This post is a companion to the Heretics podcast found on the Podcast tab at the top of this page; and a continuation in our series of looks at the ancient heresies of the church and a refutation of them using good theology and hermeneutics.
The Identification
The Ebionites are a fun little group because they have been around in one form or another since God gave the Law at Sinai, and have been refuted for just as long.
As with many first and second century groups, we are not entirely certain where this group originates. Tertullian tells us (Prescription Against Heretics chapter 33), that it originated with a man named Hebion (Ebion), it is just as likely the group took their name from the Hebrew word for poor.
They held to the Tanakh (Old Testament) as well as what was known as the Gospel of the Hebrews, there is some question as to whether or not this is an edited (truncated) version of Matthew or an individual book. Either way, this group was defined by their Jewish Law observance for salvation.
This is why I state they have been around forever; you may think they are just offshoots of the Judaizers who refuted by the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and the epistle to the Galatians; but there is no conclusive evidence they are connected at all. The Ebionites appear to have sprung up organically at the end of the 1st century and were solidly a group in the 2nd century (100 – 199).
In keeping with their Jewish observance they practiced: circumcision, ritual dietary regulation, and general Torah keeping. They also rejected the virgin birth of Jesus, or any claim to the divinity of Jesus; claiming His miracle working to either be the result of separationist theology (the divine Christ entering the human Jesus—usually at the baptism of John and leaves before the crucifixion), or through an adoptionist theology, wherein the Holy Spirit “adopts” Jesus as the Christ due to His pious, righteous living.
The Justification
Right off the bat, the problem with the Ebionites should be obvious. Their adherence to the Law for salvation is the a giant, immediate red mark against them. Notice the modifier in that previous sentence, for salvation. There were, and are numerous groups of Christians who for: cultural, familial, or personal reasons, seek to follow the dietary or purity laws of the Old Testament. These people are trusting in Christ for their salvation and are Christians. Various groups going back nearly 2,000 years have done this (Messianic Jews, Nazarenes, etc.); what sets the Ebionites apart and makes them heretics is their Law keeping for salvation.
This was clearly noticed by the apologists of their day, as they were condemned by pretty much everyone who could: Polycarp, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, Origen, Epiphanius; over the course of nearly two hundred years.
Even more troubling than their view of works righteousness which is literally impossible to square with Scripture (James 2:8 – 13); is their heretical view of Jesus Himself. Part of their “adjusting” of the identity of Jesus is necessary in order to justify their works based system. In one version of Ebionite life, Jesus becomes the model of Mosaic fidelity who because of His great piety is adopted by the Holy Spirit and elevated to the role of Prophet/Messiah. In another, Jesus is indwelt by the Christ and becomes the wielder of this Divine power to make prophetic pronouncements to the world in order to spur the people of God to obedience to His commands (in a vein similar to that of the prophets of the Old Testament), only now with a divine mandate and power.
This leads the Ebionites to a theology of works that points them to a righteous they attain (as Jesus did in their belief), seeking out a salvation they can attain by their good works. According to our best friend Hippolytus (The Refutation of all Heresies 7.22), their justification is found by fulfilling the Law and keeping the commandments.
Either view contradicts the clear descriptions of Jesus as the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13 – 14), who was one with the Father (John 10:30). This makes the teachings of the Ebionites, however societally beneficial they may have been, antithetical to Scripture and “another gospel” worthy of condemnation (Galatians 1:6 – 9).
The Correction
This should be easy for the basically literate Christian; but let’s make sure we attack it in the right order of priority. Our temptation as Evangelical Christians would be to go after the Law keeping first, when in fact the greater problem; is the identity of Jesus.
In Ebionite thought, Jesus is a really good man (similar to the exalted man of Mormonism). The problem is that Scripture is very clear, no man is good (Psalm 14:1 – 3, Romans 3). All people, Jew and Gentile are trapped in sin (Romans 2); with the wrath of God being poured out upon them (Romans 1). It is only through faith in Christ that sin can be forgiven (Romans 4), and humanity justified.
Jesus points to as much in His encounter with the rich man (Luke 18:18 – 23). The point of the passage is not that Jesus is not good or not God; it is that Jesus is a GOOD teacher, and only God can be good. If Jesus is therefore a GOOD teacher, He must be God. The man has “kept the commandments” yet He does not love or trust in God; this is evidenced by his lack of faith (demonstrated by his faith in his own provision with riches).
This little vignette highlights what is true throughout Scripture: God justifies by faith (Genesis 15:6), and not through the Law. The early Church understood this, and did not hold the newly converted (and growing numerically) Gentiles to the ritual laws of the Old Testament (Acts 15:6 – 11). Paul stressed the dependence of the Fathers on faith, and not their works (Galatians 3:6 – 9), to save them because only faith could save them (Romans 4:9 – 13).
Now before we throw the righteousness of the Law baby out with the Ebionite bathwater; we should ask a question. Is the Law good? We should answer in the affirmative, because Scripture answers in the affirmative (Romans 7:7 – 8); but we must understand the reason for the affirmative. The Law reveals God’s holiness, but also my sinfulness. Therefore the Law must be good, because it is the means by which God brings me to my knees before Christ (Galatians 3:19 – 25).
But even more than that, the Law now guides my redeemed, Holy Spirit empower Christian walk in righteousness. I am justified by God in Christ and am righteous (Jude 24 – 25), therefore I seek to do what is good in the sight of God (Romans 12:1 – 2) because He loves me, has saved me, I love Him, and will serve His Kingdom (Ephesians 2:8 – 10). How do I do that? What is a good work? The Law gives me that answer.
I do not forsake the good works of God, because my faith will not allow me to do that; thus proving my salvation (James 2:14 – 17). The Ebionites, like many heretical groups after them failed to see this distinction and it became the shipwreck of their souls. As faithful believers, we must understand Jesus rightly, and worship Him as He has called us to. That requires us to trust and serve rightly in His Kingdom, not our own.