Joseph Priestly

London: 1871

Excerpts of Priestly in these comments: Part I, The History of Opinions Relating to Jesus Christ Priestly says that the most important truth protected by Judaism was the unity of God. And the expectation of Messiah was solely one "descended from the tribe of Judah, and the family of David, a person in whom themselves and all nations of the earth should be blessed," and then insists: "but none of their prophets gave them an idea of any other than a man like themselves in that illustrious charachter...." Id., at 1. The apostles regarded Jesus as a "man approved by God, by wonders and signs which God did by him." Acts 2:22. "Peter uses the simple language above quoted of a man approved by God, immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit." Id. And Paul in 1 Tim. 2:5 says "There is one God, and one mediator, between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." Priestly continues: "He does not say the God, or the God-man, or the super-angelic being, but simply the man Christ Jesus." Id, at 1-2. The Ebionites Priestly digresses and says in the earliest church was a group of Jewish Christians called Ebionites. They were despised by the Jewish establishment. It may be surmised from Origen, Eusebius and Epiphanius that they were also called the Nazarenes. Id. at 3. Some Ebionites believed Jesus was the son of Mary and Joseph, while other believed he had a miraculous birth. Priestly cites Epiphanius, Opera 1682 Vol. I at 123, 125. Epiphanius' account of the Ebionites "makes no mention of any of them believing the divinity of Christ in any sense of the word." Id. at page 3. Here, Priestly is not careful in the use of terms. They did not speak of any deity of Christ, but they did speak of a divine indwelling of Jesus at the baptism of John. A most telling observation is made by Priestly about the Ebionites likely being orthodox and nonheretical for centuries up through Epiphanius's era of late 300s. Priestly notes the earlier words of Hegesippus (a.d. 170) which talk of numerous heretics, but nothing is said about the Ebionites being heretics. Id, at page 3. Instead, Hegesippus "makes no mention of the supposed heresy of the Nazarenes or Ebionites but says that, in his travels to Rome, where he spent some time with Anicetus, and visited the bishops of other sees, he found that they all held the same doctrine that was taught in the Law, by the prophets, and by our Lord." Id., at page 3, citing Euseb. Hist. 1720 L iv. C xxii page 181-182. Priestly notes that Valesius, the "translator of Eusebius," said the works of Hegesippus were not preserved because of "errors" in them, which Priestly says was no doubt the belief in the oneness of God. Tertullian in the 200s says the Docetists say Jesus only "appeared to be a man" while the Ebionites believed Jesus "was no more than a man." Id. at 4. Austin (Augustine) believed the Docetists (Marcionites) believed Jesus was God, but the "Ebionites "believed him to be a man, but denied he was God." Id., at 4. Austin /