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The Ebionites were an early sect of mostly Jewish disciples of Jesus, who flourished in and around the land of Israel, as one of several Jewish Christian communities coexisting from the 1st to the 5th century of the Common Era. Where they took their name from is unclear, since the word appears in several religious texts, such as the Dead Sea scrolls, the Epistle of James, and the Gospel of Luke which features one of Jesus' most well-known blessings: "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." They are said to have dispossessed themselves of all their goods, and to have lived in religious communes. Since there is no authenticated archaeological evidence for the existence of the Ebionites, their nature and history cannot be definitely reconstructed from surviving references. The little that is known about them comes from critical references by early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church, who considered them to be "Judaizers" and "heretics". However, according to some of the modern scholars who have studied the historicity of the Ebionites, they may have been disciples of the early Jerusalem church, who were gradually marginalized by the followers of Paul of Tarsus despite possibly being more faithful to the authentic teachings of the historical Jesus. (more...)

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From Wikipedia's newest articles:

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In the news

Venus Williams (pictured) and Roger Federer win the women's and men's singles, respectively, at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
Live Earth concerts are held at eleven locations around the world in an attempt to raise awareness about global warming.
Sochi, Russia, is chosen by the International Olympic Committee as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Alan Johnston, a BBC correspondent kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen in March, is released.
Alinghi beats Team New Zealand in the final race of the 2007 America's Cup, winning the regatta 5–2.
U.S. President George W. Bush commutes the prison sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who had been convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with the CIA leak investigation.
The main terminal of Glasgow International Airport is rammed by a burning car one day after two unexploded car bombs are discovered in central London.

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On this day...

July 9: Independence Day in Argentina (1816).

1357 – The foundation stone of Charles Bridge (pictured) in Prague was laid by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.
1816 – The Congress of Tucumán declared the independence of Argentina, then known as the United Provinces of the River Plate, from Spain.
1922 – Johnny Weissmuller swam the 100-meter freestyle in 58.6 seconds, breaking a world swimming record and the "minute barrier."
1955 – The Russell-Einstein Manifesto was issued in the midst of the Cold War, calling for a conference where scientists would "appraise the perils that have arisen as a result of the development of weapons of mass destruction."
2002 – The African Union was launched in Durban, South Africa, with President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki as its first chairman.

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Today's featured picture

Vernal Fall is a 317 ft (97 m) tall waterfall on the Merced River just downstream of Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. It is accessible via the Mist Trail, which climbs close enough to the fall so that hikers must travel through the fall's mist. The waterfall runs all year long, although by the end of summer, it is substantially reduced in volume and can split into multiple strands, rather than a single curtain, of water.

Photo credit: God of War

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