Ebionites emerged from a Palestinian and Syrian form of Christianity. It was practiced by Jewish people.
Ebionites utilized a Gospel Similar to the Gospel of Matthew
The Ebionites considered the Gospel of Matthew to be most similar to Judaism than any of the other gospels. But what became controversial was that the version that they held to had removed the virgin birth and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As a result, Ebionites did not consider Jesus Christ as Messiah and King, but rather as a prophet who encouraged the continuation of the practice of Jewish Laws.
Irenaeus Against Ebionitism
In Irenaeus’s bid to uphold the position of the Church against the Ebionite heresy, he said, “How can they be saved unless he was God who wrought their salvation on the earth? And how shall man pass to God unless God has passed into man? How shall man be freed from the generation of death, except he pass into a new birth, wonderfully and unexpectedly given by God, for a token of salvation, a birth from a virgin, receiving a rebirth through faith?”
The term "Ebionite" is actually is a derived from a Hebrew word which connotes the meaning of ‘a poor person.’ Nobody knows if the poverty of the Ebionites was chosen or a matter of circumstances.
St. Paul and the Early Christians made many references to sending aid to needy Jewish Christians who were presumed to be the Ebionites. But in later years, Ebionites became known very simply as those who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, considering him to be a wonderful teacher of religions – but not a messiah, redeemer or savior of mankind.
Heresy and the Early Church Fathers
The Early Church Fathers felt that the Ebionites use of only one gospel was counterproductive. “The Ebionites, who use only Matthew’s Gospel, are refuted out of this very same work, making false suppositions with regard to the Lord.” according to (Irenaeus) A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.
Other heresies in Church History include Donatism and the unusual Flagellant Sects.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Charles S. Clifton.
- A Catholic Dictionary, by William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
- A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present, by Bernhard Lohse.
- The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870, by Philip Hughes.
- A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, edited by David W. Bercot.
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