Quoted By:
>Interestingly enough, the “heretical sect” that Epiphanius was referencing just happened to have the same exact name as the earliest label for Jesus’ followers: the “Nazoraeans”. Now, Epiphanius does make a distinction between the Nazoraeans of his own time and the Nazoraeans from the time of Jesus. The former was just another heretical sect among dozens while the latter was the name that all Christians went by before they were called Christians. According to Epiphanius, the Nazoraeans of his time continued to follow the laws of Moses and believed that the mantle of King David’s leadership had rightfully passed from Alexander Jannaeus directly to Jesus. Epiphanius agrees with them on the last part although he provides no explanation for why the king would have done this. Instead, the crown of Judah was placed upon the head of the first queen of Jerusalem, Salome Alexandra, who represented the Jewish elders fighting against Jesus, and who, according to the Talmud, are the ones who stone Jesus to death and hang him on a tree
>There is also a quote from Mara Bar Serapion which indicates that he believed a nameless “wise king” was killed around the same time period:
>“What else can we say, when the wise are forcibly dragged off by tyrants, their wisdom is captured by insults, and their minds are oppressed and without defense? What advantage did the Athenians gain from murdering Socrates? Famine and plague came upon them as a punishment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea and the Jews, desolate and driven from their own kingdom, live in complete dispersion
