That's right, and that's because according to Epiphanius Elkesai was Jewish. Jews had their own idea about "Christ", it didn't only mean "Jesus Christ". For example, Epiphanius notes that "Christ" was a role which one sect believed was fulfilled by Herod the Great:What one has to invent in order to avoid the mythicist conclusion:For the fundamental contention of Brandt, that Elkesai was not Jewish Christian but Jewish, a passage in Epiphanius, haer. xix. 3, seems to afford the most direct support. In that passage, Epiphanius seems to say that he can find in the Elkesai book no direct identification of the “Christ”, who is called “the great King” with Jesus.
Part 20. Epiphanius Against the Herodians50
1:1 And again, after this sect and the others there was a seventh, called the sect of Herodians. These had nothing different but were altogether Jews, good for nothing and hypocrites. They believed, however, that Herod was Christ, thought that the Christ awaited in all scriptures of the Law and prophets was Herod himself,
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1:6 Since this person of gentile extraction was reigning as king, while the crown had come down in succession from Judah and David but the rulers and patriarchs of the tribe of Judah had come to an end and the crown had passed over to a gentile, the mistaken belief that he was Christ seemed persuasive to the opinion of the deluded—
1:7 in consequence of the wording of the text I have quoted, 'There shall not fail a ruler from Judah till he come for whom it is prepared.' It was as though they were obliged to take it in the sense of 'It was 'prepared' for this ruler. The rulers from Judah have 'failed,' and this one is not descended from Judah—indeed, is not a descendant of Israel at all. The role of Christ was 'prepared' for someone like this.'
1:1 And again, after this sect and the others there was a seventh, called the sect of Herodians. These had nothing different but were altogether Jews, good for nothing and hypocrites. They believed, however, that Herod was Christ, thought that the Christ awaited in all scriptures of the Law and prophets was Herod himself,
...
1:6 Since this person of gentile extraction was reigning as king, while the crown had come down in succession from Judah and David but the rulers and patriarchs of the tribe of Judah had come to an end and the crown had passed over to a gentile, the mistaken belief that he was Christ seemed persuasive to the opinion of the deluded—
1:7 in consequence of the wording of the text I have quoted, 'There shall not fail a ruler from Judah till he come for whom it is prepared.' It was as though they were obliged to take it in the sense of 'It was 'prepared' for this ruler. The rulers from Judah have 'failed,' and this one is not descended from Judah—indeed, is not a descendant of Israel at all. The role of Christ was 'prepared' for someone like this.'
Epiphanius also writes how Simon Magus took on the name "Christ":
1:3 [Simon Magus] said that he was the supreme power of God and had come down from on high. To the Samaritans he called himself the Father; but to Jews he said he was the Son, though he had suffered without suffering, but suffered only in appearance.
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2:1 Since his mind was deranged and deluded by the devilish deceit in magic, and he was always ready to display the barbarous deeds of his own wickedness and demon's wickedness through his magic arts, he came out in the open and, under the appearance of Christ's name, induced death in his converts by slipping a poison into the dignity of Christ's name—as though he were mixing hellebore with honey—for those whom he had trapped in his baneful error.
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2:4 He said, 'I was transformed in each heaven in accordance with the appearance of the inhabitants of each, so as to pass my angelic powers by unnoticed and descend to Ennoia—to this woman, likewise called Prunicus and Holy Spirit, through whom I created the angels. But the angels created the world and men. But this woman is the ancient Helen on whose account the Trojans and Greeks went to war.'
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2:1 Since his mind was deranged and deluded by the devilish deceit in magic, and he was always ready to display the barbarous deeds of his own wickedness and demon's wickedness through his magic arts, he came out in the open and, under the appearance of Christ's name, induced death in his converts by slipping a poison into the dignity of Christ's name—as though he were mixing hellebore with honey—for those whom he had trapped in his baneful error.
...
2:4 He said, 'I was transformed in each heaven in accordance with the appearance of the inhabitants of each, so as to pass my angelic powers by unnoticed and descend to Ennoia—to this woman, likewise called Prunicus and Holy Spirit, through whom I created the angels. But the angels created the world and men. But this woman is the ancient Helen on whose account the Trojans and Greeks went to war.'
Some early Christian heretics thought that Christ was a divine figure that descended upon Jesus at baptism. Some Ebionites believed that anyone could become a "Christ" if they perfectly adhered to God's will, which they believed Jesus did. So it's not surprising Epiphanius wasn't sure whether "Christ" meant Jesus for Elkesai.
Statistics: Posted by GakuseiDon — Fri Sep 13, 2024 4:23 pm
