Origin of the Natzraya

The Natzraya are a 2000 year old sect of Judaism who take their name from that of their founding rabbi, Yeshua Natzraya (ca. 1 b.c.e. - 33 c.e.), whom they believe is the anointed spiritual deliverer of Israel - the Messiah.

Yeshua grew up near the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee, which is alternately called the Genasaret, Kinneret or the Sea of Tiberias. His village was called Natzrat and was located between the plain of Ginosar and Tel Kinrot.

The area around the north-west side of the lake was also called Gen Nasaret, Ginosar, and Kineret alternately. These all refer to the same place located between Magdala to the south, Keper Nahum (Capernaum) to the east, and Hana (Cana) to the west. However the village and synagogue of Natzrat no longer exist. The historical site of Yeshua's home remains overlooked by scholars, archaeologists, and tourists alike.

Galilee Map The modern city of Nazareth (pop. 64,500), which lies further west, is not the original home of Yeshua Natzraya and did not exist in his time. That settlement was created in the 4th century after Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, arbitrarily declared a scarcely inhabited hill to be Nazareth. A city was then built around the ancient cemetery of the nearby village of Yaffa. Today, as then, the city is a major tourist attraction and destination for Christian pilgrims.

Surnames were often based upon the name of one's village. If you were from Magdala, your were one of the Magdalaya. If from Keper Nahum, you were one of the Nahumaya. Now if you were from Natzrat, you were one of the Natzraya.

"And he settled in a town called Natzrat so that something the prophets said might be fulfilled, that he would be called Natzraya." - Matay (Mathew) 2:23

The designation Natzraya became the namesake of His followers regardless of their origin or residence. This term has been translated into English as Nazarenes, in Arabic as Nasara, in Hebrew as Notzrim, and in Greek as Nadzorayon. In different places and dialects the name Natzraya still survives in various forms even after much religious persecution and assimilation over the centuries.

The greater prophetic significance of the name and purpose is not commonly realized. It represents the restoration of the nation of Israel on a spiritual and moral basis. At a time when the nation was more concerned with their immediate temporal and political salvation from the Roman occupation, Yeshua came to address their need for salvation from themselves. He was leading them into the freedom of a kingdom that was within and between them. His way of eliminating their enemies was to love and convert them. Only once this was achieved could a real and stable kingdom exist.

Concerning the name Gen Nasaret, Gen is most often translated as garden or orchard, and natzar means shoot. Today as in the ancient past, the plain of Ginosar is renowned for the fruit of it's orchards and gardens. The concepts of pruning and grafting were well known to it's inhabitants. The largest and oldest olive trees were harvested for wood used in boat making and other carpentry.

Israel is compared to the life cycle of the olive tree by the prophets.

"Then יהוה said to me, A conspiracy has been discovered among the people of Yahuda and the residents of Aerishalem. They have turned back to the heinous crimes of their forefathers who refused to listen to my words, rather they have gone after other gods to serve them. The House of Aeisrayl and the House of Yahuda have both broken my covenant which I made with their forefathers. [...] יהוה called your name the Green Olive Tree, lovely with good fruit. But now with a violent noise He has broken your branches and set them on fire." - Ærämya (Jeremiah) - 11:9-10,16

The Olive tree is well known for it's incredible ability to send up new shoots, even when the tree has been reduced to a mere stump. This gives the Olive tree a kind of immortality not enjoyed by other species.

Yeshua chose twelve men symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel who were broken off the old tree. The old tree and it's stump represent the old covenant God made with Israel, but through Yeshua, the tree, and thus the covenant, is renewed. It is not a new tree, and thus the covenant literally, but the old being renewed. These twelve new branches would bear much fruit. Because not all of the old branches could be re-attached, branches were cut from uncultured and wild olive trees (non-Jews) and grafted onto the renewed tree to fill it out, so that it would bear an abundance of fruit. These scions are not the natural descendants of Israel but from other nationalities and ethnic groups.

"Again I ask: Have they [the branches of Israel] stumbled that they should fall beyond recovery? By no means! But through their fall, they should be become jealous that salvation has come to the nations. Now if their fall means blessings for the nations, consider what great blessing will result from their reinstatement! But now I am speaking to you who are from the nations, as an emissary to serve the nations, that increase my ministry. If by any means I can cause those of my people to become jealous and save some of them. For if their rejection is reconciliation for the world, what will their acceptance be except life from the dead? Now if the first portion of dough is special then the whole lump is also special, and if the root is special so are the branches. Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot have been grafted in among the others and have become a partaker of the root and the richness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. if you do then consider this: You do not support the root, but rather the root supports you! You might reply: But the branches were broken off because of unfaithfulness, yet you have been established by faith. So do not be arrogant fools, but rather, be respectful. For if the Almighty did not spare the natural branches, He certainly will not spare you. Therefore behold the kindness and the harshness of the Almighty. Upon them that fell harshness, but toward you kindness but only if you continue in the same kindness otherwise you too will be broken off. And if they do not want to remain in their defective faith the Almighty is able to raft them back in as partakers. For if you were cut off from the naturally barbaric olive tree and contrary to what is natural you were grafted into the cultivated olive tree, how much more easily will the natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?" - Romans 11:11-24

Although commonly referred to as a "sect of Judaism", in light of their true significance, the Natzraya do not consider "sect" to be an appropriate description. They believe that they are the only legitimate Israel with a covenant in good standing. Other sects of Judaism which have broken the covenant are considered to be those branches which were broken off, and therefore are not part of the living tree.

They do not believe, as most Jewish sects, that ordinary repentance alone is good enough to restore one's relationship with the Almighty, noting the fact that some sins can only be purged by blood, and by that, death. That blood and death being realized in the spending of Yeshua the innocent to redeem the guilty. By this they understand that only what then is spiritually born again in character can be considered innocent and free of corruption, just like the new shoot coming up from old roots.