Ναζιραιοι (Naziraioi; ; her Nᵊzir•imꞋ). The then-apparent—but incorrect and misleading—similarity in the Greek between distinct Ναζειραιος (Nazeiraios; Nâ•zirꞋ) and Ναζωραιος (Nazoraios; Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ) is the only plausible basis for the frequent confusion between the terms —totally unrelated in Hebrew —נָצְרִים (Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ; offshoots) and נְזִירִים (Nᵊzir•imꞋ; consecrated [ones; pl. masc. noun]). This is especially true of Christian misconceptions that our first Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ Pâ•qidꞋ, Ya•a•qovꞋ Bën-Dâ•widꞋ, was a "Nazirite." All evidence indicates that Pâ•qidꞋ Ya•a•qovꞋ Bën-Dâ•widꞋ was not a "Nazirite." He was, however, a Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ

Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ - Mediterranean Olive (Olea europaea) basal suckers, scions (Tuscany)

נְצָרִים is the masc. plural of נֵצֶר, which, in turn, is related to the Aramaic נִצְרָא—"wicker (woven straw, as from these offshoots – basket, hat, chair, etc.)". As can be seen from Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 11.1 and 60.21, inter alia, NeiꞋtzër referred more specifically to the basal-sucker offshoot(s) from the root or trunk of an olive tree—which stood around the mother tree like little sentry-guard(s)—and transplantable young green shoots sprouting from the trunk… used (according to the dictionaries) to weave wicker-baskets.

Thus, the question arises, are these terms related to the shorꞋësh נָצַר? Because נָצַר is a synonym of שָמַר, the distinct meaning of נָצַר must be teased out in order to understand how it might be related to נֵצֶר and what connotations that might imply… particularly to cognates נָצְרַת and נָצְרִים.

נָצַר and שָמַר are synonyms that seem to be interchangeable with only one distinct and consistent thematic exception. (Additionally, this distinction lends new meaning to many passages.)

• שָמַר seems always to be used in the sense of an inward-oriented watchguard sentry, keeping the integrity of something within one's possession or area of responsibility. Think of watchcare of a child, feeding and taking care of a flock or maintaining the integrity of the Tor•âhꞋ and mitz•wotꞋ in your care.
  
  
• נָצַר seems always to be used in the sense of an external-oriented warning sentry, protective against external threats. Think of a forward sentry keeping guard on the lookout against an invader, the sentry-like concern for external predators that may threaten one's flock or external threats of redaction, syncretism, or assimilation to the Tor•âhꞋ and mitz•wotꞋ in your care.
  
  

The only time both synonyms are found in the same verse is in Mish•leiꞋ ShlomꞋoh 4.6: "אַל-תַּעַזְבֶהָ וְתִשְׁמְרֶךָ; אֱהָבֶהָ וְתִצְרֶךָּ:" ‬  (Don't let go of [Tor•âhꞋ, v. 2] and she will שָמַר you; love her and she will נָצַר you).

The Tar•gumꞋ sheds futher light on this contrast: "לא תשבקינה ותסרינך, ותנטריך; רחמה דתשגביך, דתשגבינך, contrasting נָטַר (guard, observe secundum Jastrow) with שִׂגֵּב (elevate, lift up, exalt, strengthen secundum Jastrow).

The PᵊshitᵊtâꞋ also illuminates the distinction: "תשבקיה דתנטרך רחהיה דתשוזבך," contrasting נָטַר (guard, observe secundum Jastrow) with שֵׁיזֵב (release, save secundum Jastrow; i.e., deliver).

NeiꞋtzër probably evolved from calling the sentry-like basal-sucker offshoots "sentries"; wicker used for weaving baskets, etc. (The correlation with "offshoots" is clear in the two Biblical passages and dictionaries.)

There are five references in the Bible to נֵצֶר, the plural of which is נְצָרִים, from נָצַר.

1. Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 11.1: "Shall go forth a staff from the trunk of Yi•shaiꞋ; and וְנֵצֶר from his roots shall bear fruit." (corroborated in 1QIs^a)

2. Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 14.19: "you have been sent from your grave כְּנֵצֶר." (corroborated in 1QIs^a)

Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 60.21: "Your kindred shall all be tza•diq•imꞋ, to the ages they will inherit the land; a נֵצֶר of My Sowing, the Work of My Hand, to glorify." (corroborated in 1QIs^a)

3. Dân•i•eilꞋ 11.7: "Then will stand up, מִנֵצֶר of her roots, on his pedestal…" (see also The 1993 Covenant Live-Link^T  )

4. Tᵊhil•imꞋ 141.3: "Place a watchguard for my mouth, י--ה, a נִצְּרָה over the door of my lips."

"The NeiꞋtzër" was the title of the prophesied Mâ•shiꞋakh (Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 11.1 and 60.21) and historical RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa (The Nᵊtzârim Reconstruction of Hebrew Matitᵊyâhu (NHM, in English) 2.23). The plural, Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ, describes his original Pharisee Jewish followers, including the first 12, who were specifically identified in NT by the name Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ (cf., for example Ma•a•vârꞋ 24:5, but also the numerous additional instances in the earliest Greek cited).

The term NeiꞋtzër was displaced by apostate Hellenist Turkish-Jew, Paul's Χριστιανος and, later, the telltale terms in the Greek mss. were de-Judaized (Hellenized) by the post-135 CE Christian NT redactors —unsupported by LXX —to Ναζαρηνος

The plural, Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ (referring to his followers), was de-Judaized (Hellenized) in the NT to Ναζωραιος (nazoraios) where it is clearly translated as "Nazarenes" in Ma•a•vârꞋ 24:5 (as well as confused, elsewhere, with Nazoraeans / Nazirites).

Another distinct cognate, n. & adj. (implying a distinction between the two groups requiring distinct names) is נָצְרִי(ם(—Χριστιανος—reflecting the meaning of the shorꞋësh (נָצַר). Thus, while the נְצָרִים continued to live harmoniously among their fellow Pharisee Jews, the נָצְרִים were Hellenist gentiles, outside and alien to the Pharisee Jews and understood by Pharisee Jews as gentile Hellenist sentries of the Hellenist Roman occupiers. Further, significantly, it was the נָצְרִים who incited the most vitriolic antinomian—misojudaic—libels, labeling נְצָרִים "lost to the 'law' of sin and death, enemies of God and the Church and servants of Sâ•tânꞋ" (see Eusebius)—demonstrating inarguably that the נָצְרִים were not only mutually exclusive from the נְצָרִים with no connection whatsoever, the נָצְרִים Church was the most bitter enemy of the נְצָרִים, whom they loathed as Jews.