Judaizers is a term used by orthodox Christianity, particularly after the third century, to describe Jewish-Christian groups like the Ebionites and Nazarenes who believed that followers of Jesus needed to keep Jewish law, in particular the laws of the Torah. These groups taught that gentile followers of Jesus needed to become Jewish proselytes and observe the various requirements of Judaism, most importantly circumcision, or at least that the Jewish followers of Jesus needed to do so. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... The Ebionites (from Hebrew; Ebionim, the poor ones) were a sect of Judean followers of John the Baptizer and later Jesus (Yeshua in Aramaic) which existed in Judea and Palestine during the early centuries of the Common Era. ... -1... The neutrality and accuracy of this article are disputed. ... Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ... Torah, (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or especially Law. ... A Gentile refers to a non-Israelite; the word is derived from the Latin term gens (meaning clan or a group of families) and is often employed in the plural. ... The neutrality and accuracy of this article are disputed. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Religious conversion is the adoption of new religious beliefs that differ from the converts previous beliefs; in some cultures (e. ... For a discussion of Jews as an ethnicity or ethnic group see the article on Jew. ... Circumcision is the removal of some or all of the prepuce ( foreskin). ...

The issue was an early source of controversy between the Jerusalem church of James, and Paul, apostle to the gentiles, and came to a head during the Council of Jerusalem. According to the account given in Acts 15, it was determined that gentile followers of Jesus did not have to observe all the requirements of Judaism; rather, they were required to "abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication." For people and places called Saint James, see the disambiguation page. ... Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (d. ... A Gentile refers to a non-Israelite; the word is derived from the Latin term gens (meaning clan or a group of families) and is often employed in the plural. ... The Council of Jerusalem was the first Council in Christian history, and was held in Jerusalem circa 50 AD. The council was convened as the result of the cleavage within the early Christian community between those, such as James (the brother of Jesus), who believed the church must observe the... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... For a discussion of Jews as an ethnicity or ethnic group see the article on Jew. ...

Paul also addressed this question in his Epistle to Galatians in which he condemned those who insisted that Jewish law had to be followed as "false brothers" (Galatians 2:4), and stated "I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all." (Galatians 5:2) Epistle to Titus 1:11, often attributed to Paul, is, according to some Biblical scholars, also a condemnation of these practices. The Epistle to Galatians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Pastoral Epistles are often considered together, as each throws light upon the others. ...

The influence of the Judaizers in the church diminished significantly after the destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jewish-Christian community at Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans during the Great Jewish Revolt. However, Christian groups following Jewish practices did not vanish immediately; though most had been suppressed as heretical by the 5th century, in some (particularly Coptic) churches, Old Testament practices have survived to this day, including circumcision, and in the Ethiopian Coptic church, dietary laws and Saturday Sabbath as well. [1] (http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-ethiopia-orthod.htm) The Destruction of Jerusalem (specifically, the Second Destruction of Jerusalem) was the culmination of the successful campaign of Titus Flavius against Judea after an unsuccessful attack four years prior by Cestius Gallus. ... The Great Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE), sometimes called The first Jewish-Roman War, was the first of two major rebellions by the Jews of Judea against the Roman Empire (the second was Bar Kokhbas revolt in 132-135). ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Christ - Coptic Art Coptic Orthodox Christianity is the indigenous form of Christianity that, according to tradition, the apostle Mark established in Egypt in the middle of the 1st century AD (approximately AD 60). ... The Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures constitutes the first major part of the Christian Bible, usually divided into the categories law, history, poetry (or wisdom books) and prophecy. ... The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ityopiya, Amharic ኢትዮጵያ) is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. ... This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ...

Later effects of Judaizer controversy

The letter to the Galatians strongly influenced Martin Luther at the time of the Protestant Reformation because of its exposition of Justification by Grace. Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder or Martinus Luther) (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions (a broad movement composed of many congregations and church bodies). ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ...

See also

• Circumcision in the Bible

• Council of Jerusalem

Circumcision, when practiced as a rite, has its foundations in the Bible and is therefore practiced by Jews and Muslims. ... The Council of Jerusalem was the first Council in Christian history, and was held in Jerusalem circa 50 AD. The council was convened as the result of the cleavage within the early Christian community between those, such as James (the brother of Jesus), who believed the church must observe the...

External links

• Judaizers  (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08537a.htm) The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1910.