Q. 1. What is the "Ebionites" heresy?

A. 1. The Ebionites were a Jewish sect that insisted that Jewish law and rites must be followed. They interpreted this in light of Jesus' expounding of the Law. They believed Jesus was the Messiah but He was not Divine.

The term Ebionites derives from the Hebrew word Evionim, which means "the Poor Ones."

Justin Martyr (Saint Justin 100 A.D. - 165 A.D.) considered them heretical at Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. Saint Justin, apologist, who was martyred alongside some of his students, was regarded as the foremost interpreter of the theory of the Logos in the second century.

In 375, Epiphanius recorded the existence of the settlement of Ebionites on Cyprus. Later, Theodoret of Cyrrhus reported that they were no longer present there.