6. Syncretistic Ebionites.— The most conserva- tive movement could not escajie the syncretistic tendencies of the age with which we are dealing. We have notices of several varieties which we class together as Syncretistic Ebionites.
(a) The first of these we may term the Ebionites of Epijihanius. Epiphanius agrees with Irenseus in describing the Ebionites as we have done above. But he adds several details of which there is no trace in Irenseus. Making all allowances for the generally unsatisfactory character of Epiphanius
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as an accurate historian, we cannot set aside what he reports so clearly. The easiest explanation is that the Ebionites of Irenajus developed into the Ebionites of Epiphanius, i.e. Ebionisni as a whole became syncretistic. The Ebionites of Epiphanius show traces of Samaritanism and an influence which we may with great probability term Essenic. The former is shown in their rejection of the Prophets later than Joshua, and of Kings David and Solomon (Seer. xxx. 18). The latter is mani- fest in their abstinence from flesh and wine, their rejection of sacrifices, their oft-repeated, even daily, baptism (xxx. 15, 16).
The siege and fall of Jerusalem were events of the greatest importance for Judaism (see art. Pharisees) and Jewish Christianity alike. Jews and Christians, including Ebionites, settled east of the Jordan. There they came into close contact with a Judaism that was far from pure. The most important form of this was Essenism (see art. Essenes). There were also the Nasareeans, who exhibited the very peculiarities described in the Ebionites by Epiphanius, except perhaps as regards the baptisms (Epiphan. Hcer. xviii. ). If, as seems probable, the Order of Essenes was broken up after the Fall of Jerusalem, it is very likely that many of them would associate with the Ebionites, who held the Law in such esteem, and would be able to impress their own customs on their associates.
(6) A still more pronounced Essenic influence is patent when we consider the Elkasaites. The Book of Elkesai was in great repute among Essenes, Nasarjeans, and other trans-Jordanic sects, and Ebionites accepted it also (Epiphan. Hmr. xxx. 3). The book appeared about A.D. 100. Hippolytus (Phil. ix. 8-12) gives details regarding it. Its main points are : bindingness of the Law ; sub- stitution of frequent baptisms for sacrifices ; re- jection of the Prophets and St. Paul ; Christ's appearance in Adam and others ; permissibility of formal idolatry in times of persecution ; magic, astrology, proiihecy. This is specially interesting because we trace here a germ of Gnostic doctrine.
Gnostic tendencies are still more pronounced in the Ebionisra of the Clementine Literature, which, however, falls outside the period we are concerned with. Gnosticism has there advanced sufficiently to induce even a more favourable view of St. Paul. The union of Ebionism with Gnosticism is one of the strangest cases of extremes meeting. In most things the two movements are completely antitheti- cal : one practically denied Christ's humanity, the other His Divinity ; one made salvation depend on obedience to the Law, the other on speculative knowledge. Yet the two met in a strange amalgam. The explanation lies in the Essenism with which Ebionism entered into relation. It was already a Gnosticism of a sort. Ebionism ran its course till about the 5th cent., when in all its forms it was extinct. It was despised by Jews and Christians alike, and had no strength to maintain itself, as is shown by the unnatural union it entered into witli its own antithesis.
Literature. — Besides the works mentioned in the art., see F. C. Baur, de Ebionitarwn Origine, 1831, and Doginengeschichte, 1865-08 ; F. C. A. Schwegrler, Das nachapustol. Zeila'.ter, 1846 ; A. Ritschl, Die EntM.ehvng der altkathol. Kirche\ 1857 ; A. Harnack, DogmenrtesMchte'^, 1893 ; G. P. Fisher, Hist, of Chrixtian Doctrine, 1S96; C. v. Weizsacker, Apostol. Age, Eng. tr., ii. [1895] 27 ; E. Reuss, flist. of Christian Theol. in Apostol. Age, i. [1872] 100 ; Church Histories of Neander, Kurtz, Schaff, and Moeller ; artt. 'Ehionism' and 'Elkcsaites' in KtlE; ' Ebioniten ' and ' Elkesailen ' in PHE'i; 'Ebionites' in J E ; ' Ebionisra ' in DCG ; ' Ebionites ' in CE.
W. D. NiVEN.
ECSTASY.— See Rapture and Tongues, Gift
OF.
EDIFICATION.— The term (olKoSoix-f,) means liter- ally ' building up.' The figurative sense of building
up spiritually has two applications in apostolic usage. (1) It signifies the spiritual advancement, in a general way, of the Cliurch. (2) It is the special process or didactic means whereby the faith, knowledge, and experience of individuals were established and enlarged.
In AV oiKodo/xTj and the cognate verb olKodofiiu, in the figurative sense, are translated ' edification ' or ' edify ' 19 times. The two meanings indicated above are more apparent in RV, where ' building up ' is often employed to express the more general idea, especially where, as in Eph 4^^, ' the pictur- esqueness of the metaphor must be preserved ' (Armitage Robinson, Ephesians, 1903, p. 182), while 'edification' or 'edify' occurs 14 times. Half of these are found in 1 Co 14, where they bear the special meaning.
1. General. — The figurative use of the term olKo5o/j.rj for that which builds up generally the Church and the spiritual life of individuals within the Christian community is almost exclusively Pauline. The germ of the idea is probably to be found in the saying of Christ (Mt 16^*) concerning the building of His Church (Lightfoot, Notes an Epistles of St. Paul, 1895, p. 191). But St. Paul frequently applies the metaphor of building to the structure and growth of the Christian life (1 Co 3«-, Eph 220£-, Col 2^ ; cf. 1 P 2'). Edification is the promotion of this building up process by speech (Eph 4-'') or conduct (Ro 15"). Three elements in the Church contribute to it — peace, both external (Ac 9=*!) and internal (Ro W^) ; love (Eph 4'"-), in contrast especially with boasted knowledge (1 Co 8') or self-seeking (lO-*'*) ; and service (diaKovia) wherein each may share in tlie ministering of all (Eph 4'"-, 1 Th 5>').