During early New Testament times, the relationship between the Pharisees, Sadducees and Christians was often turbulent and deeply troubled. Matters grew even worse after the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D. Rabbinic Judaism, which rejected Yeshua as the Messiah, became increasingly hostile toward the Nazarene Christians. Rabbi Akiva even endorsed the renegade Ba Kochba as the "Messiah." Eventually, the rabbis even put a "curse" into the daily synagogue prayers, the amida, which directly cursed the nozri or Nazarenes and other similar minim or "heretics"! Here is the intriguing saga.

The Early Nazarene Christians and Rabbinic Judaism

Then the Jews said to Him [the Messiah], "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." -- John 8:57-58