Updated: 2013.09.27
Khris•ti•an•osꞋ; Christian. (Also spelled in Hebrew ðåÉöÀøÄéí and ðÉöÀøÄéí (No•tzᵊr•imꞋ; confinement or containment guards or keepers—guards or keepers who keep something in, plural); the singular noun is ðåÉöÅø, also spelled ðÉöÅø, (no•tzeirꞋ), meaning a "sentry," and the sing. adj. is ðåÉöÀøÄé (no•tzᵊr•iꞋ), from ðÈöÇø (nâ•tzarꞋ; to guard as a sentry). These are also the Hebrew terms—used among Jews—for "Christian(s)." Contrast this term against neiꞋtzër and its cognate, Nᵊtzâr•
In Biblical times, this verb root contrasted with its synonym ùÈîÇø (shâ•marꞋ; see comparison and contrast of these two synonyms in the NeiꞋtzër glossary entry). No•tzeirꞋ and its cognates have been reserved for "Christian."
The term ðÈöÀøÄéí (No•tzᵊr•imꞋ) refers to the gentile Hellenist Pauline proto-Christian groups, and subsequent gentile Christians, cursed in the Bi•rᵊk•atꞋ ha-Min•imꞋ; all of whom are distinguished from legitimate Judaism (i.e., recognized by the Beit-Din ha-Jâ•dolꞋ) by the sine qua non of having assimilated (apostatized) into selective observance of Tor•âhꞋ, i.e., at least partial rejection of Tor•âhꞋ (including Tor•âhꞋ she-bᵊ•alꞋ peh). Thus, No•tzᵊr•imꞋ are diametrically antithetical to the Nᵊtzâr•
Notice that, in Hebrew, though pronounced differently and deriving from an entirely unrelated root, the non-vowelized spelling of No•tzᵊr•imꞋ can be spelled, without vowels, identically to Nᵊtzâr•
Despite the NT claim that Jesus was called a "Nazarene" because he was from "Nazareth"—this was clearly a similarity dependent upon the Hellenist Greek confusion – or concealment – in the NT, already long divorced from the Hebrew, in order to be associated with "Nazareth" instead of the prophecy of Yᵊsha•yâhꞋu 11:1.
Up through the 4th century C.E. there is no instance where No•tzᵊr•imꞋ (or Nᵊtzâr•
Christians were Greek-speaking Hellenists. After 135 C.E., they were predominated by gentiles with no knowledge of Hebrew. For them, both Hebrew terms were alien. They referred to themselves by the Greek term for "messianic": Χριστιανος. To them, ðÉöÀøÄéí appeared related (or identical) to ðÀöÈøÄéí (Nᵊtzâr•
The only instance in the Bible of ðÉöÀøÄéí is found in Yi•rᵊmᵊyâhꞋu 4.16:
"Remind the goy•imꞋ, Behold, make it heard concerning Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim: ðÉöÀøÄéí are coming from a distant land; and they will give upon the cities of Yᵊhud•âhꞋ their voice."
Written ca. B.C.E. 600, Christians wouldn't exist for more than 7 centuries (viz., 135 C.E.). Yi•rᵊmᵊyâhꞋu used this term in the ancient sense of prison guards or sentries, from ðÈöÇø.
We can learn how Jews understood this term by how they translated it into Aramaic and Greek (although the latter reflects significant Hellenization).
Targum Yonatan, believed to be first written in the 1st century C.E. but revised to reflect the 3rd-4th century C.E., renders ðÉöÀøÄéí as çÈèåÉôÄéï ëÀ÷ÈèåÉôÄéï.
LXX renders ðÉöÀøÄéí with a more Diaspora oriented and Hellenist-sensitive (politically-correct) συστροφαι—a squirming, teeming, wriggling aggregate.
The Jewish reaction to post-135 C.E. Christianity, requiring a term to distinguish the Hellenist goy•imꞋ from the earlier Jews, found a convenient play on words from the original Nᵊtzâr•
It should also be noted that no historical-political reason for this reaction existed until sometime between 135 C.E. and Constantine (333 C.E.). Prior to 135 C.E., the enmity was with the Roman Hellenist occupiers of Israel.
The No•tzᵊr•imꞋ had developed a completely Hellenistic and Romanized self-identification as the true Χριστιανος as opposed to Nᵊtzâr•
Persecuted under the containment guards of the Church, the so•phᵊr•imꞋ (scribes) encrypted a warning in the Tor•âhꞋ selection for the intermediate Shab•âtꞋ of Khag ha-Matz•otꞋ by enlarging two letters, the first to call attention to a word and then the next to call attention to the associated meaning.
The first letter of Shᵊm•otꞋ 34.7 is the ð in the word ðÉöÅø (no•tzeirꞋ; warning sentry [relative to khësꞋëd])!!! The next enlarged letter, calling attention to the hidden meaning, is (ending v. 13) the ø (rësh) in the word àÇçÅø (a•kheirꞋ; another-different) in the phrase "You shall not prostrate ourselves ìÀàÅì àÇçÅø (lᵊ-Eil a•kheirꞋ; to an Eil [Who is] another-different)."
That the encrypted warning is found in the pâ•râsh•âhꞋ during the year that is closest to the anniversary of the crucifixion is also a clear indication to the reader that Shᵊm•otꞋ 34.7 stipulates that é--ä, not a man or man-god, is the ðÉöÅø (No•tzeirꞋ) and we "shall not prostrate ourselves to an Eil [Who is] another-different."
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