The Nazarene

In addition to Matthew 2:23, where the term "Nazarene" is used, the Greek word for "Nazarene" (Nazoraios) appears in several other passages, often translated as "of Nazareth." Here are the relevant scriptures using the Cepher translation:

• "And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him and said unto them that were there, 'This fellow was also with Yahusha of Netsereth.'" (Mattithyahu 26:71, Cepher).

• "And when she saw Kepha warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, 'And you also were with Yahusha of Netsereth.'" (Marqus 14:67, Cepher).

• "Saying, 'Let us alone; what have we to do with you, Yahusha of Netsereth? Are you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of Elohiym!'" (Marqus 1:24; cf. Luqas 4:34, Cepher).

• "And when he heard that it was Yahusha of Netsereth, he began to cry out, and say, 'Yahusha, Son of David, have mercy on me.'" (Marqus 10:47, Cepher).

• "And he said unto them, 'Be not affrighted: Ye seek Yahusha of Netsereth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.'" (Marqus 16:6, Cepher).

• "And they told him, that Yahusha of Netsereth passes by." (Luqas 18:37, Cepher).

• "And he said unto them, 'What things?' And they said unto him, 'Concerning Yahusha of Netsereth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before Elohiym and all the people.'" (Luqas 24:19, Cepher).

• "They answered him, 'Yahusha of Netsereth.' Yahusha said unto them, 'I am he.' And Yahudah also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, 'I am he,' they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, 'Whom seek ye?' And they said, 'Yahusha of Netsereth.'" (Yahuchanon 18:5-7, Cepher).

• "Ye men of Yashar’el, hear these words; Yahusha of Netsereth, a man approved of Elohiym among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which Elohiym did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." (Ma’asiym 2:22, Cepher).

• "Then Kepha said, 'Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I you: In the name of Yahusha Ha’Mashiach of Netsereth rise up and walk.'" (Ma’asiym 3:6, Cepher).

• "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Yashar’el, that by the name of Yahusha Ha’Mashiach of Netsereth, whom ye crucified, whom Elohiym raised from the dead, even by him does this man stand here before you whole." (Ma’asiym 4:10, Cepher).

• "For we have heard him say, that this Yahusha of Netsereth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Mosheh delivered us." (Ma’asiym 6:14, Cepher).

• "And I answered, 'Who are you, Adonai?' And he said unto me, 'I am Yahusha of Netsereth, whom you persecute.'" (Ma’asiym 22:8, Cepher).

• "For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Yahudiym throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Netseriym." (Ma’asiym 24:5, Cepher).

• "I truly thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Yahusha of Netsereth." (Ma’asiym 26:9, Cepher).

The Branch

"Then a rod shall come forth out of the stem of Yishai, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." (Yeshayahu 11:1, Cepher). This is the only verse in the prophets where the Hebrew word nê·tzer (נֵצֶר) is used for "branch" in reference to the Messiah. Other prophecies of the Branch use different Hebrew words.

For example:

• "Behold, the days come, says Yahuah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." (Yirmeyahu 23:5, Cepher).

• "Hear now, O Yahusha the high priest, you and your fellows that sit before you: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch." (Zakaryahu 3:8, Cepher).

• "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." (Yeshayahu 53:2, Cepher).

• "Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Yahusha the son of Yahutsadaq, the high priest; and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaks Yahuah Tseva'oth, saying, Behold the man whose name is the Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the Temple of Yahuah." (Zakaryahu 6:11-12, Cepher).

Zakaryahu prophesied of "a man whose name is the Branch." This is likely one of the prophets Matthew referred to when he wrote that Yahusha fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets: "He shall be called a Natsari (Nazarene)." (Mattithyahu 2:23).

Putting It All Together

Matthew used a wordplay in Matthew 2:23 to show that Yahusha was the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies about the Branch. It’s like saying, "The Natsari is the nê·tzer from Netseret." In other words, the Nazarene (Natsari) is the nê·tzer (Branch) from Nazareth (Netseret). Literally put, the Branch is the man from the City of the Branch.

From the Scriptures above, we can form the following conclusion:

Branch = a Man = Servant = Son of David = Temple Builder = King = Nazarene = Yahusha Ha’Mashiach = Messiah.

I am the vine; you are the Natsarim

HISTORY

For nearly a century after Yahusha the Messiah walked the earth, His early followers were still part of the same people and culture as the rest of Israel. They worshiped alongside their fellow Israelites in the synagogues and the Temple, holding fast to the Torah as the foundation of their faith. These first believers were Israelites who kept the Sabbath, observed circumcision, and followed the commandments of Yahuah — not as part of a new religion, but as a continuation and fulfillment of the faith given to their fathers.

This movement, centered on Yahusha as the promised Messiah, was first known as the sect of the Natsarim (Acts 24:5). It began among the people of Israel and gradually spread to the nations, as many Gentiles — often called “God-fearers” — joined themselves to this path of truth. The Natsarim upheld the Torah while believing that Yahusha had revealed its full meaning and purpose.

Historical records from the fourth century still acknowledged their existence. Jerome wrote of them as “those who accept Messiah in such a way that they do not cease to observe the Law” (On Isaiah 8:14). Similarly, Epiphanius described the Natsarim as a people who trusted in the Messiah yet continued to live according to the Torah — showing that the original followers of Yahusha never abandoned Yahuah’s commandments, but walked in obedience through the Way He had revealed.

 detailed description of them:

"We shall now especially consider heretics who..call themselves Natsarim; they are mainly Jews and nothing else. They make use not only of the New Testament, but they also use in a way the Old Testament of the Jews; for they do not forbid the books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings... so that they are approved of by the Jews, from whom the Natsarim do not differ in anything, and they profess all the dogmas pertaining to the prescriptions of the Law and the customs of the Jews, except they believe in Messiah...They preach that there is but one God (YAHUAH), and His Son Yahusha the Messiah. But they are very learned in the Hebrew language; for they, like the Jews, read the whole Law, then the Prophets... They differ from the Jews because they believe in the Messiah, and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jewish rites, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and other ceremonies. They have the Good news according to Matthew in its entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear that they still preserve this, in the Hebrew alphabet, as it was originally written." (Epiphanius; Panarion 29; translated from the Greek).There is evidence that the Nazarene Sect continued to exist until at least the 13th century. The Catholic writings of Bonacursus entitled "Against the Heretics", refers to the Natsrim, who were also called "Pasagini", Bonacursus says: "Let those who are not yet acquainted with them, please note how perverse their belief and doctrine are. First, they teach that we should obey the Law of Moses according to the letter- the Sabbath, and circumcision, and the legal precepts still being in force. Furthermore, to increase their error, they condemn and reject all the Church Fathers, and the whole Roman Church."

For nearly a century, the early believers in Yahusha the Messiah remained part of the same culture and heritage as the rest of Israel, worshiping alongside their fellow Israelites. The first followers of Yahusha were Israelites who upheld the Torah as the foundation of their faith. They observed the Sabbath, practiced circumcision, and lived according to Yahuah’s commandments. These early believers did not establish a new religion but continued within the original faith of Israel. In its early years, this Messianic movement spread primarily among the people of Israel and was known as the sect of the Natsarim.

Acts 24:5 (Cepher) states:

"For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Yahudiym throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Natsariym."

Eventually, thousands of Gentiles, referred to as "converts" and "YAH-fearers," joined the Natsarim.

The existence and beliefs of the Natsarim provide valuable insight into how the early believers in the Messiah thought and lived. Jerome, a 4th-century "Church Father," described the Natsarim as "those who accept Messiah in such a way that they do not cease to observe the Old Law" (Jerome, On Isaiah 8:14). Another 4th-century "Church Father," Epiphanius, offered a more detailed description:

"We shall now especially consider heretics who... call themselves Natsarim; they are mainly Jews and nothing else. They make use not only of the New Testament but also of the Old Testament of the Jews; for they do not forbid the books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings... so that they are approved of by the Jews, from whom the Natsarim do not differ in anything, and they profess all the dogmas pertaining to the prescriptions of the Law and the customs of the Jews, except they believe in Messiah... They preach that there is but one God (YAHUAH), and His Son Yahusha the Messiah. But they are very learned in the Hebrew language; for they, like the Jews, read the whole Law, then the Prophets... They differ from the Jews because they believe in the Messiah, and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jewish rites, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and other ceremonies. They have the Good News according to Matthew in its entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear that they still preserve this, in the Hebrew alphabet, as it was originally written." (Epiphanius, Panarion 29, translated from the Greek).

Evidence suggests that the Nazarene sect continued to exist until at least the 13th century. Catholic writings, such as Bonacursus’ Against the Heretics, refer to the Natsarim, also known as "Pasagini." Bonacursus wrote:

"Let those who are not yet acquainted with them, please note how perverse their belief and doctrine are. First, they teach that we should obey the Law of Moses according to the letter—the Sabbath, and circumcision, and the legal precepts still being in force. Furthermore, to increase their error, they condemn and reject all the Church Fathers and the whole Roman Church."

The complete text of “Panarion 29” by Epiphanius

1,2 For this group did not name themselves Christians or with

Jesus’ own name, but “Nazoraeans.” (3) However, at that time all

Christians were called Nazoraeans in the same way. They also came to be called “Jessaeans” for a short while, before the disciples began to be called “Christians” at Antioch. (4) But they were called Jessaeans because of Jesse, I suppose, since David was descended from Jesse, but Mary from David’s line. This was in fulfillment of sacred scripture, for in the Old Testament the Lord tells David, ”Of the fruit of thy belly shall I set upon thy throne. ”

THE WAY 

“The Way” — The Original Path of Yahusha and His Followers

“The Way” was the early name used to describe the movement of those who believed in Yahusha the Messiah during the first century. This community, which included the Natsarim, followed Yahusha’s teachings while remaining faithful to the Torah and the customs given to Yahuah’s people. The term itself comes from Yahusha’s words in John 14:6 — “I am the way, the truth, and the life” — revealing that He alone showed the true path to Yahuah through His life, His teachings, and His sacrifice.

In Acts 9:2, Saul (later known as Paul) sought permission to arrest followers of “The Way,” showing that this movement was already recognized as a distinct group within Israel. These believers stood apart because of their faith in Yahusha as the promised Messiah, while still upholding the Torah, the Sabbath, and the appointed Feast Days. They were not part of the later Roman Christian system that emerged, but rather continued the faith once delivered to the prophets and patriarchs.

Yahusha Himself lived and taught the original Way of Yahuah — a life built upon love, obedience, and the covenant written in the Torah. His worship was centered on honoring Yahuah, keeping His commandments, and revealing the true intent of the Law through compassion and truth. As human traditions and divisions began to obscure Yahuah’s instructions, Yahusha and His followers — the Natsarim — restored the purity of worship that Yahuah intended from the beginning.

The Natsarim were those who remained faithful to the original teachings of Yahuah through Yahusha Ha’Mashiach. They proclaimed Yahuah’s Name, upheld His Covenant, and obeyed the Torah that Yahusha came to fulfill, not abolish (Matthew 5:17). Unlike later religious groups, they rejected man-made traditions that contradicted Yahuah’s Word, staying rooted in His eternal commands.

Separated from both the rabbinic systems and the early Romanized Church, the Natsarim continued in Torah observance, Sabbath-keeping, and the celebration of Yahuah’s appointed times. They understood all Scripture as unified under one Law, and recognized Yahusha as the living expression of that Word.

Even under persecution and distortion of truth by the Roman Empire and its evolving religion, the Natsarim remained steadfast. They refused to mix pagan customs with the worship of Yahuah, preserving the original faith that Yahusha lived and taught.

To this day, the Natsarim represent the original Way — the true path of Yahusha and His first followers — a path grounded in Torah, guided by the Ruach, and devoted to Yahuah’s commandments written upon their hearts.

“The Way Is Hard and Narrow — Only the Faithful Endure.”

John 14:6  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." 

• What is the way? Ps 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law (Torah) of YAHUAH! 

• And what is the truth? Ps 119:142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law (Torah) is truth. 

• And what is life? Pr 13:14 The law (Torah) of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. 

• So what is the Torah? Pr 7:2 Keep my commands and live, And my law (Torah) as the apple of your eye.