“May Nazarim and Minim Instantly Perish”

Last updated on: August 15, 2019 at 11:48 pm by Kermit Zarley

“May Nazarim and Minim Instantly Perish” 2019-08-15T23:48:42-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Religious Jews used to be required to say a lengthy prayer every day known as the Eighteen Benedictions. It is also called The Amidah Prayer. Some think the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught–recorded in Matthew 6.9-13 and Luke 11.2-4–represents somewhat of a condensation of the Amidah Prayer. Well, not quite.

The twelfth of the eighteen benedictions in the Amidah Prayer is a curse against Christians and other heretics. It says, “For the apostates let there be no hope, and may the kingdom of the arrogant be quickly uprooted in our days; and may the Nazarim and the Minim instantly perish; may they be blotted from the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. Blessed are you Lord, humbler of the arrogant.”

Many scholars and historians claim that at least some of these benedictions existed prior to the Romans’ defeat of Jews in 70 AD and that the twelfth benediction, or at least the part about the Nazarim, was added perhaps 200 years later.

Nazarim is Aramaic for Nazarenes, and minim means “heretic.” The earliest disciples of Jesus were not called “Christians;” rather, they were called “Nazarenes.” It was only later, starting in the Gentile city of Antioch, where a community of believers in Jesus consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, that people were first called “Christians.” For we read, “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians'” (Acts 11.26; cf. 26.28; 1 Peter 4.16). Thus, Nazarim in the twelfth benediction represents a curse against what we would call Christians.

Jesus’ earliest disciples were called Nazarenes since he was a “Nazarene.” Nine times in the New Testament gospels and the book of Acts we read, “Jesus the Nazarene;” and “Jesus Christ the Nazareth” appears twice in Acts. The reason for this identification, of course, is that Jesus had grown up and lived as an adult in the town of Nazareth, which was in Galilee, about sixty miles north of Jerusalem.

Thus, when Pontius Pilate had the headboard nailed to Jesus’ cross, identifying who he was, the author of the Gospel of John writes, “Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews'” (John 19.19).

We read in the book of Acts about the Apostle Paul being brought as a prisoner before Governor Felix at Caesarea to be questioned by him. Israel’s high priest and some elders, represented by an attorney named Tertullus, said to the governor concerning Paul, “We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24.5).

Yet many of the Eighteen Benedictions are full of beautiful and godly exhortations directed toward Jews and praises said of God. For example, the fifth benediction says, “Cause us to repent, Lord, to you, and we will repent. Renew our days as at the start. Blessed are you Lord, who desires repentance.” And the sixth benediction begins, “Forgive us our Father, for we have sinned against you. . . . Blessed are you Lord, who abundantly forgives.”

Also according to the book of Acts, when the Apostle Peter preached his second sermon to his countrymen, Jews, he challenged them concerning their responsibility for the execution of Jesus, “Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3.19-21).

The Bible has many prophecies that predict a significant remnant of Jews will repent in the latter days, and then the Messiah will come, just as Peter exhorted. I believe that part of this penitence must be the Jews’ removal of the twelfth of their eighteen benedictions. Having said this, I also agree that in the history of Christianity, there has been much deplorable persecution of Jews by so-called Christians, even by the Catholic Church itself, which it subtly admits in Vatican II. Thus, as Catholics have done therein, Jews need to do likewise.

Christianity

New Testament

Eighteen Benedictions

Jesus the Nazarene

The Nazarenes

The Nazarim

Previous Post

August 14, 2019

What Was Sam Snead's Famous Driver?

Next Post

August 17, 2019 Is Elizabeth Warren Right--"There's God in Every One of Us"?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Ebenezer" mean, as in the stone Samuel set up?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Stone of David Stone of help Stone of God Stone of Law

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »