The Secret to Heaven

              Nazarene   ------>    Nazoraios  -------->  Natsraya ----------> Natsarim -----------> Natsar

Let's look at the root word meaning of "Natsar"...
The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon
 Strong's Number:  5341 encodedOriginalWord
Original Word Word Origin
  נצר    a primitive root
Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling
  natsar   naw-tsar'  
Parts of Speech TWOT
  Verb   1407
Definition 
  to guard, watch, watch over, keep
(Qal)
to watch, guard, keep
to preserve, guard from dangers
to keep, observe, guard with fidelity
to guard, keep secret
to be kept close, be blockaded
watchman (participle)
Source:  http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/heb/view.cgi?number=05341
Strong's Hebrew Lexicon Search Results

The followers of John the Baptist are known in the Qur’an as `Sabi`un’, or Baptizers. They were divided into two groupsmandaye (gnostics) and nasoraye (observants),

Encyclopaedia of Islam s.v. Sabi`a (T. Fahd)

Q:  Many scholars who claim that no such propecy in the Old Testament exists to support Matthew 2:23  "...and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." 
A:  Let's take this one sentence fragment at a time.  First off, the true name is NOT Nazareth... 
Note: The Hebrew name of the town of “Nazareth” is really “Natsareth.” It is raised up, and the hills nearby give a view of the Plain of Jezreel and the town of Megiddo (Har Megiddo or “Armageddon”.
Source:  http://innertech.com/blog/2009/05/enochs-calendar-natsarim-and-witnesses/
CONCLUSION
The Nazareth Inscription is almost certainly authentic and is a rump version of an imperial rescript. It was also almost certainly issued by the Emperor Claudius in 41 A.D. The text of the Nazareth Inscription fits both the style and structure of other known rescripts of Claudius.

The Emperor Claudius was also well placed to know a great deal about Jewish religion. He was the boyhood friend of the future Jewish King Herod Agrippa I. Agrippa I, being both the nephew of Herod Antipas and the brother of Herodias, was himself well placed to have heard about Christ and His teachings. Agrippa I also was a governmental official in the city of Tiberius in the Galilee at the same time when both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were ministering in Israel. Agrippa’s uncle Herod Antipas certainly knew that Jesus was a Galilean from Nazareth, [Luke 23:5-7] and King Agrippa I also must have known this.

The close connection between the name of Jesus and the city of Nazareth is important for determining the place where the Nazareth Decree was posted. A careful look at the New Testament reveals that the followers of Jesus were at first not called Christians but rather “Nazarenes.” The Apostle Paul when he appeared before the Roman Governor Felix was accused by his Jewish enemies of being: “…a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” [Acts 24:5 NASV]

It is also very clear in the New Testament that Jesus during his ministry was called Jesus of Nazareth, and only later was called “Jesus the Christ/Messiah.” There are many references in the New Testament to “Jesus of Nazareth” or “Jesus the Nazarene.” These references are made by both His followers and His enemies. Every one who had heard of Jesus knew that he was from Nazareth. In Mark 14:57 the Apostle Peter is accused of being a follower of “Jesus the Nazarene.” The titulus, which Pilate placed over the head of Jesus on the cross, read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” [John 19:19] Peter in his sermon in Acts chapter 2 calls Jesus “the Nazarene.” When Peter appeared before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:10, he spoke of: “Jesus Christ thethe Nazarene.” The titulus, which Pilate placed over the head of Jesus on the cross, read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” [John 19:19] Peter in his sermon in Acts chapter 2 calls Jesus “the Nazarene.” When Peter appeared before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:10, he spoke of: “Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” Unquestionably, Agrippa I, who was related to the family of the high priests, would have known that Jesus was from the city of Nazareth in Galilee.

That King Agrippa I was well acquainted with Christianity can also be seen in his behavior after Claudius added Judea to his kingdom in 41 A.D. As soon as he returned from Rome in 41 A.D. to claim Judea, one of the first things that Agrippa did was to persecute Christians in the city of Jerusalem, his new capital. With his intimate knowledge of the new Jewish sect of Jesus the Nazarene, it is very likely that it was King Herod Agrippa I who wrote the letter of inquiry to the Emperor Claudius about how to deal with the sect of Jesus the Nazarene. It is also very likely that it was in response to Agrippa’s letter of inquiry that Claudius wrote an imperial rescript forbidding the removal of bodies from tombs to counter the Christian doctrine that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. It is also very likely that it was King Herod Agrippa I who, through his influence on Claudius, had the Nazareth Inscription posted in Nazareth, the home city of the “sect of the Nazarenes.” In addition, Herod Agrippa I may have even used the Nazareth Inscription as imperial authorization for the persecution of Christians and the execution of James the brother of John, see Acts.12:1-3.

The best date for the posting of the Nazareth Inscription is 41A.D. In 41 A.D. Claudius became emperor and immediately had to deal with a developing revolt among the Jews, both those living in Israel and also those living in the city of Alexandria. As was related above, just before his assassination, Caligula had driven the Jews to the brink of revolt by ordering Roman troops to set up his image in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Greeks in Alexandria had used Jewish resistance to worshipping Caligula as an excuse to attack the Jews as anti-Roman and unpatriotic. To deal with this explosive situation in 41 D.D., Claudius almost certainly turned to his friend Agrippa I for advice and information. Since Agrippa I is known to have disliked Christians and since he also knew, as the Book of Acts records, that Christians were causing an uproar in Jerusalem at the very time when he became king of Judea in 41 A.D., it is very likely that it was at this same time that Agrippa I wrote his letter of inquiry to Claudius, and Claudius wrote his rescript letter forbidding the removal of bodies from tombs. With Agrippa I’s intimate knowledge of Christ and Christianity, it was almost certainly he who selected Nazareth as the site for the posting of the Nazareth Inscription.

The question that now needs to be answered is: Does the Nazareth Inscription prove the resurrection of Christ? The answer to that question is no. But what it does prove is that the story of the resurrection of Christ was already well known, even to the Emperor Claudius in ca. 41 A.D. This fact clearly proves that the story of the resurrection of Christ was widely known almost immediately after His crucifixion. In other words, the story of the resurrection of Christ must have been a story that was circulated by his Apostles themselves, and it was not a later invention by Christians of the post-apostolic period, as some modern scholars in the past have argued. The Nazareth Inscription does force modern scholars into making a choice of either believing in the resurrection of Christ or of believing that His disciples stole His body from the tomb in order to perpetrate a great religious fraud. As is true for philosophy, science and religion, belief is always the key issue.
Source: Bible Archeology 
http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2009/07/28/The-Nazareth-Inscription-Proof-of-the-Resurrection-of-Christ-Part-II.aspx

Now the second sentence of Matthew part of your question regarding are completely in error on the latter because they fail to  understand that Matthew is saying in the transliterated version, "He will be called a Natsari".  As noted above, the word "Natsar" means: guard, watch, keep... the fact is that Yahushua was called "The Good Shepherd" and "Natsari" and each one means the other.  Lets first begin at seeing how "Shepherd" is defined and scripture that supports its prophecy:   

 shep⋅herd  [shep-erd]

In all Arab countries Christians are called "Nasara" "نصارى"( Plural of Nasrani نصراني ). The term "Nasara" is used many times in the Qur'an when referring to Christians.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazarene_(sect)

The factual evidence is overwhelmingly clear as to who are the True followers of Yahushua: Both Hebrews and Arabs, the two cultures and races most closely aware and knowledgeable of the faith associated with Yahushua the Natsari than any jother people on earth, recognize names most closely related to Natsarim - NOT "Christian.n

Source:  http://www.sonsofzadok.com/Studies/Fossilized_Customs.pdf

EDITOR'S NOTE:  NATSARIM must not be confused with NOTZRIM
A religious sect called Notzrim which is the plural form of Notzri followed the teachings of Yeshu ha-Notzri which has been mistranslated to mean "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus the Nazarene".  The Talmud, which evolved after the Torah, is of oral traditions, does not keep with the teachings of the Torah and promotes violence, mentions an individual by name of Yeshu ha-Notzri, who was rebellious and ultimately stoned and put to death - the eve of the Sabbath which explains in great part why the Jews knew he was not the Messiah and historians and Hollywood have mis-identified Him with the real Yahushua.  Yeshu ha-Notzri too had followers, and is why many have falsely believed his sect, the Notzri, and the Natsarim, are one and the same.  In fact, Jews today refer to Christians as Notzrim.

NOTZRIM
 

The Notzrim, also Nasaraioi/Nasoraean (Gk:Νασαραίοι), from Hebrew נֹצְרִים or נוצרים "sentry" or "watchmen"^[1] (those who "keep safe" the original teachings), are a sect that began around the time of Jeremiah but flourished as a Gnostic movement during the reign of the Hasmonean queen Alexandra Helene Salome among Hellenized supporters of Rome in Judea.^[2] Pliny the Elder indicates^[3] that Nasaraioi lived not far from Apamea, in Syria in a city called Bambyx, Hierapolis or Mabog. Dubourg dates Pliny's source between 30 and 20 BCE and, accounting for the lapse of time required for the installation in Syria of a sect born in Palestine, suggests the presence of a Nasoraean current around 50 BC.^[4]

They are sometimes identified as the group called "Nazorei" by Filaster,^[5] and were certainly one of the earliest key Gnostic sects. Many of the original Nasoraeans became Christians and thus in Modern Israeli Hebrew, the term Notzrim has come to simply mean Christians. Since the Greek word Christos is the translation of Messiah or "anointed," the Hebrew word for Christians could have been Meshikhiyim (Messianics), but ever since Talmudic days, the term Notzrim was used to deny that Jesus could have been the Messiah.

It appears that the Νασαραίοι were originally composed at least partly of Jews (viz., Israeli-Samaritans) beginning long before the Christian Era, whose anti-Torah teachings ^[6] may have had some gnostic leanings. The sect was apparently centered in the areas of Coele-Syria, Galilee and Samaria (essentially corresponding to the long-defunct state of Northern Israel).^[7]

The Orthodox Church Father Epiphanius writes: "there were Nasoraeans amongst the Jews before the time of Christ."^[8] They were said to have rejected temple sacrifice and the Torah, but adhered to other Jewish practice. They are described as being vegetarian.^[9] Epiphanius says it was unlawful for them to eat meat or make sacrifices. According to him they were Jews only by nationality who lived in Gilead, Basham, and the Transjordan. They revered Moses but, unlike the pro-Torah Nazoraeans, believed he had received different laws from those accredited to him.

Following the teachings of the Prophets above the Priestly rituals^{[clarification needed]}, they are considered Minim (heretics) by the Pharisee-derived Rabbinic Judaism in the Mishnah. They were members of a non-priestly congregation that counted Jeremiah as an early leader five centuries before^{[clarification needed]}. Key teachings are that sacrifices were created by the priesthood to feed the Priests, and are not in accord with God's Law^{[clarification needed]}. E. S. Drower surmises that the Nasoraean "hatred for Jews" originated during a period in which they were in close contact with orthodox Jewry, and when the latter was able to exercise authority over them.^[10]

The famous Notzrim of the pre-Christian era (in existence during the reign of Alexander Jannaeus) included a rebellious student mentioned in the Baraitas as "Yeshu Ha-Notzri". Some fringe scholars identify this individual as the Christian Jesus of Nazareth,^[11][12] although the identification has been contested, as Yeshu ha-Notzri is depicted as living circa 100 BCE.^[13]They are sometimes identified as the group called "Nazorei" by Filaster,^[5] and were certainly one of the earliest key Gnostic sects. Many of the original Nasoraeans became Christians and thus in Modern Israeli Hebrew, the term Notzrim has come to simply mean Christians. Since the Greek word Christos is the translation of Messiah or "anointed," the Hebrew word for Christians could have been Meshikhiyim (Messianics), but ever since Talmudic days, the term Notzrim was used to deny that Jesus could have been the Messiah.
According to a Mandaean manuscript, the Haran Gawaita, John the Baptist is baptized, initiated, and educated by the patron of the Nasirutha ("secret knowledge") Anus or Anus-’uthra, the hierophant of the sect.^[15] This research was conducted by the Oxford scholar, and specialist on the Nasoraeans, Dr. E. S. Drower, who concedes, however, that John’s name may have been inserted at a later date (it appears as Yahia, which is Arabic, not Aramaic).^[16] Drower also asserts that the Church Fathers Hippolytus and Eusebius describe Simon Magus, the Samaritan sorcerer of biblical fame (Acts 8:9ff), as a Nasoraean and a disciple of John the Baptist.^[17]

In Hebrew, the word "Notzrim" (נוצרים) refers to all Christians, evidently a survival of the time when the Notzrim in the strict sense were the Christians with whom Jews were in most contact.

[edit] Popular usage

Despite being historically anachronistic and quite derogatory as a result of its contextual nuances, many orthodox Jews are increasingly using the term to refer to general Christians. However a more accurate usage is emerging in reference to various sects of messianic Jews who have chosen to identify a Jewish heretic Yeshu ha-Notzri as the historical personage behind Jesus as "the Nazarene." Such "Messianic Jews" usually welcome the appaleage as despite the historical useage they have chosen to consider the term to be an original Hebrew term for Christians.

Source: Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NotzrimThe Nazarene sect (Ναζωραίων from Hebrew נזרים) used in the Book of Acts, clearly referred to both Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus' Apostles. A related term, ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΟΙ, were an early Jewish Christian sect similar to the Ebionites, in that they maintained their adherence to the Torah, but unlike the Ebionites, they accepted the virgin birth of Jesus ^[1][2].

The writings below explain the sect of Nazarenes from a mindset of Greek origins which is the most prevalent opinion upon most scholars today. There exists, however, a small remnant of scholars and students that favor a Hebraic Roots type of thinking which allows for the thinking that all inspired scripture was originally written in either Hebrew or Aramaic (see Aramaic primacy). This being the case, their "New Testament" texts are all based from Aramaic sources^{[citation needed]}. This movement rejects the traditional "Jesus" of Christianity viewpoint, and most practices associated with it. To begin with, they much prefer to use the original Hebrew name of Jesus, Yeshua, or Yahushua, which means "Yah is Salvation".

The word nazara, "truth", another gnostic concept popularized through the Gospel of Philip: "The apostles that came before us called him Jesus Nazarene the Christ ..."Nazara" is the "Truth". Therefore 'Nazarenos' is "The One of the Truth" ..." (Gospel of Philip, 47)

Alongside the three traditional explanations above, two more recent explanations have been suggested:

• The word nosri which means "one who keeps (guard over)" or "one who observes" the same name used by spiritual leaders (see for example Yeshu Ha-Notzri) of a pre-Christian gnostic sect which evolved into the Mandaean religion (as in Jeremiah 31:5-6 נֹצְרִים). This explanation had become popular among Protestants towards the end of the 20th century. However, the Greek letter ζ (zeta) is always used in Koine transliterations of זצ (tsade) which is always represented by a σ (sigma) instead. (zayin) but never
• The Greek transliteration Ναζαρηνος (Nazareinos, from which the English "Nazarene" derived) of Neitzër (נצר), which is the Hebrew term meaning "offshoot(s)", especially from the branches of an olive tree (instead referring to a wicker in Modern Hebrew). which appears in Isaiah chapters 11.1 and 60.21. This derivation is popular among some of the late 20th century's Messianic Jewish groups.

[edit] History

The Nazarenes were originally Jewish converts of the Apostles^[5] who fled Jerusalem because of Jesus' warning of its coming siege. They fled to Pella, Peraea (which is northeast of Jerusalem), and eventually spread outwards to Beroea and Bashanitis, where they permanently settled.^[6]

There, they and the other disciples took the name "Jessaeans" and began distinguishing themselves from them. They took this name either because of Jesse, the father of David, to fulfill Psalm 132:11^[7], or from the name of Jesus himself^[8].

Once the term Christian was applied to the followers of Jesus at Antioch, the Nazoreans dropped the name Jessaean and Christian, and retook the name Nazarene^[9].

Even though they had distinguished themselves from the Christians, and had kept their Jewish practices^[10], they were persecuted by the Jews because of their belief in Jesus. Epiphanius of Salamis writes: “Yet these are very much the Jews’ enemies. Not only do Jewish people have a hatred of them; they even stand up at dawn, at midday, and toward evening, three times a day when they recite their prayers in the synagogues, and curse and anathematize them. Three times a day they say, 'God curse the Nazoraeans.' For they harbor an extra grudge against them, if you please, because despite their Jewishness, they preach that Jesus is the Christ – the opposite of those who are still Jews, for they have not accepted Jesus.”^[11]

Jerome and Epiphanius both wrote how the Nazarene sect existed in their day^[12][13], the late fourth century. However, little is known how their sect disappeared.

[edit] Modern movements

Starting in the nineteenth century, a number of modern movements have revived the term "Nazarene" among English speaking communities, usually for the following reasons:

• To reject modern Christianity, as having been led astray from "normative" Judaism by Paul of Tarsus.
• To lay claim to an authentically Torah-based and Jewish structure of belief.
• Because of a belief that the term was used to describe both Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus in earliest times, even though they believe they are in unity with the modern Christian faith.

An exception to this is the Church of the Nazarene, which emphasizes Christian activism in the Arminian tradition of John Wesley, and which is accepted as a mainstream Christian (Protestant) denomination that was borne out of the Holiness Movement of the early 20th Century. The Church of the Nazarene took their name in order to associate itself with the humbleness of Christ's town of origin, as they seek to reach the 'humble' in society. Various branches of the Apostolic Christian Church also use the term "Nazarene" or "Nazarean" in their name.

EDITOR'S NOTE: NATSRAYA ARE NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE "CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE" WHICH IS A BRANCH OF THE APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH / PROTESTANT DENOMINATION.

[edit] Modern Hebrew usage

In contemporary Israeli Hebrew, the term "Notzri" (נוצרי) - likely to be derived from or related to "Nazarene" - is the general word for "Christian".

[edit] In Arabic Language

In all Arab countries Christians are called "Nasara" "نصارى"(Plural of Nasrani نصراني). The term "Nasara" is used many times in the Qur'an when referring to Christians. For example, Surat AL-BAQARA (Verse No. 113) says:

2:113. The Jews say: "Al-nasara (The Christians)* have naught (to stand) upon;" and Al-nasara (The Christians)* say: "The Jews have naught (To stand) upon." Yet they (profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not; but Allah will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment.

– Yusuf Ali's Qur'an Translation, AL-BAQARA 113

* EDITORS NOTE: It is ironic that what is confused to be christians are actually natsRAYA - the very spelling, "al-nasara" IN Arabic is very similar to the aramaic.
[edit] See also

• Christian Torah-submission
• Ebionites
• Judaism
• Judeo-Christian
• Messianic Judaism
• Syrian Malabar Nasrani and Knanaya

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Catena Aurea - Gospel of Matthew Ch. 27
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Nazarene
• Epiphanius of Salamis' Panarion
• Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History 4.22
• Jerome's Lives of Illustrius Men Ch. 3
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Nazarenes
• Letter 75 Jerome to Augustine
• NetzariPedia: The Term Nazarene Pt1
• The Golden Compass, Volume 7