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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RustyHalo" data-source="post: 1749483" data-attributes="member: 21528">(getting far afield, but...) the derivation of "Nazarene"Nisarg (in post #16) is entirely correct regarding the origin of the words "iscariot" and "zealot" -- but the origin of the word "nazarene" is not nearly so conclusive.>>> The biblical names "Iscariot" (as in Judas), "Zealot" (as in Simon), and "Nazarene" (as in Jesus), were actually all names of different terrorist groups in Judea: the Secarii ("long knives"), Zelatores ("fanatics"), and Nazareans ("snakes"). These groups were dedicated to terrorist activities like assasination, kidnappings, attacking supply lines, etc. [/I] the following article (plucked from wikipedia.org) sums it up quite succintly:"Derivations of the word "Nazarene"the term "Nazarenes" had at least some currency as a description of the early followers of Jesus. What, therefore, is the origin of the word? The following derivations have been suggested:the place-name --Nazareth--, via the Greek form --Iesou Nazarene--. This is the traditional interpretation within mainstream Christianity, and it still seems the obvious interpretation to many modern Christians. In support of this interpretation is that Iesou Nazarene is applied to Jesus in the Gospels only by those who are outside the circle of his intimate friends, as would be natural if a place-name was meant. However in Acts it is employed by Peter and Paul, and attributed by Paul to the risen Christ (Acts, 22:8). Matthew 2:23 reads that "coming he dwelt in a city said by the prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene". Although no convincing identification of the prophecy concerned has been found, either in the canonical books of the Old Testament or in the midrash traditions, the phrasing again strongly suggests that the author of Matthew meant Nazarene to refer to a place name. the word --netzer-- meaning "branch" or "off-shoot" (as in Isaiah 11:1 נֵצֶר). This could in turn refer to the claim that Jesus was a "descendant of David", or to the view that Jesus (or rather the teachings he or his followers advocated) were an offshoot from Judaism. the word --nosri-- which means "one who keeps (guard over)" or "one who observes" the word --nazir--, meaning separated. There are a number of references to Nazirites in the Old Testament. A Nazirite (נְזִיר) was a Jew who had taken special vows of dedication to the Lord whereby he abstained from alcohol and grape-products, cutting his hair, and approaching corpses for a specified period of time. At the end of the period he was required to immerse himself in water. None of these interpretations is unproblematic (for example, the gospels describe Jesus as avoiding ascetic practices, which would make it odd to describe him as a Nazirite). The word translated into English as "Nazarene" was possibly a deliberate play on words that suggested more than one of these interpretations.</blockquote>

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